Archive for February 27th, 2007

Last night I went to The Bitter End in the West Village to attend the Moth StorySLAM. I have never attended a story slam before, but the concept lies somewhere in between a poetry slam and stand up comedy. Contestants each tell a five minute story (the time limit is strictly enforced) and then three judging teams score the story on a scale of one to ten. At the end of the night a story slam winner is picked.

The basic concept is simple but the product is rather amazing. The crowd is supportive, the contestants are refreshingly diverse, and the night is full of energry, reflection and laughter. Each story slam has a theme and last night’s theme was “Meltdowns”. Each contestant interpretted this theme in a comepletely different way, and the night was therefore surprising and thrilling. One man told of his high school principal committing suicide years after his graduation. Another man described the worst imaginable blind date, and the clear highlight of the night was a middle aged attractive Jewish woman telling of her breakdown in Paris and the kindness of a stranger saving her life. Somehow, each of these stories were told comically, the audience laughing along with the story tellers. No one bombed, no one was judged too harshly and everyone gained insight and compassion.

The Moth Story Slam is a night that gives you hope for New Yorkers connecting to each other on an intimate level, and I personally walked away feeling fantastic and excited for the next slam. I went alone to the event and would recommend the same for anyone who is bored with no one to hang out with on a Monday night. The Bitter End is a great location with good drinks and friendly waitstaff. I was content people watching, (the audience had a huge age range and a low key vibe) listening to stories, and becoming part of an impromptu community for a few hours.

Do you ever long for the days when you could join hands with 7 of your best friends & skip in a circle with innocence and glee? No need to fear… just head over to Galapagos in Williamsburg for a Square Dancing, banjo-pickin’ good time. YES- that’s right, I said Square Dancing!!! No need to scratch your head in disbelief, this event really does exist & takes place on the last Thursday each month at Galapagos, but stuffy/snobby people need not attend- must be young at heart and willing to laugh your ass off.

Singer/songwriter with a sense of humor, Andy Mullen was our caller for the evening, stylishly crooning out commands such as ‘swing your corner’, ‘bow to your partner’, ‘do-sa-do’ and ‘promenade’. Mullen introduced himself personally to pretty much everyone that walked in the door. He started slowly so we could get into the ‘swing’ of things and brush up on our dance steps, as people kept trickling in through the door.

And, Mullen’s bluegrass band The Ridout Creek Ramble had a casual groove- no silly sequined matching outfits, just good ol’ live music. They had a fun sound that put a smile on our faces.

So, if your week’s been tense and you need to escape your own reality for a while, then come on down for a little square dance therapy. Doesn’t matter if you’re the crunchy veggie girl wearing your vegan cowboy boots, the big dude in your leather motorcycle bad boy boots or even the distinguished gentlemen in the polished oxfords cause any which way your toes will be tappin’ to the tunes. Everybody gets caught up in the frenzy of the hand clappin’ and the fancy footwork. Oh, and you might even accidentally let out a ‘Yeehaw’ or two, which is totally acceptable and most likely will be returned by a friendly dancer on the other side of your square.

Okay, so I must admit, I popped my head next door into Galapagos’ other performance space a time or two to peer at the woman in the painted on shiny silver pants and bikini top (she wouldn’t have been complete without her fuzzy black fake beard & mustache) screaming at the top of her lungs & asking the audience if she had a camel toe. I decided then & there to back it up and stick with the Square Dancing. (Plus that girl band was just kinda poopy- cute, though minus all the facial hair.)

Was Square Dancing crowded? NO. In fact, we just almost completed 2 full squares (that means 1 shy of 16 people- for you citified folk who might not know the laws of Square Dancing 101.) In fact, the cute banjo player even had to take me for a spin around the dance floor when I didn’t have a partner. Seriously though, why are more people not out frolicking like mischievous children in the backroom of a bar on a Thursday night participating in ridiculously juvenile activities??? Aaahh… happy times, I’m talking happy smelly kids in 4th grade PE class- SMILE.

Overall: This event was not square and the final ‘bow to your partner’ was at 10 PM, so you still have time to go home early to call your mother (or head out to your next party of the night!) If more people would go, it’d be even better- doors open at 7 PM, but ya can’t really get started till you get at least 1 full square. And, hey- it’s cheap at $7 a head.