Priscilla walked to the upstairs part of the dance club to find a figure wrapped in capes that shimmered silvers and blues under the disco ball, lip-syncing to Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” The music then changed to Bonnie Tyler singing “I need a hero.”
The capes went off, and a drag queen in a Wonder Woman ensemble emerged to be the new hero of the night. Priscilla watched in amazement as the versatile drag queen switched to many different songs and identities throughout the evening.
The Saturday night crowd at the Gay 90’s was plentiful, and continued to fill the area so that soon Priscilla couldn’t see the stage.
So she went downstairs to a room just as crowded, only this time Priscilla could dive into the action and be a part of it. Priscilla absorbed herself in the crowded dance room filled with familiar songs. But the tunes carried techno mixes that made her boogie nights different every time.
But sometimes Priscilla wanted a different kind of dancing. On the week nights, Priscilla usually went to First Avenue, where she could groove to a variety of local, national and international bands.
And on the nights that bands weren’t playing, First Avenue always had other types of festivities.
Capitalizing on the Tuesday two-for-one drink specials amid the smoky air, Priscilla sat at the bar and reminisced about her many music marathon nights paying tributes to artists, such as Bob Marley and Prince.
And for those reasons and beyond, First Avenue and the Gay 90’s tie in this year’s Grapevine competition for best dance place. Keep groovin’.

— Nancy Ngo