Most New Yorkers have extreme opinions about "Showtime." 

Many surge with anger once the boom box starts bumping and the dancers start backflipping, while others meet the dancers with giddy excitement.

One group of New Yorkers that have long been polarized about the "Showtime" dancing scene are the NYPD, who disguised in plainclothes often conclude flamboyant routines with handcuffs. 

According to The New York Times, arrests for performers on subway trains has more than doubled in the last year. Police Commissioner William J. Bratton held up showtime performers as a sign of underground chaos, and said the enforcement against them in the past year has been "soaring."

 But instead of arresting showtime performers in recent months, officers have been quietly slipping performers card that read "Make money. Avoid arrest. Dance!"

It's all part of Mayor de Blasio administration's pilot program to reduce illegal performances on the trains, and instead urges performers to bring their acts above ground. 

They've set aside outdoor space designated for performances. In these spaces, showtime performers can earn tips legally.

In case you're wondering, officers can still pursue arrests or issue summonses to people who are illegally soliciting on trains, but officers have been urged to hand out cards with information about the dance initiative instead.

Roughly 200 of these brightly colored cards have been handed out since the effort began in May.

"It's very refreshing for us and our officers to have another alternative when we're out there. What this program has given us is something in between warning and admonish, and enforcement," said Joseph Fox, the chief of the Police Department's Transit Bureau.

Chief Fox said since the initiative began, arrests of dancers are down. There were only 185 in late August, which is way less than the 264 arrests that occurred August 2014.

Dance NYC

"It means focusing on quality of life while providing pathways for all New Yorkers to reach their full potential," said de Blasio about the initiative.

We're excited that people don't have to get arrested for dancing now, but they can still earn money doing what they love in a space that's been officially designated for their performance. The performances go down on Saturdays, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., in Battery Park.

Plus, those of us who do love showtime can now watch them without worrying about getting kicked in the head, which is great plus for everyone involved, amirite?

Check out 10 Types of Solicitors You'll Most Definitely Encounter in NYC. 

[via and Feature Image Courtesy: The New York Times]