CULTURED Young Artists list alum Jesús Hilario-Reyes has transformed Performance Space’s OPEN ROOM lobby and community space into Cavernous Shoal, a listening room with a bespoke sound system and sculpture composed of mangroves built and constructed by Hilario-Reyes as part of the New York institution’s 2026/2027 season. The installation opens on Sept. 19 from 7–9 p.m. and runs through June 16, 2027. Community hours are Monday – Thursday from 12–6 p.m.
Ahead of its unveiling, Hilario-Reyes shared their best-kept hosting secrets exclusively with CULTURED.
Cultivate a vibe, sonically.
Music and dancing are central to how we relate to each other and at the center of every party. It’s rare that I’m the one hosting at home—my schedule is nonstop producing or working—but when I do, I like to begin with ambient music like The Future Sound of London or Thievery Corporation so people come in a little more relaxed. Towards the end of the night, it probably escalates to some sort of vocal house that everybody knows. At that point we’re probably all drunk and want to have this shared moment. I’ll play Mariah Carey’s The Remixes album from 2003. It’s the best remix album ever made. She invented remix albums, and everyone is trying to imitate that. The Def Club remix of “Dreamlover” or the “Heartbreaker” remixes are guaranteed to wake up an uptight crowd.
Don’t be afraid to turn off the AC.
Atmosphere is also important. I don’t really like decorations. It just feels like more mess I have to clean up. But temperature can really change the experience of a party. One of the managers at Nowadays—her name is Ley—likes to turn the AC off at a certain point so that people can get really sweaty and dewy on the dance floor. It makes people dance a little crazier. It wakes up something carnal in people. I actually love the AC—after I’m drenched I feel like I’m baptized.
If you’re the host, work the room.
I learned to navigate social settings from watching my friend Elise. Go up to people and introduce yourself so that there’s no “Who is this?” energy, and make sure you’ve talked to everybody in the room so they’re comfortable, especially if you’re hosting. You want there to be no wall between you and this new person. Instead of a guest list, I invite friends and ask them to bring someone new. As a Gemini rising, I try to be really open to people, even after a set. It’s just about being a good person. There are so many parasocial dynamics at play in nightlife. A lot of people think they’re your friend because we’re in the same space so often, so there’s that type of annoyance. But, annoyance is the price of community. It’s good to be familiar with so many people.
Always know when to leave the party.
I feel like we’re in a loneliness epidemic, where no one wants to leave their friends because they’re going to feel lonely when they get home, so we end up with what we call “the carry”—carrying, like when you’re going to one club and then the next club and the next, and then the afters, and another afters, and then another afters. That happens a lot. But I’m always the one friend like, Girl, go to sleep. Listening to how exhausted you are is important.
Be willing to be flexible.
Gathering is such a specific word; it maybe feels too powerful. I like some of the lingo around it, like we’re trying to have “a ki.” This is queer nightlife, New York City language, where a ki is how we come together, literally: We’re talking shit, we’re gossiping, we’re having drinks. The reason I say “gathering” feels too powerful is that, like “organizing,” it has this political undertone. But a ki can be equally as political—we’re definitely ki’ing about things that are fucked up in the world.
I’d like people to feel like they belong in any space I’m hosting. I brought this idea to Cavernous Shoal, my residency at Performance Space. It’s based off this idea of a sandbank that’s always moving. It’s not set in stone; it shifts with the tides. I really like the idea of being able to exist in many different spaces and create belonging in all of them at the same time. There’s this thing I move with, where no matter where I’m at. I think I can create belonging with the people around me, rather than having some historical tie to a land, or family or a specific history. It’s built into an idea.
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