Marmota

Marmota was a disco located on the second level of Kallang Leisuredrome above the bowling alley. Operating in the early to mid-1980s, it was one of the first to hold regular Sunday gay nights.

Marmota was thought to be a very unusual name which no one in the gay community heard of before. Some gay men joking called it in Chinese "妈摸他" (mother fondles him).

One would find the dance floor packed with the then-unusual sight of men dancing with each other. However, this happened only during the fast numbers. When the slow songs came on, the dance floor cleared faster than as if a tsunami threatened and only the daring ones irresistibly smitten with their partners were left in tight embrace to be ogled at by those on the sidelines.

It was the first disco to organise unofficial masculine Mr. Gay Singapore contests long before Manhunt began. Ironically, the first winner of the contest was a handsome straight boy named Oliver Au who, during the finals, wore a scarlet long sleeved ensemble with two dragons emblazoned on the front of his shirt. He did a few dance steps and ended up with a half split on the dance floor at the end of his routine.

The manager of the disco was a well known and popular middle-aged, mustachioed man with a paunch whom the patrons called "Ah Lau". Some sources say he moved to Bangkok where he contracted HIV. Ironically, he did not die of the disease but of an accident in which he slipped in the toilet and hit his head.

The disco underwent several renovations and name changes over the years - first to Shadow and then to Legend when the management relocated it to Lucky Plaza.

=See also=
 * The Hangar
 * Shadow
 * Legend
 * Niche
 * Singapore gay venues: historical

=References=

=Acknowledgements=

This article was written by Roy Tan.