I remember the day vividly. It was June 29th and I was on my way to see a show at the 930 Club. I passed this amazingly colorful line of people – hundreds of people – obviously waiting in line for something big. Admittedly, I was completely unaware as to why; however, something pretty important must be going on to attract such a crowd. Then, I caught a glimpse of the sign above the building. I turned to Google to find the answer to my questions and quickly discovered what was up. Town, the decade-old gay nightclub, was closing it’s doors and that night was to be the party of all parties. Suddenly, the show that I was heading to seemed less appealing. All I wanted to do was go party with this fun looking group. However, it was a sold out event and I wasn’t going.

I have a limited experience with gay dance clubs. Aside from my trip to Miami a few summers ago, I had never been to one. A friend and I wanted to experience a night out in South Beach, so we did our research and settled on a club. The drinks were way over-priced, the crowd was pretentious, and there were more security guys policing the floor than there were patrons. We left disappointed. In our search, I had read reviews of this gay bar and dance club, Twist, and convinced my friend to go with me and check it out. The music was great, the drinks were cheap, and we danced and chatted with some really great people. It was a really positive experience and I was glad that we went.

More recently, I starting reading about a new dance party coming to the 930 Club. This was not going to be just a gay dance party, but a LGBTQ dance party which would be welcoming to all. Natalia Kolenko at On Tap Magazine wrote up a great article after talking with the mastermind of the dance party, Steve Lemmerman. There was one part in the article that stood out to me the most. Lemmerman said, “You can just be you no matter who you are, and know the staff there has your back. The people there just want to party with you and express themselves.” (This article is definitely worth reading. Check it out here!)

So, I immediately made plans to attend this inaugural event. I teamed up with Lisa Walker (amazing concert photographer of Shots from the Dark ) and together we made plans to photograph the event. We met to have a drink before doors, and she shared a little bit about the performers with me. Nervous, but excited, we picked up our photo passes and entered the club. The crowd was small at the beginning; however, it didn’t take long before streams of people were flowing into the venue. The music started, dancing commenced, the disco ball started spinning. Every person in the venue was truly happy to be there. As I went about taking photos and talking with guests, there were smiles on everyone’s faces. However, the best part of the night was how truly comfortable I was in the crowd.

Last summer, I missed out on what I am sure was a fun night. However, this past Saturday night, I was able to be a part of something truly special. BENT stole my heart, and I know where I will be in a few months when it returns to the 930 Club! Head on over to On Tap Magazine to check out a full gallery of the images from last Saturday. Below are just a few of my favorites from the night!