To walk into Five Ring Circuit on the Friday night of Winter Party Festival 2009 was to feel as if perhaps you had slipped into a time warp leading you back to the fall of the Berlin Wall—and into those labyrinthine warehouse raves that proliferated during the collapse of the Eastern bloc. What was once Metropolis and is now discotekka was a maelstrom of music emanating from no less than eleven deejays in five distinct rooms. The cavernous space was packed with happy snowbirds from all over the Northeast and northern Europe flitting about, trying out each room for size like Goldilocks and her three bear chairs. Meanwhile, Ringmaster Flavio Nisti, clearly channeling the Marvel Comics hypnotizing supervillain—and Britney, directed traffic with his white gloves and his usual ambisexual gusto.

In one room, there was Lydia Prim, and in another room was Manny Lehman, and in VIP, Wendy Hunt and Warren Gluck tag-teamed—while in the front room, there was Joe Gauthreaux. Sometimes it’s not only about size—sometimes it’s about placement. Joe G. had the room usually used for discotekka’s gay weekends, the room with soulful karma, and Joe G. took to this booth like it was a second home—and the snowbirds landed there, and stayed. And there was every reason for their positioning, given how Joe G. was playing. Something to do with some lyric about being bigger, better, harder—and Joe G. was precisely that. It was a thrilling performance to witness, a revelatory set—and to see the boys responding was to see Joe G. happy and smiling. A pleasure to witness and a joy to partake—and especially when the boys got wind of Britney’s “Just Like A Circus,” and Beyonce’s “Diva,” as well as “Dreams” and “Listen” and “I Want Candy,” all of which sent them into overdrive.

Meanwhile, over on a white leather couch, Ringmaster Flavio and DJ Tracy Young were in deep sister mode, while Chyna Girl arrived with Omar, and then there came Power Infiniti, ever graceful and gracious, and Corey Hill from Gotham, and Joe Caro and Michael Circuit Dancer 2.0, and really, it felt as if everyone made an appearance at Five Ring Circuit. For in the end, who doesn’t love a big top—and what’s a bigger circus than our LGBT community during Winter Party Festival?