Alegria Celebrates A Decade of Divine, Decadent Joy

For ten years, Alegria has dominated the New York club scene with its marathon events that are equal parts theatrical production, dance music summits, and family reunions - and so it was perhaps not surprising to realize at the Alegria 10th anniversary party at Nokia Theatre that Alegria had now taken over ownership of the New York IRT/BMT subway lines.

Rechristened the Alegria subway line, there are now A B E L lines, as well as the E L I A S and R O S S lines, and the T R O T T E R lines, making all local stops at Chelsea Crobar Station, Alegria Music Station, Cha Cha Heels Rosabel Station, and the 46th Street Station, Sound Factory - stops that are completely familiar to every Alegria devotee.

If anyone ever doubted that it's an Alegria world, then you only had to step out of a cab onto 44th Street and stare up at the massive 85-foot long LED Nokia Theatre marquee where Alegria images flickered with a countdown of the past ten years, leading to the titles for Sunday night's gargantuan 10-year celebration, starring Hector Fonseca and Rosabel (Ralphi Rosario and Abel Aguilera) - with a heartfelt Thank you, New York, from producer Ric Sena.

Alegria : Nocturnal Juggernaut

Ten years ago, this past June, Sena brought Alegria to New York for its first Alegria Pride, and over the next decade, thanks to a reputation built on consummate professionalism, inspired creativity, and a surfeit of male pulchritude, Alegria became the nocturnal juggernaut that was in evidence throughout Sunday night and long into Monday.

This was the second Alegria event at Nokia Theatre and as has been the case with the Alegria family and their various homes, the boys quickly claim a space as their own, turning the various lounges into ancillary dance floors and the staircases into catwalks. As for the main room, the floor was packed to overflowing, so that the boys spilled along the aisles, working every inch of floor to a thrilling set by Hector Fonseca with his ferocious renditions of "Night Train" and "Commander." "Be my dance floor lover," commanded Kelly Rowland - and the boys obeyed.

The Alegria Icon Made Manifest

Certainly one of the more recognized aspects of Alegria iconography is the graphic of the Alegria globe held aloft by a gorgeous specimen of humanity. Sena and Eddie Trotter (of the aforementioned T R O T T E R Alegria subway line) designed the ubiquitous image years ago, with Sena as the original model. At Sunday night's celebration, the stage curtains parted to reveal a massive stage set with colorful block letters spelling out A L E G R I A, at which point a seamless retro production number commenced to Suzanne Palmer's "Fascinated," starring a chorus of Beyonce boyz attired in fierce fiesta catsuits who danced like Vegas showstoppers.

And then there emerged, in the flesh, the Alegria man, bulging with muscles. "Who is that?" asked one awed friend to another. Who indeed was the Atlas-like model who danced with precision? He climbed atop the set, this body-painted hunk, and he raised his arms, stretching his body skyward, until, at last, his fingertips made contact with the Alegria globe hovering right above his head.

Category 5 Confetti Drop

Immediately, a tremendous roar went up from the crowd as the Alegria trademark came to life. And how fitting that originally it was Sena whose body provided the Alegria template - and now on the 10th anniversary, the Alegria man was made manifest by the stunning Abel Ljoka, Sena's partner.

At this point, the party accelerated into delicious delirium. There was Zoe Badwi in her American debut, singing her number one hit, "Release Me," which ended with a category five confetti drop and a smoke storm of epic proportions. Result? Collective euphoria as the switchover happened in the booth and the crowd cheered for both Hector Fonseca's set - and the commencement of Rosabel's.

While a score of deejays have played Alegria during its ten-year ascendancy, the man most associated with the Alegria sound is Abel Aguilera - and when Abel plays with Ralphi Rosario to form Rosabel, the two of them work together like Mick and Keith, spurring each other on in a complementary partnership that benefits everyone on the floor. And when lighting wiz Ross Berger is in the house as he was for Alegria 10, the holy triumvirate is complete.

Or as one Rosabel track put it, "Unity - one mind, one body, one soul," which was, in truth, the message in the bottle, the theme of the entire night. Few groups of party people are as cohesive as the extended Alegria family and when they converge and coalesce, the sense of unity is palpable - and ultimately, inspiring.

An Aural Tapestry

Rosabel ran through a decade's worth of noteworthy tracks, including "Intoxication," "Bad Romance," "Get Me Higher" and more than a few bitch tracks, but nearly everything that Rosabel threw down had been re-worked and re-layered, re-sampled and remade so that the resultant aural tapestry was as intricate as a Persian rug: a complex work of art that gave pleasure to the feet.

And also to the loins, of course, and the pelvis and the arms and the face - oh, what a sea of smiles, of beneficent, beaming boyz - and not only on the packed dance floor, but also all over the club, all the way up into the upper reaches of the mezzanine. There's no use denying the sexual energy of an Alegria event. It's the music; it's the men; it's the joy of abandon within the sanctity of a special place.

Of course, everyone was there: Billy Kemp, Adam Weaver, DJ DeMarko, Brian Serving O-vahness, Joe Caro, Logan and Avi and Oliver, Tod and Gorm, Corey, Damiano, Gerald Equality Taylor, Erica Gabriel, "Ricky" Michael Perez, Dave & Gerardo, Alex B. and James C. and Ryan, Richie D., Tres Ness and Mikey and Nicky, and more than 2,000 party peeps celebrating with the joyful abandon that defines a decade of Alegria.

The Man Behind the Magic

And every once in a while, you might also have seen the Wizard behind the curtain, the Sorcerer flying down the stairs, the Cheshire Cat smiling, the Captain of the Black Pearl - or the man otherwise known as Ric Sena. This was the man behind the magic who ultimately appeared onstage, dancing with both Abels behind a set of alphabet letters forming the words THANK YOU, while a second gale force confetti tornado blew across the dance floor, turning the club into a psychedelic kaleidoscope. Mayhem, delirious mayhem.

At one point earlier in the night we had stumbled upon Sena backstage, to find him kneeling in front of a set, fixing it with his own hands to insure that every detail was exactly as it was supposed to be: before the curtain opens, before the show starts, before the magic happens that makes every Alegria boy a believer.

Dedication and appreciation - it's a heady combination, and it's been the backbone of Alegria for ten years. It was no wonder that the Alegria 10 celebration was one for the annals: a seamless production with hijinks, shenanigans, and a high dosage of love. Here's to the man who makes it happen - and to every member of the Alegria tribe who understands the import of family. Happy 10th Anniversary, Alegria! Happy many more!

LINKS:
Alegria Events Website
Alegria Labor Day Photo Album