While Exotic Erotic is no more, fans of French culture, music and erotica will still get a chance to express themselves Oct. 4 at Sade, the unofficial alternative to Exotic Erotic.

Citing security concerns, head organizer Patricia Stringel and Timothy Dwight College Master Robert Thompson announced Sept. 6 that Exotic Erotic would not take place this year. Instead of Exotic Erotic, the Faux Pas society, a group of students dedicated to promoting French culture and music, decided to organize and host the similarly themed dance Sade.

Exotic Erotic is the dance TD hosts each September that is famous for its scantily-clad partygoers and its large crowds.

The day after the dance was canceled, Faux Pas co-president and co-founder Michael Robinson ’03 decided he wanted to throw a party similar to Exotic Erotic at an off-campus site with his club playing host. Faux Pas is a club intended to promote French culture and music.

“Eroticism and the erotic is a typically French idea,” said Robinson, who is a major in Italian, French and English comparative literature, and considers himself a Francophile. “I thought that nothing would be more fitting than to have a party based on the erotic.”

The Faux Pas-sponsored party is tentatively scheduled to take place the evening of Oct. 4 at Risk, a New Haven night club on Crown Street. Although the Faux Pas society will rent out the club exclusively for Yalies, the party will not carry a name that in any way ties it to Exotic Erotic.

After Faux Pas members considered titles including Exotic Erotic, Erotik and Exotique Erotique, Faux Pas co-President John Goldberg ’03 went to Thompson last night to ask his permission to host the dance as a replacement for Exotic Erotic.

Thompson rejected the idea of any party not held on campus in Timothy Dwight College that would in any way be associated with Exotic Erotic.

Instead, Goldberg and Robinson decided to name the dance “Sade,” after Marquis de Sade, a French noble known for his erotic exploits in the early 18th century.

“This party will have nothing to do with Exotic Erotic whatsoever,” Goldberg said.

Goldberg and Robinson both confirmed that Thompson’s request not to host a party intended to replace Exotic Erotic had nothing to do with TD’s historic ownership of the dance.

“This is not an ego thing,” Goldberg said. “Master T loves a party but he also loves a safe party. He had serious security concerns about having it off-campus that we were too foolish to consider.”

Thompson declined to comment last night on the situation.

Because Swing Space is smaller than TD and only includes one available exit to the street, Stringel and Thompson decided TD could not host Exotic Erotic until the renovations on TD are complete.

Last year, TD managed to hold up to 1,600 students in its courtyard at any given time. Risk’s maximum capacity is 750.

Even though Sade is Oct. 4, which is the night before the celebration commemorating Yale’s tercentennial, Robinson believes the tercentennial events will not overshadow the Faux Pas party.

“This will be the biggest and greatest party Yale has ever seen,” said Robinson, whose club hosted a similar event last spring. “Before people go to celebrate Yale’s beauty and splendor and history, come celebrate its dark side.”

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