'Dance Floor Ritual' With Fake Blood and Rubber Bands Hits Gowanus

It was damp on Saturday night, but that didn't keep throngs of party goers from trickling into the in Gowanus. Clad in bright lipstick, boots, skinny jeans, tight t-shirts, wigs, fake blood and outfits adorned with or made completely out of office supplies, this crowd was ready to dance.

No time for a stop at Staples before the music started? No problem! The Career Placement and Makeover table was stocked with job applications, sticky notes, rubber bands and makeup, all at your disposal.

The dance floor was packed, its population doubling with each new song. The warm pulsing of the music was accompanied by peculiar and gripping videos of dancers in homemade, slightly unsettling cat masks. Over the top costumes doused in fake blood were projected in large relief behind the DJ.

This sequence of events is par for the course at Cheryl, a monthly “dance floor ritual” sponsored by the Brooklyn Based video/performance collaborative of the same name. The parties are rounded out with video and live performance.

Each party has a theme, ranging from Nausea to Wyzyrd Blyzzyrd to Pizza. This Saturday's theme was "Administrative Soul," an idea dreamed up when Flavorpill asked Cheryl to be part of Flavorpill's Internet Week Culture Hunt.

“We really wanted to see the crowd dressed in business casual and covered in blood,” said Stina Puotinen, an original Cherylite (part of the Cheryl collaborative). 

But don’t let all this scare you! The goal of Cheryl is a to create a fun dance party that isn’t focused on being seen, but about dancing and losing your mind.

It seems to be working.

Nick Longhi, 21, isn’t in Cheryl costume (just Pride from the earlier in the day.) Longhi says the night is about much more than the amazing music.

"[It feels] raunchy with the old New York aesthetic," he said. "It’s gross and sweaty and in a weird warehouse space.”