Roxy NYC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roxy NYC (sometimes The Roxy) was a popular nightclub located at 515 West 18th Street in New York City. Located in Chelsea section of Manhattan it began as a roller skating rink and roller disco in the late 1970s, it was founded by Steve Bauman, Richard Newhouse and Steve Greenberg then acquired in 1985 by Gene DiNino until it closed in March 2007. It even hosted a party for the famed Olympic gold medal-winning USA Ice Hockey team in 1980.
Beginning in the early 1980s, the owners began hosting dance nights, including breakdancing competitions. The Roxy hosted New York City's largest weekly gay dance night, Roxy Saturdays, promoted by John Blair Productions, which has featured many many famous deejays including Junior Vasquez, Manny Lehman, Victor Calderone and Peter Rauhofer.
Cher, Madonna, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Yoko Ono, and Beyonce Knowles have all performed at the Roxy.
The club was featured in the classic 80s breakdancing film Beat Street (1984). Many of the film's dance sequences were filmed at the club.
A documentary entitled "The Last Dance at the Roxy" is in the works, co-produced by Gene DiNino and Red Thread Productions.
Roxy had stopped for several weeks in the fall of 2006, but resumed operation once again on December 2, 2006. The club closed their doors for good on March 10, 2007. The Roxy will eventually be demolished in order to make room for new residential apartments.
[edit] References
- Kalkhoff, Matt, "How the Roxy became the Roxy". The New York Blade magazine, April 8, 2005 issue.
Owned since 1985 by Eugene Dinino.
[edit] External links
- Official Roxy NYC website
- Last Hurrah for a Gay Playground: NY Times article on closing
- Retrospectively Yours: Next Magazine's retrospective look at the Roxy

