The genesis of Seattle’s Teen Dance Ordinance begins at a nightclub called the Monastery. In the early 1980s, this all-ages disco was renowned on the West Coast for cutting-edge music and all-night parties. Some experienced the Monastery as a radically inclusive refuge where queer youth find community. Others described it as a den of illicit drugs and predatory behavior. Both are likely right. 

We can only make Let the Kids Dance! because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW kuow.org/dance 

The genesis of Seattle’s Teen Dance Ordinance begins at a nightclub called the Monastery. In the early 1980s, this all-ages disco was renowned on the West Coast for cutting-edge music and all-night parties. Some experienced the Monastery as a radically inclusive refuge where queer youth find community. Others described it as a den of illicit drugs and predatory behavior. Both are likely right. 
We can only make Let the Kids Dance! because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW <a href="http://kuow.org/dance" data-stringify-link="http://kuow.org/dance" data-sk="tooltip_parent">kuow.org/dance </a>

Let the Kids Dance! is a seven-part series documenting the rise and fall of Seattle's Teen Dance Ordinance — a local law that for nearly two decades made it illegal for young people to attend concerts. 

Let the Kids Dance! is a seven-part series documenting the rise and fall of Seattle's Teen Dance Ordinance — a local law that for nearly two decades made it illegal for young people to attend concerts.

Advertisement