The Village Dancer

The Village, London
December 2009

Have you ever wondered why pple do the things they do?
especially if it's deemed "wrong" in the eyes of society

this guy dances in a soho gay bar for a living
a young, attractive asian male in his early twenties
with amazing moves that doesn't match his shy smile

it isn't a seedy place.. just another bar
that men and women frequent
with 3 exceptions:
1. You are ID'ed at the door; no ID, no entry
2. There are topless male dancers
3. The servers are all gay

my first time in a gay "bar" was in Pataya in.. 2007
it was more than a bar; it was a meat market
funnily enough, i was there for work
and my host was being nice by showing us around the place
and as i watched young nubile males parading for old wrinkly caucasian men
i was filled with a sense of .. sadness

a thousand questions swarmed in my head
and i was so frustrated because i couldn't speak Thai
and they couldn't speak english

i've hated Pataya since

at least, this one, he wasn't going to be paid to sleep with the customers
he was simply being paid for doing what he does well
.. dancing..

i guess it's no different from singing in a bar
...