What do you mean the Last Dance?

"Last dance, last dance for love,

Yes, it's my last chance for romance tonight"

After 20 years, one of Cleveland's biggest events will come to a spectacular conclusion: this year Dancin' in the Streets will celebrate its 20th anniversary with the final Dancin'. And what a party it'll be!

In the early days of the epidemic, funerals were a common part of everyday life in the gay community. Leaders, lovers, activists AIDS spared no one, and the community impact was devastating. In the face of the challenge, we the whole community needed to act, and the Heath Issues Taskforce, now the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, was created.

The challenge was huge; we needed volunteers, passion, and money. And from those needs a great idea was born: a huge party, bringing together the entire LGBT community, to raise awareness about AIDS and support the cause.

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The first "party idea" was to host a fundraiser in Jeff Swindler's back yard but planners soon realized the space wasn't going to be big enough (plus who wanted to go to "Dancin' in the Backyard"?) David Bickoff recommended the Warehouse District downtown as a place that needed daytime traffic, was large enough, was familiar to the gay community (remember Traxx and the Vaults?) and could still provide some relative privacy. West 9th Street was chosen, and Dancin' in the Streets Summerfest '85 was born.

For the first time in Cleveland, there was a very public, out-front gay community event (while the NOCI picnic preceded Dancin', it was still held on private property). That year we had protesters and TV cameras, but more importantly, there were hundreds of gay men and lesbians, bisexuals and trans folks, drag queens and leather daddies, and all of our straight friends gathered together for a common cause: to raise money for people with AIDS. In 1987, 'Summerfest' was dropped from the name and eventually Dancin' would evolve into a weekend of events (especially after the Erie Party was launched in 1997). And each year the crowd has become more diverse, hailing from across the state and around the country. It started as an LGBT community event, and has maintained that connection for twenty years. In some years Dancin' was a make-or-break event: if the event didn't succeed, the Taskforce didn't pay bills. Things are a little different today, but we still need volunteers, passion, money to keep providing services (now, to over 2,200 people with HIV/AIDS), and working to prevent new infections. As we retire Dancin', we look forward to new and exciting ways to continue the long-standing relationship between the LGBT community and the AIDS Taskforce. It is a partnership that is critical to our future, now more than ever.

So what better time to say good-bye to one of Cleveland's favorite events than to join us this year for one Last Dance continuing, for another weekend, the fun, laughter, love, music (and most of all, dancing) we've had over the years and because it's the Last Dance, it's going to be, without a doubt, the best one (by far) yet!

Until there's a cure,

Jorge Castillo

Co-Chair Dancin' Weekend

John Farina Co-Chair Dancin' Weekend