For ten
years, Alegria has dominated the New York
club scene with its marathon events that are
equal parts theatrical production, dance
music summits, and family reunions - and so
it was perhaps not surprising to realize at
the Alegria 10th anniversary party at Nokia
Theatre that Alegria had now taken over
ownership of the New York IRT/BMT subway
lines.
Rechristened the Alegria subway line, there
are now A B E L lines, as well as the E L I
A S and R O S S lines, and the T R O T T E R
lines, making all local stops at Chelsea
Crobar Station, Alegria Music Station, Cha
Cha Heels Station, and the 46th Street
Station, Sound Factory - stops that are
completely familiar to every Alegria
devotee.
If anyone ever doubted that it's an Alegria
world, then you only had to step out of a
cab onto 44th Street and stare up at the
massive 85-foot long LED Nokia Theatre
marquee where Alegria images flickered with
a countdown of the past ten years, leading
to the titles for Sunday night's gargantuan
10-year celebration, starring Hector Fonseca
and Rosabel (Ralphi Rosario and Abel
Aguilera) - with a heartfelt Thank you, New
York, from producer Ric Sena.
Ten years ago, this past June, Sena brought
Alegria to New York for its first Alegria
Pride, and over the next decade, thanks to a
reputation built on consummate
professionalism, inspired creativity, and a
surfeit of male pulchritude, Alegria became
the nocturnal juggernaut that was in
evidence throughout Sunday night and long
into Monday.
This was the second Alegria event at Nokia
Theatre and as has been the case with the
Alegria family and their various homes, the
boys quickly claim a space as their own,
turning the various lounges into ancillary
dance floors and the staircases into
catwalks. As for the main room, the floor
was packed to overflowing, so that the boys
spilled along the aisles, working every inch
of floor to a thrilling set by Hector
Fonseca with his ferocious renditions of
"Night Train" and "Commander." "Be my dance
floor lover," commanded Kelly Rowland - and
the boys obeyed.
Certainly one of the more recognized aspects
of Alegria iconography is the graphic of the
Alegria globe held aloft by a gorgeous
specimen of humanity. Sena and Eddie Trotter
(of the aforementioned T R O T T E R Alegria
subway line) designed the ubiquitous image
years ago, with Sena as the original model.
On Sunday night's celebration, the stage
curtains parted to reveal a massive stage
set with colorful block letters spelling out
A L E G R I A, at which point a seamless
retro production number commenced to Suzanne
Palmer's "Fascinated," starring a chorus of
Beyonce boyz attired in fierce fiesta
catsuits who danced like Vegas showstoppers.
And then there emerged, in the flesh, the
Alegria man, bulging with muscles. "Who is
that?" asked one awed friend to another. Who
indeed was the Atlas-like model who danced
with precision? He climbed atop the set,
this body-painted hunk, and he raised his
arms, stretching his body skyward, until, at
last, his fingertips made contact with the
Alegria globe hovering right above his head.
Immediately, a tremendous roar went up from
the crowd as the Alegria trademark came to
life. And how fitting that originally it was
Sena whose body provided the Alegria
template - and now on the 10th anniversary,
the Alegria man was made manifest by the
stunning Abel Ljoka, Sena's partner.
At this point, the party accelerated into
delicious delirium. There was Zoe Badwi in
her American debut, singing her number one
hit, "Release Me," which ended with a
category five confetti drop and a smoke
storm of epic proportions. Result?
Collective euphoria as the switchover
happened in the booth and the crowd cheered
for both Hector Fonseca's set - and the
commencement of Rosabel's.
While a score of deejays have played Alegria
during its ten-year ascendancy, the man most
associated with the Alegria sound is Abel
Aguilera - and when Abel plays with Ralphi
Rosario to form Rosabel, the two of them
work together like Mick and Keith, spurring
each other on in a complementary partnership
that benefits everyone on the floor. And
when lighting wiz Ross Berger is in the
house as he was for Alegria 10, the holy
triumvirate is complete.
Or as one Rosabel track put it, "Unity - one
mind, one body, one soul," which was, in
truth, the message in the bottle, the theme
of the entire night. Few groups of party
people are as cohesive as the extended
Alegria family and when they converge and
coalesce, the sense of unity is palpable -
and ultimately, inspiring.
Rosabel ran through a decade's worth of
noteworthy tracks, including "Intoxication,"
"Bad Romance," "Get Me Higher" and more than
a few bitch tracks, but nearly everything
that Rosabel threw down had been re-worked
and re-layered, re-sampled and remade so
that the resultant aural tapestry was as
intricate as a Persian rug: a complex work
of art that gave pleasure to the feet.
And also to the loins, of course, and the
pelvis and the arms and the face - oh, what
a sea of smiles, of beneficent, beaming boyz
- and not only on the packed dance floor,
but also all over the club, all the way up
into the upper reaches of the mezzanine.
There's no use denying the sexual energy of
an Alegria event. It's the music; it's the
men; it's the joy of abandon within the
sanctity of a special place.
Of course, everyone was there: Billy Kemp,
Adam Weaver, DJ DeMarko, Brian Serving O-vahness,
Joe Caro, Logan and Avi and Oliver, Tod and
Gorm, Corey, Damiano, Gerald Equality
Taylor, Erica Gabriel, Ricky "Michael"
Perez, Dave & Gerardo, Alex B. and James C.
and Ryan, Richie D., Tres Ness and Mikey and
Nicky, and more than 2,000 party peeps
celebrating with the joyful abandon that
defines a decade of Alegria.
And every once in a while, you might also
have seen the Wizard behind the curtain, the
Sorcerer flying down the stairs, the
Cheshire Cat smiling, the Captain of the
Black Pearl - or the man otherwise known as
Ric Sena. This was the man behind the magic
who ultimately appeared onstage, dancing
with both Abels behind a set of alphabet
letter forming the words THANK YOU, while a
second gale force confetti tornado blew
across the dance floor, turning the club
into a psychedelic kaleidoscope. Mayhem,
delirious mayhem.
At one point earlier in the night we had
stumbled upon Sena backstage, to find him
kneeling in front of a set, fixing it with
his own hands to insure that every detail
was exactly as it was supposed to be: before
the curtain opened, before the show starts,
before the magic happens that makes every
Alegria boy a believer.
Dedication and appreciation - it's a heady
combination, and it's been the backbone of
Alegria for ten years. It was no wonder that
the Alegria 10 celebration was one for the
annals: a seamless production with hijinks,
shenanigans, and a high dosage of love.
Here's to the man who makes it happen - and
to every member of the Alegria tribe who
understands the import of family. Happy 10th
Anniversary, Alegria! Happy many more! |