nyone who is running a dance club– "let’s forget drugs" – involving a larger group of people in a crowded environment, Dr. Kleber says, should provide cold running water, preferably water fountains, to help the dancers cool down.

That is also the stance of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco (the equivalent of New York’s City Council), which passed a proposal in June requiring big dance clubs to provide "free, cool drinking water."

In New York there is no such law. Like many clubs, the only free water available at the dance club Vinyl is the water running in the taps in the bathrooms. Vinyl does not sell alcohol, just water and nonalcoholic beverages. But the tap water allows the dancers to use the bathrooms for refills.

elissa, 18, of Toms River, N.J., says that is not a possibility at all clubs.

"A lot of the places I go to station security at the door of bathrooms and won’t let you bring bottles in to refill them," says Melissa, who resents buying water because of the high prices.

Others report of clubs where the water running in the bathrooms is lukewarm--but of course drinkable if necessary.

The dance club Twilo takes another stance. Bottled water is sold for $5 at the bar for those who want "better-quality water," says Ryan Thomas, creative manager at Twilo. At the same time, the club provides free water from water fountains.

"People get hot when they dance," Thomas says, "and not everybody can afford to give five dollars for water." As it is now, he says, many buy the first bottle and then use the fountains for refills.

ccording to Michael from New York, that is not always sufficient. Last time he went to Twilo, he says, he stood in line for 20 minutes to get water because two out of three water fountains were not working.

"They are making 25 – 30 dollars in cover charge," he says, describing the packed dance floors at the clubs.

"People aren’t drinking, they are doing Ecstasy," Michael says, adding that the club owners should show responsibility by providing an atmosphere where the club-goers can be responsible – and make sure they drink enough water.


(to beginning of story)

 

 

 

 

 

 

discoball

c