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Susanne Bartsch
Swiss-born New York nightlife impresario and party producer, 'the night life equivalent of a couture label'
Biography
Born in Bern in 1951, Bartsch arrived in New York in 1981 and opened a SoHo boutique that introduced Americans to Vivienne Westwood, Leigh Bowery, John Galliano, and Stephen Jones. Her late-1980s Copacabana parties and weekly nights made her, in the Times' phrase, 'the night life equivalent of a couture label,' and in 1989 she produced the Love Ball, the first major AIDS charity ball, which raised roughly $400,000 and brought Harlem ball culture to a national audience. She gave early platforms to RuPaul, Amanda Lepore, and Joey Arias, and continues to mother new performers, currently co-hosting PlayNow with Linux at 3 Dollar Bill and running her flagship On Top at Le Bain. RuPaul wrote the foreword to her 2024 memoir, Bartschland.
Sonic profile
Rooms they shaped
Roseland Ballroom
1919 (founding) / 1956 (W. 52nd St.) – April 7, 2014 · Midtown, Manhattan
Promoter, Organized the Love Ball at Roseland—a theatrical vogue production that raised funds for HIV/AIDS organizations and mixed ballroom culture with fashion-world patronage.
3 Dollar Bill
2018–present · East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Promoter, Legendary NYC nightlife host; launched monthly 'Play Now' residency at 3DB with Linux in 2018–2019.
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