Cher Served Out Scoops of Cherlatto at Faena New York’s Roller Disco Bash

On a corner in West Chelsea on Friday night, a retro roller rink was transformed into an artistic installation in front of the new Faena New York. The hotel’s courtyard had been transformed into an invitation to roller skate atop a work of art. Celebrating the city’s ever-evolving creative spirits of artists, dancers, designers, and dreamers, Faena Art hosted a roller disco of epic proportions.

“Walk into our world—our story,” Alan Faena told Vogue. “We do it like the old times. We do storytelling.” The world of Faena is quite an expansive one at that, as the evening brought the ‘70s back to the present day. Across the street from the legendary Roxy—a hub for roller disco, music, and nightlife—the hotel infused The Roxy’s celebration of culture and self-expression into its sprawling installation.

In a city that has always moved to its own beat, Amaze Vogue Ascend Flourish brings the rhythm. “Faena Art is a nonprofit. We’ve been doing it already for 16 years, always free and open to the public. Creating communities is what Faena does. We are much more than a hotel. We have theaters, we have shows, we have fine art—we elevate the community wherever we are,” Faena continues. “And now, we are bringing it to New York.”

“The first time we did this project was in Central Park in 2004, as part of the Whitney Biennial and promoted by the Public Art Fund. That one was a tribute to the Central Park Dance Skaters Association,” artist Eli Sudbrack says. “This time, it’s a celebration of queer icons from New York City—past and present. Up on the billboard, you have vogue ball icons: Pepper LaBeija, Angie Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja—the founder of vogueing who taught Madonna—Octavia St. Laurent, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera. So all of these icons are trailblazers that we are celebrated here.”

The icons of the art were reflected in the icons of the attendees. In the debut of her Cherlato (ice cream curated by Cher and crafted by Chef Giapo) truck, Cher strolled around with a cup of gelato in hand. Sofi Tukker spun beats as dance skaters swirled about the booth. Lady Bunny worked the crowd, with onlookers from the High Line above taking in the scene.

“Who doesn’t want to come to the city of creation, of light, of passion?” Faena has asked us earlier on. And as the tracks and the dancers spun on, it became clear just how rhetorical that question was.