The universe must have heard me bitching about not going out anymore because last week I found myself out with some friends on two separate occasions. One was an after work RnB party on Friday. The theme was Aaliyah and the party is literally called After Werq. Then on Saturday I went to an early evening Disco party which started at 6pm and ended at 11pm.
While the two events seemingly catered to two different crowds and genres, they shared a common thread. After Werq hit all the right vibes. The DJs curated a setlist of crowd-pleasers and hidden gems, from Hip hop, to Motown, RnB and funk. It felt a lot like the Montreal club scene from back in the day and that really put me in a good mood. It’s such a vibe singing Chaka Khan, Soul II Soul, Toni Braxton and New Edition with strangers. You know people were feeling it when they started doing the electric slide.
A little peckish from dancing, my partner and I left the spot and bought some sweet potato fries and mozzarella sticks around the corner from the venue. It was fun way to wind down, eating outside on a bench, realizing that everyone around us were probably just starting their night out.
Comparatively, the Disco party the following evening was an unexpected joy. I was a bit nervous when I entered the club with my friends, wondering how many people would show up at a dance party at 7:30pm. I shouldn’t have been worried because as we headed down to the basement where the dance floor was, we immediately were greeted with a full crowd already enjoying the disco music.
Sure, most of this music, both Hip hop and disco, are often relegated to house parties, long car trips or even weddings, but there’s something special when you get to hear it through big speakers on a dance floor, with people who really appreciate the music and enjoy dancing.
And yes the crowd was older at the disco but there were also quite a few young people who were in attendance as well. Looking across the dance floor I tried to imagine what it must have been like for some of these people in their youth, hearing and dancing to this music for the first time. What a privilege it is to see them all moving to the same music after all these years.
“Did you find it fun,” a friend of mine asked, “coming to a disco party instead of a techno club?”
“Of course,” I said enthusiastically. “I don’t believe you can really like techno music without a healthy appreciation for disco.”
Where do you think all this dance floor music originated from? Jazz clubs, Rhythm and blues, Hip hop, Disco, House… all of it a way to express oneself, to escape the hardships and structures of society, to connect with one another through dance.
There’s something really beautiful watching a grown, elderly man with slick hair and a fat belly, dancing with his wife with hands in the air to Diana Ross singing, ‘I’m Coming Out.’ That song resonates with him in ways that I won’t ever fully comprehend.
Both parties reminded me that, regardless of age, dancing is our god-given right. And I hope I will continue to dance as long as I have it in me.