Stop your search for the novelty party du weekend, because we just found it. It’s in a basement (yes, in an actual house), and there are poppers involved. It’s called FANCY, and it happens tomorrow night in Bushwick.
For the past several months, Shane O’Neill (stage name: Shane Shane) has been throwing monthly “dance parties with a bent for performance art” in his friend’s basement space, affectionately called the Hose.
It all started last August, when the Chicago native was asked to get a bunch of his friends together for a show at Culture Fix on the Lower East Side. The party soon migrated to Hose where it could be “louder and dirtier and a little more relaxed.”
Past themes have delved into obvious territory like fire and showbiz; tomorrow’s theme is fans, because it’s July and really hot. “We’ll have glue and popsicle sticks to make them,” says Shane Shane. Plus, there’ll be makeup, so you can do yourself up in any way you see fit. And, of course, poppers. It’s Shane’s Shane’s personal mission to bring the sniffing solution commonly associated with disco culture back into vogue. “You can buy them at sex shops, or some bodegas,” he informs, excitedly.
Tomorrow FANCY will also debut its first zine, featuring photos from past events taken by DJ Timothy Allen Living. Those photos may or may not be SFW: last week, Shane Shane threw a pride-themed party at The Bureau of General Services Queer Division that featured twerking from performance artist JanTina (Note: JanTina does have an MFA, but not in stripping.)
“JamTina got an MFA in stripping,” Greg Newton, the co-owner of the Lower East Side bookstore and event space, recalled in awe.
Newton reached out to Shane Shane because he had wanted to throw a Pride-themed event that stayed away from rote Pride themes. “There are interesting aspects to [Pride] but a lot of it has become rainbow flags and, it’s like, is this what we’ve become?” he said.
Likewise, Shane Shane wants his parties to defy categorization. “There’s an edge toward queerness but it’s not really a queer party,” he said. This time around you can expect “really silly gay dance songs that I’ve written,” in a lineup that includes performances by several other of his awesome friends.
It all pops off at 28 Lawton Street tomorrow at 8pm. Entry is $6 and donations get you alcohol.
Photos and video by Joshua Kristal.