By Angela Skujins
As human beings we all love to dance.
Whether it’s interpretive dancing to Enya in our bedroom or pop music in a club on Hindley Street. Clubbing is good if you enjoy rubbing up on sweaty bodies, dealing with pinged-off teenagers and thwarting the wandering hands of drunken older men. You awkwardly dance to songs with lyrics like ‘Get more ass than a toilet seat’— thanks Eminem—while drinking a lot of cheap alcohol. You do this so you maintain some kind of buzz that will get you through the long night that you probably couldn’t endure sober.
If you’re one of the many people out there who enjoys going out for the love of dancing but shudders at the thought of the other clubbing ‘perks’, No Lights No Lycra is the place for you. This global dancing phenomenon, founded in Melbourne and carried out in countries from Berlin to Barcelona, is a weekly event nestled on the outskirts of the Adelaide CBD. Its primary objective is to encourage non-pretentious, ‘daggy’ dancing, but completely in the dark. The environment is designed to invite inclusivity where the need for alcohol and drugs are simply obsolete. It’s all about the dancing, baby!
Founded by university students Alice Glenn and Heidi Barrett, No Lights No Lycra is a great place to relax, de-stress and move to music without the worry of judgment that dancing in a club may bring. The official website describes No Lights as a space where you can ‘completely let go, shake out the stresses of the week, and lose yourself in the music and the physicality of your body’.
The less threatening dance event reels in a diverse demographic from university students to mature working professionals. Tyler James, a medical university student and avid participator in No Lights thoroughly believes in the cause, stating that although initially he was intimidated, ‘as soon as you get into the groove you warm to it. After a couple of songs eventually you really let yourself go… My calves were really sore the next day from all my cartwheeling,’ he added laughingly.
No Lights breaks down the sexual stigmas and barriers that clubbing reinforces. Girls lunge and awkwardly contort while the environment and music peel away the male and female exteriors designed to attract the opposite sex. This is because No Lights is all about dancing for the self. You’ll enter with male friends epitomising masculinity, chests puffed and proud, but by the final song they’ll be the attempting the splits, jazz hands and lame versions of wall parkour.
So if you’re feeling stressed or want to try an alternative to the clubbing scene, shimmy on down to No Lights No Lycra and join us in being a part of Adelaide’s new dancing phenomenon.
There is no dress code but it is recommended you dress comfortably and in something that breathes easy to allow the freedom of movement and possible perspiration. Dress accordingly because we all know there’s nothing worse than chafing or a pair of split pants from attempting a quick booty drop.
Boogying is held every Monday night from 8:30pm – 9:30pm at the Kick’n’Box Gym on 11 Henry Street. The dancers at No Lights No Lycra will be excited to see you but more importantly, the funky fresh moves you’ll bring.
$5 donation appreciated.
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