[Noh] Dancer’s rebuttal to Magic City cancellation, Luke Kornet, and NBA moralizing: “It’s a slap in the face”
When the Hawks tried to do something that had never been done before, setting up a controversial collaboration with the Magic City strip club for their March 16 game against the Orlando Magic, everyone had an opinion. Players, fans, and media members all chimed in on why the event should or should not take place. Commissioner Adam Silver ultimately had the biggest voice. He shut the event down a week before it was scheduled to occur.
The one group who was most directly impacted was notably absent from the conversation. Some people did attempt to speak up on behalf of the dancers. Nobody actually asked them directly.
In order to bridge that gap, we sat down with NatsHoney, an Atlanta-area native who now resides in California. She is currently the president of Strippers United, a stripper workers rights non-profit. She performs exclusively with the Stripper Co-op, a worker-led collective dedicated to prioritizing collective profit-sharing, safety, and the empowerment of marginalized performers. She is also the subject of the newly-released documentary ‘For the Love of Strippers’.
What was your reaction to the league’s decision to cancel the Hawks’ Magic City night collaboration?
NatsHoney: That’s a sad turn of events. I’m disappointed. Because the idea that Magic City was having a collaborative event with the Atlanta Hawks, and the Hawks saying that this is a staple within Atlanta, was honoring all the work that this entity has done for our city on a global level. We just wanted to come out and celebrate a little piece of them. It was a way to say thank you for contributing the tax dollars that we receive from you guys. It’s over $278 million in annual sales from various bars, clubs, and lounges from the city of Atlanta. Magic City is a part of that. There was an opportunity to respect them and kind of tip the hat, if you will. To cancel, it seems like a slap in the face. It’s a really bad way to go about it.
What would you say to Kornet if you had that chance?
I wouldn’t even want to try to tell somebody what they do or do not understand. I would say it like this. I’m not telling a basketball player how they can or cannot play ball. I’m not telling them where they can or cannot go. I don’t think they should do the same for us. Give us that same respect that I’m giving you. And if you don’t like it, maybe you should keep that opinion to yourself because you’re not us. And if you feel like you’re speaking up on our behalf, I hate to break it to you. you’re not. You’re belittling us.
What do you think of the idea of Magic City as a cultural touchstone and what do people who don’t live here fail to understand about it?
I think that people who don’t live here have to understand it, because they know the term Magic City. And if they don’t know the term Magic City, somebody next to them can easily break it down to them. It’s that popular. It’s that known. To not know that information at this point is to be ignorant to hip hop, ignorant to trends, traditions, staples, and culture honestly.