It might come as a surprise to hear that New York has an anti-dancing law in place, but it does.
An online based petition has been enacted to overturn the rule and so far has gathered 3,000 of the 5,000 signatures that they’re hoping to get.
“It’s hard to believe that our city government has a law on the books banning an act of expression as basic and universal as dancing It sounds like the behavior of a repressive regime and certainly has no place in a city as tolerant, diverse, and respectful of human expression as ours is.”
The Cabaret Law was initially enacted in 1926 with the intentions of suppressing African-American jazz clubs in Harlem. In the 1940’s it was extended to all performers and remained in place until Frank Sinatra refused to go through the legal process to get one. These days only 118 out of 25,000 bars officially have the liscense.
Map: Where Is It Legal To Dance In Brooklyn? Almost Nowhere https://t.co/lGUq7pMfo3 #letnycdance @K_Culliton @danceliberation @RLEspinal pic.twitter.com/DisWRPk8NI
— NYC Artist Coalition (@NYCArtC) April 25, 2017
