Night Moves

An adventure in the kingdom of Rain

Once upon a time two valiant clubgoers, Jonathon and Philip, traveled to the magical Warehouse District to visit the kingdom of Rain, a gay dance club located on Fourth Street. After passing through the front gates, Jonathon and Philip gazed around the kingdom.

To their right, across a crowded floor space, stood the main bar and to their left, an elevated seating area that hugged the DJ booth. An open ceiling, with piping that snaked throughout the trestlework, and bare brick wall combined for a fitting warehouse effect. A few modern paintings added a bit of color.

At the edge of the standing floor space, flush against the back wall, stood a small stage populated with energetic dancers. They bounced in rhythm to the sounds of tricked-out pop hits. Men and women moved in close tandem on this miniaturized stage, seeking to cut loose or seduce a prospective partner.

Photo by Aubrey Edwards for AA-S Have fun storming the castle: Rain is a stylish realm with theme nights the first Thursday of every month. Rain. 217 W. Fourth St., 494-1150.

Their search for seating took them to the outer edge of the kingdom, the province of Patio, which was covered so as to shield its denizens from inclement weather. Tables, chairs and couches decorated the area, as did a second bar. Comfortably seated, the two young men drank and shared their thoughts about the kingdom, including theories concerning the somewhat kinky dress of both the inside and outside bartenders. "Maybe it's just their uniforms," Philip suggested.

"Or we could have arrived on some special occasion," replied Jonathon.

As it turned out, both of the young men were correct -- sort of. While taking their order for another round, a young page informed them that Rain throws a theme night the first Thursday of every month -- last month was drag, this month leather. Shortly after this revelation, the two young men were approached by Paris Channel, queen of the land. She informed our heroes of a strip contest she was overseeing, and invited them to take part. Jonathon, being an observer and recorder of stories, respectfully declined. However Philip, valiant as he is, accepted the challenge and learned the winner would gain a $75 prize.

The two young men traveled back inside to await the contest and looked around the room for any possible competition. The crowd was composed of both men and women, ranging from early 20s to mid-40s. They were, for the most part, well-dressed in designer outfits created for the sole purpose of hiding flaws and accentuating appeal. It was a beautiful land indeed.

Each dancer was allowed one song to make his mark. Philip was the last contestant to go. Following the tournament, Queen Paris called for audience response; each contestant was summoned to the front of the stage where he was judged by way of audience cheer. Philip tied with another young man and the Queen called for a clap-off, wherein Philip was victorious.

Delirious with conquest, the two young men danced. The DJ continued to pump out remixed pop hits to which the dancers jumped around, or dipped and swooned. The small stage called for a good deal of full body contact.

In time Jonathon and Philip grew tired and decided to journey home. Philip collected his prize and the two young men left the kingdom of Rain. They had encountered collared bartenders, rubbed elbows with a queen, won the contest and danced the night away; it truly was an adventure.