Danceschool
Date: 6 June 2009
"Perhaps the most frightening of all was the theatre, the den for hardcore electro and trance, dark enough to encourage all sorts of immoral behaviour and wicked dance moves."
Aisha Christison
The ICA, a place once so familiar, had undergone a surprising transformation. What was a cosy cinema was now a well-organised cloak room and what was once the lower gallery was now a stellar red hole: reflecting nothing and absorbing eager party goers in a haze of smoke. The lucky attendees, who met the minimum requirements of looking cool, were set for an evening catered for their pleasure. A menu of dance areas, a chill out room, and for those who when drunk have a little problem with cracking out the sharpie, blackboards and chalk were provided to diffuse any such urges for shameless graffiti. The crowd were all appallingly trendy - never had I seen so many styled haircuts and uninhibited strutting. Well-dressed or not, all routinely circulated from the bar to the dance floor and back again, taking their exhausting dance moves with them before any perspiring could happen.
My first brush with the dancefloor came on entering a red-tinted area. Dancers disappeared in the red light and I could see limbs rhythmically appear through the smoke. Thanks to a remixed Marvin Gaye, it's not long until I too was sucked into the void. As promised, the lower gallery was nostalgia to the max - hearing TLC's Scrubs was particularly memorable for me - but nostalgia is only enchanting for so long, you may tap you into a bad memory of nineties fashion and want to go home.
Outside had an atmosphere of its own, there was a satisfying feeling watching the ever growing queue, whilst taking a break from the humid indoors and the music to watch strangers make friends, thankful for their hearing back. Perhaps the most frightening of all was the theatre, the den for hardcore electro and trance, dark enough to encourage all sorts of immoral behaviour and wicked dance moves. There were no shy dancers in this room, my body even surprised me with some bizarre jerky movements and foot tapping. The combination of loud music and alcohol had worked its magic.
Unfortunately, there was only so much of the same thing I could do in one night, the dancing had defeated me and I left with the awareness that I had enjoyed the evening, but hoped for more of a spectacle. The smell of festering people will remain forever embedded in my memory: long live Danceschool, bring on part 2!
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DANCESCHOOL
6 June 2009We open the entire building up until 4am for an all-night RAVE. Advance tickets for this event are now sold out. Further limited tickets will be available on the door on Saturday from 10pm.