Chi Chi Valenti

Chi Chi Valenti
BornManhattan, New York, United States
Pen name"The Empress"
OccupationJournalist, nightlife producer, performance artist
NationalityAmerican
Website
mothernyc.com/empress/

Chi Chi Valenti is an American journalist, nightlife producer, and performance artist.[1][2][3]

Career

Writing for Details and The Village Voice, Valenti became one of the first journalists to chronicle 1980s Ball culture in the Bronx.[4] In 1991, Valenti and her husband Johnny Dynell created "Night of 1000 Stevies," an annual Stevie Nicks tribute which has continued for more than thirty years and featured performances by Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, Justin Bond, Sherry Vine, Taylor Mac, and Basil Twist.[5][6][7][8][9] From 1996 to 2000, Valenti co-owned Mother, a nightclub which hosted parties such as Jackie 60 and Click + Drag, and would later be the subject of the 2011 Blondie song, "Mother".[10] Since 2002, Valenti has produced the Howl Festival, named after the Allen Ginsberg poem and performed annually in Tompkins Square Park.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ Broughton, Frank. "Chi Chi Valenti took back the night". DjHistory. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Newsletter, Nichelle. "Chi Chi Valenti, Nightlife Empress". Gothamist. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  3. ^ O'Neill, Rosemary. "Interview with Chi Chi Valenti of Motherboards NYC". Hey Stack!. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Goodman, Elyssa. "The Historic, Mainstream Appropriation of Ballroom Culture". them. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  5. ^ Staff Writer. "Inside the Most Twirltastic Tribute Show in NYC: Night of 1000 Stevies". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  6. ^ Mullin, Kaitlyn. "Night of 1,000 Stevies". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Simpson, Linda. "Wouldn't You Love to Love Her". Artforum. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Gill, Sean. "Rumours". Hobart. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Wigandt, Hannah. "Stevie Nicks: What Happens at the Night of a Thousand Stevies Ball?". Showbiz CheatSheet. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Manning, Sean. "DJ Johnny Dynell And The Glories Of New York's 80s Club Scene". The Awl. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Ashman, Angela (2012-05-23). "Poetic License". Village Voice. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
  12. ^ "Tompkins Square Park Celebrates HOWL! Festival". DNAinfo. 2011-06-04. Archived from the original on 2014-11-03. Retrieved 2014-10-22.