MadHatter Masquerade

Saturday, May 7, 1983
The Concert Hall

"A lot of people forgot that there on the first floor where the stage was, all along three sides, was a balcony! So, you could walk up to the balcony and walk towards the performance at the front or go to the back of the hall where it was a little more private and just sort of escape. The balcony was for voyeurism. I don’t know if sex ever took place there but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did."

- Alan Miller, GCDC Volunteer

The large upstairs dance floor at the Masonic Hall was surrounded by a balcony that had a seating area and a view of the dance floor. People at GCDC dances would use the balcony to take a break and “escape” from the dance floor, as Alan Miller describes. Organisers recall using the balcony to hang decorations and having to clean up the balcony at the end of the night. 

"Then at the end of the night, we’d always clean up and up in the upper balcony we’re like “okay, somebody went home naked”, pair of shoes, pants, here’s a pair of underwear, t-shirt, jacket, you know, we’d have this lost and found, “did nobody see somebody leave naked?” [laughs] it was always fun."

- Philip Share, GCDC Organiser

Organiser Philip Share also used the balcony as a vantage point to take photographs of the dance, providing us with an archive of images that capture the sheer size of these dances. The Mad Hatter Masquerade dance, held on May 7, 1983, was one of many GCDC dances in which attendees were encouraged to dress up in costume, resulting in  some incredible photographs. Organisers gave out over $100 worth of prizes for particularly impressive costumes, with mime artists acting as judges. 

"GCDC dances always caused a stir on Yonge Street when there were costume events because the costumes would be just beyond imagination."

- Philip Share, GCDC Organiser