On Point With: Dean Dante

From stage musical star to Astoria Bar Babe to co-producer of one of the city’s best known kink celebrations, Dean Dante is about to co-host Thotyssey’s biggest event of the year!

Thotyssey: Hello Dean, thanks for chatting today! How has August been treating you thus far?

Dean Dante: Hey there! Thank you for having me. August has been hot, haha, but great so far, actually!

It’s a good thing you’re usual “Leather & Lace” attire is so skimpy, lol… this month was really grossly hot!

Yes. These summer months my outfits for “Leather & Lace” are practically non-existent…. which I prefer.

I’m sure many people agree!

Before we talk about more about “Leather & Lace,” let’s get a little background on you! We’ve learned a little about you when we appointed you as September’s Bar Babe last year at Albatross. You’re a New Orleans native! What ultimately brought you to New York?

I went to college for musical theatre, and after graduating in 2011 I made the big move to New York to pursue an acting career.

Did you have a favorite production you were part of… and/or is there a dream show you wanna do someday?

That’s a tough one! I loved doing Naked Boys Singing. It brought me to Ptown for a summer, and it was the best summer I have ever had. I’ve made some life long friends from that production. A dream show I would love to do someday would be Angels in America.

Were you always a kinky boy, or did those tendencies come later?

Oh yeah. I am very sex positive. I think it’s healthy to get freaky every now and then. I pretty much started being kinky when I started having sex.

Nowadays people seem a lot more eager and willing to explore their own kinks… so I guess that’s where you come in!

Oh yeah. There definitely.

2022 has been a big year for Leather & Lace, a party celebrating themed fetish and kink that you co-produce with queen Audrey Phoenix, who was a show hostess at Albatross where you bartended. You’re in multiple venues now, and you have a huge following! Did you foresee this was gonna be such a big thing?

2022 has been an amazing year so far! “Leather & Lace” has just grown so big, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. When we first started it, we had no clue it would become this big. We started “Leather & Lace” over a year ago in Queens just as a one-off night. We just wanted to bring a leather party to Astoria. We actually decided to make our first “Leather & Lace” a pageant.

Who won?

Astoria Lestrange! And we just had our second pageant for our one year anniversary this past June.

The party quickly became a go-to event in Astoria.

The response was amazing, and after that first night we asked ourselves how could we push the boundaries of a leather / gear night even more. And that’s when we decided to make it more of a kink party that not only celebrated kinks, but also educated people on said kinks. We then started shopping the party around, and we found our way into Manhattan.

More recently, your home base has shifted to Rockbar, which is a very good fit for what you do.

It really is! They have welcomed us with open arms. Rockbar has amazing patrons as well. They come out and they love to get kinky!

Leather & Lace also popped up at The Spot in Hell’s Kitchen recently, among other venues. But I think the next proper L&L outing will be “Go Deep” at Rockbar on August 26th! Tell us more!

Yes, on the 26th we are showcasing Sports Gear! We want everyone to come out in their favorite singlet or football gear. We have some hot wrestlers who are going to oil wrestle all night long! Double Scorpio is going to do a pop-up shop as well!

Unmissable! And before then, this Friday actually (7pm)… I am thrilled to have you and Audrey host Thotyssey’s 6th annual Night of 1000 Thots at Monster in the West Village! Thotyssey’s sixth anniversary of daily existence. We have so many good performers lined up for the free showcase, and there’s gonna be lots of love and other emotions too! How exciting will this be?

I can’t wait! Audrey and I have been talking non-stop about it!! The talent is unreal, and to be at such an iconic bar as the Monster is just phenomenal. You have put together an amazing night.

I have to pat myself on the back too, lol! Can’t wait to see you all there!

Anything else coming up that the children need to mark their calendars for?

Well actually, you are the first to hear this: but starting in September, we will also be doing L&L at Boxers HK. Our opening night is September 15th!

Very exciting! Okay, in closing: what’s the best kink ever? And… what’s the worst, lol?

Lol! Well I can give you my two. My favorite kink is Pit Play. I love the natural scent of a man. Since I try not to kink shame, I always say my least favorite kink is the one that turns my partner off, lol.

Fair enough! Thanks Dante, and I can’t wait to see you on Friday!