Remembering Amnesia

Remembering Amnesia. It's quite the oxymoron. How can one recall the history of Amnesia when amnesia affects your memory? Well, most people who lived in South Florida, and more particularly, on Miami Beach during the 1990's, clearly remember the afternoon tea dance that was held at Opium Garden, then called Amnesia.

We all know that there are stark differences between the gay lifestyle in south Florida in the 80's and 90's compared to today. A prime, ever present example of the evolution of our culture and lifestyle is South Beach. In the 80's and through the early and mid 90's South Beach was a safe haven of sorts for gay men living in south Florida; an artsy ghetto, laid back beach town. Back then Lincoln Road and Collins Avenue were lined with small, locally owned businesses. In the 80's and into the early to mid-90's the gay lifestyle was very taboo, very racy, very underground, and viewed as second class through the eyes of society in general. Now, however, South Beach is a world-renowned destination, with Lincoln Road and Collins Avenue home to mostly large, corporate American ventures. Today the entire range of the gay lifestyle is known, not just a specific segment. There is a lot less taboo and a lot more tolerance towards the gay community, with a prime example of this being the idea of the metrosexual. The parallel between the progression of South Beach and the gay lifestyle in South Florida is clear; the community and lifestyle became more defined and “mainstream,” growing and improving together.

Between 1998 and 2008, Amnesia was gone. During those ten years the concept of the tea dance and music's role in the gay community changed. Tea dances went from great music such as “Not Enough,” “Another Night, Another Day,” “One Night in Heaven,” and “I'm a Dreamer,” and campy drag shows in outdoor locations during the early afternoon hours, to dark clubs in the late afternoon to early evening with dark and angry music. The Tea Dance became just another event, and music went from celebrating what you have and cherish to focusing on the negatives and living within that negativity.
How we know tea dance and how we relate to music made for obstacles in the planning and preparation of an Amnesia Tea Dance Reunion. Would people come to a tea dance that's held in an outdoor area in the middle of the afternoon? Would people enjoy music that sends a more positive, self-affirming message, as opposed to music that highlights grief and struggle? It's the never-ending argument of whether art is a form of education or entertainment. Was music simply there to entertain us and make us feel good, to shelter us from our shortcomings, or was music there to educate us on our shortcomings and force us to face them? On July 6th Edison Farrow, as talented and intelligent as he is creative and determined, set out to find the answers to those questions.

Three elements made the 10th Anniversary of Amnesia Tea Dance special. DJ David Knapp, one of the main DJ's for the tea dances of days gone by, came back for the anniversary to spin the sounds of yesteryear. David Knapp has played at White Party events consistently for ten years and is known nationwide for his talents at the turntables. He resides in Atlanta with his partner and two children, ages 3 and 5. He is also the official DJ Dad for Rosie O'Donnell and Kelly Carpenter's Family Cruises. Appearances by Adora, Shelley Novak, Wanda, and Daisy Dead Petals brought back the feel and attitude that Amnesia once had. Finally, and very important to our community, Edison Farrow decided to donate some of the proceeds from the anniversary event to SAVE Dade, which will no doubt help the organization in rallying the troops to defeat Amendment #2 in November.

The good news here is that Edison Farrow is tentatively planning on bringing Amnesia back! Due to the amazing turnout and overwhelming response from the event, Edison is currently working on dates for future tea dances and plans to donate proceeds from each event to a different charity.

I guess it is true what they say; history always repeats itself. And in the case of Amnesia, this may be a repeat that is worth remembering.

check out some of the pictures from the event here.