TEA DANCE • BiCoastal

BICOASTAL PARTIES are HAPPENING every Sunday! Hunters Palm Springs and Hunters Fort Lauderdale are respectively throwing spectacular Sunday TEA DANCES!!!!!  

DJ Richie Rich turns it OUT in Fort Lauderdale while DJ ChubJim throws it DOWN in Palm Springs. 

Seas of shirtless studs SIP & TWIRL to classic and contemporary GAY DISCO TRACKS.  HUNTERS DOES "Spirits Elevated"!

THE GAY TEA DANCE, Gay History

shared  by Mark Hunter

from my friend Don Bishop
This article came out a couple months ago on the history of the tea dance. Enjoy and Share if you like
The Very Gay History

of the Almost Lost Tradition of the
Sunday Tea Dance
Posted by Will Kohler on November 24, 2013
Many gay men under the age of 30 are totally clueless of almost lost tradition of the Sunday Tea Dance. So here’s a little history primer on the tradition of the “Sunday T-dance” and how and why we embraced it in the LGBT culture.
Historically, tea was served in the afternoon, either with snacks (“low tea”) or with a full meal (“high tea” or “meat tea”). High Tea eventually moved earlier in the day, sometimes replacing the midday “luncheon” and settled around 11 o’clock, becoming the forerunner of what we know as “brunch”.

From the late 1800s to well into the pre-WWI era in both America and England, late afternoon (low) tea service became the highlight of society life. As dance crazes swept both countries, tea dances became increasingly popular as places where single women and their gentlemen friends could meet — the singles scene of the age.
While tea dances enjoyed a revival in America after the Great War, The Great Depression of the 30s wiped them out. Tea consumption was in steady decline in America anyways and by the 50s, tea was largely thought of as something “your grandmother drinks”. Also, nightlife was moving later and younger. Working men and women were too busy building the American Dream to socialize so it was left to their teenaged children in the age of sockhops and the jukebox diner. Rock and roll was dark and dangerous — something you sneaked out for after dinner, not took part in before dinner.
Gay people, of course, were still largely underground in the 50s, but it was in these discreet speakeasies that social (nonpartnered) dancing was evolving. It was illegal for men to dance with men, or for women to dance with women. In the event of a raid, gay men and lesbian women would quickly change partners to mixed-couples. Eventually, this led to everyone sort of dancing on their own.
By the late 60s, gay men had established the Fire Island Cherry Grove and also the more subdued and “closeted” Pines (off of Long Island, in New York) as a summer resort of sorts. It was illegal at that time for bars to ‘knowingly sell alcohol to homosexuals’ and besides many of the venues there were not licensed as ‘night clubs’ or to sell alcohol. To avoid attracting attention, afternoon tea dances were promoted. Holding them in the afternoon also allowed those who needed to catch the last ferry back to the mainland to attend.
The proscription against same-sex dancing was still in effect, so organizers were forced to institute ‘no touching’ rules. Since there were no lesbians around to change partners with, gay men developed the “dancing apart” style that clubgoers everywhere now take for granted.
June 28, 1969…the Stonewall Riots mark the fiery birth of the so-called “modern gay rights movement”. Following (and in part perhaps inspired by) the death of gay icon Judy Garland, (as the urban legend goes) patrons of the Greenwich Village watering hole The Stonewall Inn fought back against another in a very long line of violent police raids, eventually barricading the police inside the bar and setting off three nights of rioting. The “snapped stiletto heel heard around the world”as some call it is commemorated today with Gay Pride celebrations held around the end of June.
Post-Stonewall, the tea dance moved from the Fire Island Pines to Greenwich Village. A newly-energized gay community around Christopher Street embraced the social dancing craze started on Fire Island. While the Fire Island gays tended to be rich upper-class preppies, the downtown gays of Christopher Street and the Village were working-class and they tended to party at night. As in the straight community, tea dances gradually moved later until they became subsumed into the night club scene.
Through the 70s, gay men championed the uniform of the working class — t-shirts and denim — as fashion aesthetic. In part because they were affordable, and in part because it projected an appealing hypermasculinity associated with the working class. Gays in the post-Stonewall era were consciously rebelling against the effete stereotypes associated with the manicured, sweater-wearing, tea-drinking gays of the Fire Island set. Real men wore t-shirts and drank beer. Gay men still had afternoon/early evening dances — usually on Sundays, in order to make the most of one’s weekend while still being able to get up for Monday morning’s work.
The downtown gays rejected the term tea dance as being too effete and opted for the supposedly butcher t-dance, and promoted “t-shirts and denim” as the costume of choice. By the mid 70s, the “Christopher Street Clone” look (short cropped hair, mustache, plaid shirt over a tight white t-shirt, faded denim jeans that showed off your ass) had made the trans-continental trip from New York City to Los Angeles (gays in Hollywood) and, of course, to San Francisco (follow the Yellow Brick Road and it leads to Castro). It brought with it the t-dance phenomenon, which is slowly dying out and all but gone.
So grab those fans and poppers boys and and lets “Ohhhhha, Ooooha” like its 1978 again! Lets not let Sunday Tea become a piece of our forgotten gay history also.
LGBT HISTORY TRIVIA:
“Come to Me” the hit disco song sung by France Joli received a HUGE boost when Joli performed it as a last-minute replacement for Donna Summer at a concert held on Fire Island on July 7, 1979 before an estimated audience of 5000 dancing gay men.

BAR BOUNCE

BAR BOUNCE

Welcome to the premier installment of HUNTERS monthly article written by Mark and Patrick. We are going to be bouncing around from one bar to another giving you our opinions on those bars and restaurants. This month we are going to Ft. Lauderdale and reviewing three bars/restaurants. 

The three bar/restaurants will be Rosie’s Bar and Grill, the California Pizza Kitchen and Dapur.

Now a days, most bars or restaurants offer seating at the bar for dining and drinking. This newer style dining is a great way for most people, especially single diners to enjoy a meal at your favorite place. As a single diner when seated at the bar you instantly feel a bond with the restaurant. When seated at the bar as a couple you feel part of an open community allowing interaction with other. Table seating does not offer these benefits.

Rosie’s Bar and Grill

2449 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors Florida 33305, 954-563-0123

Facebook.com/rosiesbarandgrill

Situated “on the Drive” in Wilton Manors Florida, Rosie’s Bar and Grill is at the hub of gay Ft. Lauderdale. It is a casual, friendly, Key West style restaurant/bar. The young clientele is mostly gay and lesbian but you often see families and senior couples enjoying the festive atmosphere. The fictional icon, Rosie, seen in their advertisements, is a bawdy, busty, broad that seems to enjoy fun and frolic. The place is airy, mostly outside and colorful with plenty of lush landscaping, water features and eclectic decorations.

MARK SAYS:

Patrick and I usually go to Rosie’s once a week while we are in Ft. Lauderdale. Although we have been there many, many times we have never sat at the bar for a meal. The bar is a large “L” shaped bar with the outside of the “L” outside in a covered area and the inside of the “L” is well, inside. The outside covered area is the bulk of the place with a hundred colorful paper lanterns swinging in the Florida breeze. So right away we have a choice of sitting in or out. I have to say there are not a lot of places that you get this unique, fabulous option. We choose to sit inside since it was a little cool outside that night. The bar top is a large thick slab of terrazzo in keeping with the Key West theme. The barstools are backless and spin. The bartender greeted us warmly and quickly, taking our drink order. A Ketel One martini straight up for me and a Malbec wine for Patrick. As we sipped our cocktails, we were in the perfect position to cruise the entire bar and restaurant inside and out. There are no obstructions behind the bar to peruse the entire place. The crowd is eclectic with young handsome men everywhere. At this point Patrick and I were able to very close together, another advantage to sitting at the bar rather than a table. I ordered a “surf and turf” burger, a burger with grilled shrimp on top, delicious! All in all Rosie’s is the perfect place for everyone, single, couples or groups. The food, service and atmosphere are great! I give Rosie’s five drink umbrellas and a lei for a high rating!

PATRICK SAYS:

Well since Mark has already filled you in with the aspects of the bar and restraunt layout I will start at the bartender. Yes he greeted us warmly and was quick with our order but what was left out was the word Hot. Ok enough of my editorial on the bartender. My drink of choice these days “Malbec Wine” was delivered promptly and with the sidecar of ice I always order with my wine. I also ordered a hamburger but mine was served open faced, a burger with all the trimmings of a Taco.  My “go to” hamburger selection at this “Must Go To” restraunt here in Wilton Manors. Rosie’s is a must either while visiting or a resident of beautiful Ft Lauderdale.

California Pizza Kitchen

2301 North Federal Highway Ft. Lauderdale Florida 33304   954-565-1196

I think the first time I saw a bar that you could eat another than a diner was at The California Pizza Kitchen. I almost think The California Pizza Kitchen was the first to elevate the “eat at bar” in a modern setting. The trade mark black and yellow colors of each restaurant are timeless as well as the acrylic encased artistic pizza boxes decorating the walls.

MARK SAYS:

The bar is a large semi circle encircling the wood burning pizza oven. The ovens, chefs and part of the kitchen are like a stage in a theater and the customers at the bar are like the audience. This gives a very theatrical feel to the bar area. The show behind the bar is a well rehearsed with pizza dough being spun and the chef shuffling pizzas around in the oven with large spatulas. The empty seating areas at the bar are welcoming with table settings. We ease into our seats as the bar is full. We get wine; take a sip and lean back to enjoy the circuses. The show is great and we get our pizzas quickly. Although the food is a little better than average, the show was fabulous. I give “CPK” of Ft. Lauderdale four pepperoni’s for an above average score.

PATRICK SAYS:

The bar is full and we sit directly across from the stools. This makes me happy as we are met by my friend and my favorite server in the whole world Ronnie. Having someone that knows what you drink and what you like at any given time makes this a great experience. Unlike Mark I rate the food as very good. I do have to admit though that I do not deviate very far from my usual choice of a thin crust pepperoni pizza with extra goat cheese and two glasses of Malbec wine. I give it a “Five Goats Up” rating.  

J. MARKS RESTAURANT

1245 north federal highway ft. lauderdale florida 33304 phone 954.390.0770

A casual restaurant decorated with stack stone walls, drum shade lighting and leather seating. There are three seating areas. One is the main dining area the second is at the bar and the third is a large expansive covered patio. They offer a large wine selection but a small draft beer selection along with the typical cocktail.

MARK SAYS:

I usually look at the positives in a place but in this case I cannot overlook the negatives as well. This was our second visit to J. Marks. The first visit left us unimpressed so we were in no hurry to come back. On the second visit we sat at the bar. As we approached the bar we could see that is was set up for meals with neatly folded napkins used for place mats and rolled up napkins for the tableware, a nice first impression. The bartender was a little cool in her greeting. We ordered two different red wines and the bartender poured them out of the same bottle. Hum. The menu is huge with almost anything you can think of on the several pages. I ordered vegetable pasta. When my entrée arrived it was cold and I sent it back. It came back only slightly warm. The pasta was swimming in olive oil. I know olive oil is good for you but I mean this pasta had more olive oil than a Popeye cartoon. The pasta entrée was priced at $15.00 for lunch. Not much value here. I give J. Marks a half can of day old spinach and a Wimpy…..I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

PATRICK SAYS:

I too usually look on the positive side of things but this time I have to agree with Mark. The Service, Food and quality all need to be improved.   I did order a different Malbec than Mark which I did not receive but the wine that I did receive was very good. I ordered a Chicken salad sandwich on a croissant that was tasty but a bit too much mayonnaise for me. The sandwich came with a side, in which I ordered sweet potato fries. The fries were cold and seemed to have been sitting under the warmer for some time. The price of my lunch at around $12.00 would seem fair if the food was A-1, and a 1 would be what I would rate my experience on a 1-5 scale.

On a positive note though a group of friends invited us for brunch this past Sunday and where did we end up, yes J. Marks. Most of the group ordered some type of Benedict Egg dish which everyone seemed to enjoy. I ordered a Half rotisserie chicken with a loaded baked potato which I enjoyed. I think since my more particular partner has not had any good experiences here we will not be returning.