by Morris Bracy IV and Alexa James

You're having problems getting that party started quickly, right? The disco ball's spinning and booze is flowing, but the guests are neither shaking their thangs nor getting the grooves on - this, even though they've been informed the roof is on fire. What to do?

How about hiring a party motivator? Such a thing exists. Seriously. These men and women go into office parties, wedding receptions or bar/bat mitzvahs and, like catalysts in a funky science project, add the ingredients that turn a party into a par-tay .

Eddie Bruce, co-owner of Eddie Bruce Entertainment (EBE), has used them to bolster the energy of private parties for more than 20 years. Once the music starts, motivators go out on the dancefloor and boldly lead the meek in the latest moves by making it look fun and easy. Bruce should know what it takes to motivate a party. Back at the dawn of the Reagan Era, he hosted Dancin' on Air , and his cabaret act just closed at the Prince Music Theater (see David Anthony Fox's online review). Motivators, Bruce says, need dancing talent and a knowledge of current popular music while possessing a convincing air of friendliness. Bruce uses them as standard fare whenever he organizes parties featuring bands or DJs, generally having anywhere from two to eight motivators per party. (The parties start at $2,500, but can reach the sky depending on what a client desires. Motivators pull in $100 to $200 a party.)

Sounds like a pretty good gig, no? Well, that's what aspiring motivators who recently headed to Club Flow for tryouts thought. Forty arrived; only half would leave with a new gig.

"It's something I've wanted to do for a long time," explained New York native Rabiah Murtaza, who's trained in jazz, hip-hop and flamenco. To get hired, Murtaza and the others had to show their wares to talent judge Matt Ostroff, who made it clear that some candidates had that special something. No. 3 came out strong, brandishing a strobe light smile and aggressive moves that scored big points with Ostroff, who noted that "he doesn't need any training," But No. 17, an attractive 20-something brunette, lost points by busting out with the Macarena.

"It's a tough job, you've got to be fearless," Bruce confides. "You need a big ego."

Which makes perfect sense. Because anybody with a big ego most certainly wouldn't do the Macarena.

from Naked City