Woman faces charges in fight between dancers at Tolland club

Jan. 10—TOLLAND — State police have arrested a former dancer at the Electric Blue Café in Tolland in December who is accused of hitting another dancer in the head with a wine glass.

According to a state police affidavit, the incident happened during an argument late one night after the café closed in 2018, as the dancers were getting dressed.

The fight began with one dancer going after the other with a heeled shoe and ended with that dancer at the hospital for stitches to her forehead, the affidavit says.

On Dec. 23, state police charged Orquidia Barcelo, 37, of Bridgeport, with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct in connection with the fight.

She was released on $7,500 bond and is to appear in Vernon Superior Court on Tuesday.

The state police affidavit provides the following additional details:

The dancer struck by the wine glass reported to state police the next day what had happened.

She and Barcelo had been having problems for several months, and it came to a head that night, she said.

The woman said Barcelo had accused her of stealing money from her in prior months and would make remarks or call her a thief and other names when they were working at the same time.

The night of the incident, both women were in the dressing room when they began arguing. She thought the argument was over and made a phone call, the woman said.

During the call Barcelo yelled, making her turn around, and that's when she was hit by the wine glass.

The woman told state police she chased Barcelo out of the dressing room, where she grabbed her and hit her a few times before other employees broke them up.

Afterward, a friend drove her to the hospital, where she received 20 stitches, she said.

When police spoke with others present, including Barcelo, they heard a different recounting of events, including that the wine glass was thrown during the argument, not afterward.

Another dancer who was in the dressing room said Barcelo began throwing things at the other woman, after the woman first tried to hit Barcelo with a heeled shoe.

Barcelo told state police she picked up the glass because she figured the other woman would use it against her.

She admitted to throwing it and hitting the woman in the head.

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