It’s a show. It’s a dance night. It’s a glitter bar, an immersive theater event and a concert.
When the ninth night of Ariana and the Rose’s "Light + Space" opens its doors at 3 Dollar Bill on Thursday, fans of the singer (one of the several DJs who will also take the stage) or even the days of New York’s nightclub past, can make of their night what they will. A choose-your-own-adventure in party form, "Light + Space" is the type of room where everyone is welcome, everyone can be themselves and everyone should ideally be wearing glitter.
amNewYork caught up with Ariana DiLorenzo of synth-pop act Ariana and the Rose to chat about the difference between this event and a regular show, and what makes New York the best city to host it.
What separates "Light + Space" from an Ariana and the Rose concert?
"Light + Space" is an Ariana and the Rose concert dialed up to 1,000%. I wanted to create an experience that extended past the traditional boundaries of what it is when you go see a band play. And in order to do that, it really just felt like a party was the most all-encompassing way to do that. … An Ariana and the Rose concert is a show and "Light + Space" is a full blown, 360-degree experience.
How did the idea for this show come about?
A few years ago, in New York, things like “Sleep No More” were really just blowing up. … The thing that really struck me was how up for it people are. They were so willing to just throw themselves [into it] with so much trust, like, “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m going to get dressed up and I’m going to go,” which I felt like showed that there’s a real appetite for that. And I felt like I wasn’t finding that in the music space. So, I was like, “I’ll just make it myself.”
You’re a New Yorker, a Brooklynite, so of course the city is "Light + Space’s" home. But is there something else about the show that makes it a great fit for New York?
[Nightclubs] like Paradise Garage and the Mudd Club really had a “home” quality to them. This was a place where you could go, where you knew people and you met people. … So the show really has that kind of heart to it. We wanted to make a place for people to feel like they could come back to, where they meet people, that they have friends from. … New York is a place where I feel like performance art and club culture is really intersecting right now. And I think the audience, they get us, we don’t have to explain anything, we just kind of get to show up.
Modern New York nightlife can sometimes feel less than inclusive — bottle service, VIP tables, long lines. What role did that inclusiveness play in the event’s planning?
I built the show with a really amazing group of people, including a production designer named Seth Kirby … and I remember having a conversation with him. The first thing we talked about was that this has to be a space that people feel is inclusive. It is our primary focus and our primary goal, that everything we do in the show is to encourage people to feel safe, to feel uninhibited, to be able to let their guard down. It’s always it’s in the fiber of everything that we choose for the show.
Your last EP was called “Retrograde” and later this month you’ll release “Constellations.” You’ve got an event called "Light + Space." What is it about the greater universe that fascinates you?
I just think there’s something really optimistic and hopeful about space. And I am really into things feeling magical and mystical and larger than our bodies and ourselves. I think that space is this great unknown — you could look at it and be afraid of it, or you can look at it and be excited by it and feel hopeful. It’s something that you get to "make of it what you want" at this point.
IF YOU GO: Ariana and the Rose’s “Light + Space” takes place on Thursday at 3 Dollar Bill, 260 Meserole St., East Williamsburg, 3dollarbillbk.com, $20.
