This dance hall is built in a basement in Flushing. There’s no formal front desk—just a four-dollar entrance fee. After dinner time, people over the age of forty gradually begin to arrive. They don’t talk, they don’t drink; they simply dance ballroom-style under the lights and music.

 

Most pair up with someone of the opposite sex. Women without a partner will invite another woman to dance; men without partners circle the floor alone, moving to the rhythm. This is one of the few entertainment spots in Flushing. An uncle who lives nearby told me he comes here every evening. He doesn’t know anyone and has no friends here—he comes only to pass the time and ease his loneliness.