La Boîte à Frissons

What Is It?

La Boîte à Frissons (The Thrill Box) organizes gay dancing nights. We have been settled in a dance hall called Le Tango since September of 1997.

What Does The Name Mean?

The name Boîte à Frissons ("Thrill Box") is simply a designation for the accordion (this name was used by the accordionists during the golden age of "musette" (accordion music), in the 30's). It symbolizes a certain idea of feast, altogether popular and convivial.

Where Are We?

How and when to come ?

LA BOÎTE À FRISSONS 13, rue au Maire 75003 Paris Metro : Arts et métiers (Line #3 or 11)

What Do We Do?

The Gay and Lesbian Dance
on Friday and Saturday evening

The idea of this dance is to organize a merry mixing of genders: so gays, lesbians, non-homophobic heterosexuals, of any age, mix together and dance on any kind of music, from accordion music to Dance Music, visiting all musics of the world, pop or disco (in fact, any music, except Techno Music).

Le Tango dance hall plays its part in the very convivial mood of the nights at La Boîte à Frissons. This ballroom has kept the old-fashioned charm of old popular dance halls: wooden dance floor, tables and seats layed all around the dance hall, decorations from the fifties, subdued lighting that still allows a clear narrow vision, and lastly, a sound system designed in a way that it is always possible to hear your neighbour clearly.

 

The Typical Night

The evening starts at 10.30 PM with a long sequence of couple dancing (until 12.30 AM).
This is doubtlessly the most surprising moment at La Boîte à Frissons, and probably a world exclusive! Couples of boys and girls (you should remember that we are a "hetero-friendly" ballroom) carry on with Waltz, Tango, Paso Doble, Polka, Rock'n Roll, Cha Cha dances. Around 12.30 AM comes the fetish moment for the regular customers, which is a sort of ritual at La Boîte à Frissons: The Madison Dance Program. This line dance gives the opportunity of packing everybody on the dance floor and it marks the beginning of the second part of the night.
The disco music begins then, and all kind of musics are carried on till 5 AM.

 

The Special Parties

Steadily, preferably on Friday evening, we set up Theme Nights, sometimes related to an artist with a vast discography (like Dalida, Sheila, Sylvie Vartan, Edith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg, Madonna, Donna Summer, etc.), or sometimes related to a country or a region (the British Party, the Spanish Fiesta, the Oriental or Mediterranean Night, etc.), or more simply related to the calendar or our feeling of times: St Nicholas's evening in December, The Workers Dance on the eve of First of May, the Transvestite Dance  in June, etc.

 

The Dance for the Singles

For several years now, we have been organizing, about every two month, a dance for the singles, where Madame Hervé, the She-Boss of the place, takes her fun in making every endeavour to set up new couples. These nights are now very awaited for. Maybe in this naughty, yet always friendly, excuse lies the ultimate warm and convivial spirit of La Boîte à Frissons (Remember: The Thrill box).

Sunday Thrills:
The Thé-dansant of Gay and Lesbian Organizations

Every Sunday, a different organisation is invited to set up a late afternoon dance.

 

Schedule of our Dance Nights (in French)