Dance like no one is watching?
Melbournians Alice Glenn and Heidi Barrett took the words of thousands of inspirational bumper stickers to heart when creating No Lights No Lycra (NLNL).
This homegrown dance craze of dancing entirely in the dark keeps it very simple. There is no light, no lycra, no steps or teacher and any move goes.
Started in Melbourne back in 2009, NLNL is now hosting events internationally – from New York to London, Berlin to Paris and even Vancouver to Wollongong – people are turning up in droves to break out their best moves in the comfortable knowledge no one can see their Running Man.
City Journal reporter Erin Bailey went along to see what the fuss was about and discovered some moves she never knew she had.
Hosted at Thousand £ Bend on Little Lonsdale Street – groups and solo dancers start filling the room in dribs and drabs from about 6.00pm. Then at 6.30 the lights go off, the music starts pumping. Far from the pitch black I expected I can still clearly see everyone’s outlines as we do the self aware shuffle from side to side. The exit sign over the door is glaring its phosphorescent green light on our collective dance awkwardness.
A decision is made, OH&S procedures are overlooked all for the sake of boogie and the sign is covered. It does take a couple of songs to warm into it but – No Lights No Lycra is infectious. Here, in this space, I can break out the dance moves previously only performed in the solitude of my room.
Snoop Dogg’s Drop It Like It’s Hot is followed by I Will Survive from Priscilla, making the point – if the dance moves don’t give you whiplash – the music choices will. At the end of the session, I’m sweating and exhilarated, the lights some on and although the dance moves might be unique – the smiles are everywhere.
Elle, a professional dancer explains the feeling in the room.
“I love the freedom, the moves I can try and how totally daggy it all is. In my career – I don’t get to do the Moonwalk as often as I’d like and here I can MJ it up to my heart’s content.”
Kate, who assures me she is definitely not a professional, echoes this.
“I got laughed out of a school disco once, I consider this less expensive than therapy.”
At this session is a couple– hoping to start their own NLNL in Ulverstone Tasmania. And Heidi Barrett, one of the co-creators, says this is not unique.
“I can’t believe how much it’s taken off. I got a request from Tokyo the other day – It’s amazing.”
No Lights No Lycra is run weekly. Check the link below for session times.
http://nolightsnolycra.com/location/melbourne/
Here are some of the tunes that got everyone on their feet.
