Danceteria’s tolerance and topsy-turviness allowed for enormous creativity—but it also allowed for some precarious situations. BRILL: We would do dinners on the roof in the summertime. One night I wanted to get down to the dance floor and the elevators were very slow. I was always in fetish stilettos and rubber skirts that had limited maneuverability, but I saw some people climbing down the fire escape ladder. So I just climbed down [10 stories], went through the window into the club, and then climbed back up to the roof afterwards. Thank God no one was hurt that way. But we were desperate to find a place where we not only belonged but could create and express—and if it came with a little bit of danger, then that was okay. DAVIS: There were two elevators side by side at Danceteria, and [fellow elevator operator] Audrey Roman and I used to stop in between floors and open the trap doors inside of the elevators. We would sit with our legs dangling down the shaft and share a …