Community Paper example

K K

2-20-99

Creatures of the Night

They come out at night, eyes aglow with anticipation, hearts yearning for acceptance, bodies curious for foreign rhythms. Glitter sparkles in the moonlight while adorning their cheeks and eyelids, neon plastic beads encircle their throats and wrists like tiny children carousels Bundles of denim cascade down their legs into large tents at the ankle where sparkly shoes encompass feet, hungry for dancing. They are creatures of the night; They are ravers

The press release from "Synthetic Pleasures," a documentary on raves and the futuristic aspects of modern pop culture defines "Rave- All night dance party, where loud "techno" music is played and many people partake in drugs, though the latter is far from necessary." At a rave, the DJ is a shaman--they control the psychic voyages of the dancers through their choice in hard-to-find music. A large part of raves is built upon sensory overload- a barrage of studio and visual stimuli'are brought together to elevate people into an altered state of physical or physiological existence." A rave is like a drug in itself, intoxicating those who dare to inject it's mystery into their souls. Perhaps they are rapidly exploding into the lives of the world's hipsters)due to th(p controversial yet tempting contents that these raves engulf. From the music and dancing to drugs and cutting edge style, this counterculture phenomenon has created not only quite a following but a unique lifestyle as well.

"Now if Freud was on the right track, and all human motivation basically derives from the libido, or sexual energy (with sex equaling sensual) then live music and dance has got to be the original group body-consciousness movement and a direct line to our primal energy sourceb. Sensitive poet-singer-songwriters forgive my metaphor, but "in concert" may be the only way that 9000 people can make love to each other simultaneously." This quote by Darcie Sanders, a guest writer in the book Skeleton Key encompasses the raver attitude towards techno music. The DJ spins or plays a variety of records with several beats while mixing in samples of other songs or noises to create the perfectly well-blended continuous dance beat. Like any other kind of music, techno comes in several flavors ranging from jungle and trance to house and hardcore. Whatever your style, techno seems to serve as a sort of unifier between people allowing all rave participants to have one commonality: the music.

As I have stood before the great hovering speaker, I have felt the music talk to me, entice me into its special magical land of content and harmony. It is more than sounds and beats, it is a live force that works its way into your insides and causes a slightly euphoric tranquility. The bass shakes your heart into super-dance mode and puts an unexplainable energy into the very realm of your existence.

Through the power of the music it is nearly impossible to hold back your gut reaction to move around and just dance. The music serves as a spiritual connection to the body but dancing allows that connection to break through every pore and evqry limb into spurts of energy and self-satisfaction. Ravers express this gratitude towards the music by hopping, bouncing, and swaying to the every high and low of the techno beats. Although there is no "correct" way to dance rave style, several people use the classic art of break dancing to enjoy their physical urge towards the music. With all different kinds of people comes different styles of dance so no move is ever restricted or denied on the rave dance floor.

Like the rainbow variety of dancing styles comes an even bigger range of people. There is such a variety of people from all walks of life representing every color, style, race, religion,or gender. There are no boundaries on age so sometimes children can be seen running around with glow sticks clenched between their little fingers while adults dance the night away in the midst of a mid-life crisis. It is common to see two men or two women kissing openly in public as passerby don't gawk and cringe but rather smile at the happiness of the couple. In raves, diversity and a unique attitude is celebrated rather then shunned or looked down upon. They are the sanctuaries for those who wish to explore themselves and the amazing aspects of the rest of human kind.

Because of the huge range of diverse people, a whole representation of style is part of the rave culture as well. The stereotype of a raver includes large, flowing pants with at least an opening at the bottom of twenty-three inches or more, some sort of ADIDAS shirt, ADIDAS sneakers, and a visor or a princess Leia hairstyle. Although this may be the norm for a "typical" raver, style has no boundaries when its on the dance floor. Drag queens with elaborate dresses and gigantic wigs are mixed in with Abercrombie and Fitch sporting preppies, black leather, spike wearing goths boogie all night long next to girls in short party skirts and nice sweaters, costumed glitter girls with angel wings and pink eyelashes exchange phone numbers with Polo clad break dancer types. In this random concoction of people where styles and values collide and clash, the language of music, dance, and respect serves as the common dialect allowing everyone to enjoy and learn from those who are different.

Through the unbelievable love and respect people tend to have towards each other, the room or warehouse seems to take on a life of its own, alive and breathing an energy only felt by those who experience the rave culture. When I first walk into a venue, the energy or vibe hits me with the intensity of a slap across the face. If the music is good and the people are having a great time then the vibe is overpowering with excitement but if the music has no energy and the people are negative, then the room will have an uneasy v;lbe. Ravers are incredibly talented at sensing and identifying good and bad vibes because this energy serves as the spiritual aspect of raves.

Although the vibe is one of the main enhancers of a raver's experience, drugs also can serve as another aspect of the energy. Drugs are indeed a large part of the rave culture as they are in several other sub-cultures. The most commonly used drug at raves is Ecstasy, a mood enhancer that causes utopic feelings both mentally and physically. Ecstasy can add to the overall experience by weaving the dance, music, and energy in with a synthetic pleasurable feeling. Although Ecstasy is commonly used at raves, it is by far unnecessary to be able to achieve a good time throughout the night.

Music, dancing, diversity, and energy weave together to create a colorful and elaborately patterned quilt, blanketing a unique and special group of people. Each of these aspects individually are powerful but when meshed together they create a community with a culture as mystical and enchanting as a magic land full of care bears and unicorns. Rlavers recognize and celebrate life and each other while learning about new worlds of ideas through warehouse gatherings of unity and respect. Raves are the sanctuary of diversity and unification, of music and dance, ana exploration of the self and the world around you. Raves are the homeof those who challenge themselves to become creatures of the night.