I first met Rivkah Reyes at her line-dancing party Buck Wild, started with her business partner Sugarfoot, which takes place every Sunday night at Brooklyn’s Desert 5 Spot. I’d never seen such fancy footwork in my life, and it put my novice skills to shame. But just like seemingly every person there that night (the dance floor was full), I’m a woman obsessed. I have hope that if I keep practicing, I’ll become just as much of a star.
“Desert 5 Spot actually approached us about starting it, and we were both nervous at first because we’d only been dancing for about a year,” Reyes says. “We definitely didn’t expect it to blow up as quickly as it did. Teaching made us better dancers, and hosting made us realize we weren’t just throwing a party — we were also building a community. We’ve established ourselves in the line-dance scene and gotten to watch so many people who came in saying ‘I can’t dance’ become genuinely great dancers. That’s been the coolest and most unexpected part.”
The actor (you may remember her as the young bassist in School of Rock) and musician just announced her upcoming EP Fan Favorite, which is out November 6. “I’m so used to playing in bands where everyone has input and opinions, so becoming the frontwoman and realizing oh shit, I get to call the shots now was a wild transition,” she says. “Having that much creative freedom is humbling and overwhelming and scary, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. I finally feel like I’m making exactly the music I want to make.”
I recently caught up with Reyes to see what she gets into around NYC when she’s not dancing, singing and creating cultural phenomena.
Amanda Gabriele: What’s one place you almost don’t want to tell people about?
Rivkah Reyes: Gatekeeping the exact spot because I’m not a narc, but I found a bodega in the East Village that sells cigarettes for $11.
Where do you always end up after midnight?
In the arms of my lover, eating penne arrabbiata, listening to slutty goth music on their couch.
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten in the last year?
The food at my Filipino friendsgiving: adobo, lumpia, kare-kare and a DIY halo-halo bar, all made with love by my friends.
Morning person or night owl?
Night owl for sure.
What’s the best hotel you’ve stayed in recently?
The answer will always be Hotel Chelsea. Once a year, I treat myself to a little staycation and write in one of the haunted rooms with a big-ass bathtub. If you’ve never tried the ravioli and the Niçoise salad at Café Chelsea, you are missing out.
What’s your ideal night out?
Me and a group of the hottest lesbians you’ve ever seen walk into a club full of other hot lesbians (but we’re the hottest). “Midnight Sun” by Zara Larsson plays. None of our exes or opps are there. We stay for an hour and then go back to my house and watch medieval tavern ASMR videos and order Taco Bell.
What’s an underrated date activity?
Watching the Legally Blonde musical pro-shot on YouTube.
What’s your biggest green flag on a first date? What’s your biggest red flag?
Biggest green flag is they want to split a bunch of things on the menu rather than each getting our own thing. Biggest red flag is when someone is scanning the room while we’re on a date looking at other girls. Baby, you’re lucky I’m even talking to you. Who else is there to look at?
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