Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
What's it's like to party at Brooklyn's wildest club - with all-night dance parties, gravity-defying performances, and crazy costumes
What's it's like to party at Brooklyn's wildest club - with all-night dance parties, gravity-defying performances, and crazy costumes
Dec 1, 2017, 21:17 IST
By 3AM, I was ready for the taco truck outside and a warm bed. But the party was still going strong. Buy some energy drinks if you plan on sticking it out to the wee hours.
Advertisement
HoY is not meant to be a "serious" place, according to Burke. Even when things are "dark and serious and sexy," there is humor sprinkled everywhere. Like these flying kittens strung to the ceiling.
Advertisement
Things got very hot and heavy in the Onyx room by 2:30 AM. Half the crowd was making out. A box of sex toys affixed to the wall like a fire extinguisher was knocked to the ground by a couple grinding. PSA: HoY stays open until just before 5AM.
HoY will often try out new DJs in the room or use DJs who they know can turn the space into hot, sweaty dance party. Dropkat, a HoY regular, was spinning a mix of House, Nu Disco, and Garage.
Advertisement
After we danced our fill on the main dance floor, we headed past the courtyard to what Burke and Sapozhnikova call the "Onyx room." It's the smallest dance floor in the space, but it was bumping.
The lights whipped and flowed around him as he danced in the black-light, adding to his movements.
Advertisement
The performers are constantly changing. And they don't skimp on the outfits. Performer Julien Martin had a hypnotizing costume strung with strings of lights.
By 1 AM, things were starting to get weird on the main dance floor.
Advertisement
HoY is always subverting expectations, in even small details — like how the bathrooms are divided into stalls and urinals, rather than men and women. The bathrooms (which I couldn't get a good picture of for obvious reasons) might be the most beautiful part of the club. Seriously.
We took a break in the courtyard where we made friends with these people sharing a cigarette. The guy on the right asked to borrow my headdress and, in the theme of the HoY, I said yes. He never gave it back. Shame.
Advertisement
We made friends on the dance floor, forming a circle for everyone to show off their dance moves. Then the astronaut got in a dance-off with the guy in the feather vest. I'd say the astronaut won, but how could you really lose with that costume?
The middle room was crowded, probably because it was a nice in-between the courtyard and the main dance floor. You could dance or talk, depending on your mood.
Advertisement
Painter Myztico Chango, who specializes in black light art, was working on a painting on the side of the dance floor. Chango was so inspired by the theme that he asked HoY to let him paint at the party.
It looked amazing in the blacklight once it was all finished. Much more elaborate than our DIY make-up art.
Advertisement
There's a lot to see and do. Artist Giovanny Mondesir was doing blacklight body art for $10. It took a few minutes, but he was a pro. Those multi-color waves on the shoulders were a single brushstroke.
We headed out to the entrance room for a breather where HoY's resident "magician-tarot-card-goddess person" was giving a reading. It looked intense.
Advertisement
The performances can get mesmerizing. But Burke and Sapozhnikova say their goal is to have different elements that make a night "amazing," from obvious things like DJs to strange one-on-one interactions.
Things can get trippy very quickly. Sapozhnikova says her job is to create "holy sh—t moments" that feel spontaneous and make each night feel unique. This freaky white-shrouded performer popped up out of nowhere.
Advertisement
HoY originally started as an aerial studio so Burke and Sapozhnikova could teach circus skills. The performers are top-notch. Jen James mixes aerial movements with contemporary dance.
There are performers everywhere you look. This swing was above the bar. Looked like fun, but probably best left to the professionals.
Advertisement
HoY usually features DJs with all sorts of styles ranging from deep-house to trance and everything in between. Oakland-based Americana band Dirtwire performed when we arrived before they did their own DJ set.
One would be tempted to pull out a phone for a quick Instagram, but Burke's advice for first-timers was to "turn off your phone" so you can be present and "participate."
Advertisement
The main dance floor was sensory overload between the performers, the costumed partygoers, the blacklight, and the video art behind the stage.
I'm not saying my costume was amazing, but, come on, the blacklight face-paint and Egyptian headdress worked out pretty well. My dorky "MEDIA" badge was a conversation-starter.
Advertisement
We dropped off our coats and headed to dance. This room, which doubles as an entrance, bar, and medium-sized dance floor, was all in blacklight. And those eyes opened and closed mechanically.
The costumes can get pretty elaborate. Even though HoY is full of performances, Sapozhnikova says the goal is to create a place that "human-driven," not "entertainment-driven."
Advertisement
After surveying the scene, it looked like we were in the ballpark with our costume idea to go glittery, silvery, and ethereal. These partygoers nailed it.
We headed inside. At most clubs, people head to the smoking area so they can talk. Burke says she wanted to create a place where "you don't have to smoke cigarettes to connect with people." This airy courtyard seemed like a good start.
Advertisement
You can buy tickets at the door, but if you purchase tickets ahead of time, you can skip the line. You'll also get priority if you come in a costume, even if you didn't buy a ticket.
The Costume Box, run by Arielle Avenia & Eylem Yildirim, has an overwhelming number of options of partygoers.
Advertisement
If you forget your costume, HoY usually has this pop-up costume box out front where you can buy affordable costume options.
When we got to HoY around 11 PM, the club was in full swing with a line building up and lots of costumed revelers hanging around outside.
Advertisement
Getting ready is half the fun. We looked up some quick glow-in-the-dark face paint patterns and gave it our best shot.
With Burke and Sapozhnikova's advice that "putting in the effort results in a better time," we headed to a costume shop to brainstorm some ideas.
Advertisement
Costumes can be intimidating, so Burke and Sapozhnikova put together inspiration boards to "visually communicate" the theme. But they love when people come with their own ideas. This is the Ancient Aliens board:
Each night, "the club puts on costumes too," Burke said. In the timelapse below, you can see just how many events and "costume changes" the space goes through in two days.
Advertisement
Participation is the key to having a good time at HoY. "Even if you don't usually dress up to go to parties, trust us that you will have a more fun time if you intentionalize how you come here and give something to the event," Sapozhnikova said.
HoY aims to be a place where "people truly connect, be themselves, express themselves," Burke said. The themes, costumes, and "disorienting" weirdness are a huge part of breaking down barriers so its "easy to make new friends," she said.
Advertisement
The space was custom-built to be "the most versatile possible thing" that could showcase all types of performances and events. For example, above the main bar is a cage for performers to dance in.
When we got there, they were preparing for that night's Ancient Aliens party. The venue has events nearly every night, all with different themes.
Advertisement
HoY grew out of NYC's Do-It-Yourself and Burning Man scenes, starting in a rundown loft in 2007 before moving to a warehouse a year later. The warehouse closed in 2014 due to rising rents. A year later they partnered with artists and nightlife veterans Justin Ahiyon and Ilan Telmont to launch the Bushwick space.
The place is hard to miss. The space, opened on New Year's Eve 2015, used to be a laundromat. House of Yes raised the ceilings and added all the lighting, sound, and theatre equipment you could imagine.
Advertisement
House of Yes is located at the Jefferson L Train stop in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Bushwick is a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood that has seen an influx of artists and young professionals over the last decade.