As an organiser of a Morning Gloryville Dublin, I’m always looking out for new ideas to integrate as part of the conscious clubbing movement. Your ability to let go and dance often comes from consuming copious amounts of alcohol and braving the dance floor with a group of mates. Two colleagues of mine Diarmuid and Ronan organise an interesting alternative called Soda Bread Box!
The concept is extremely simple: complete darkness – one hour raving – no alcohol or drugs. I love going to absurd event concepts but even I was skeptical. Seeing is believing so I went along to try it out for myself.
I’ve love to show you a large collection of pictures and give you a taste of the experience but the lack of light didn’t help! I approached FilmBase on Curved Street in Temple Bar and met with one of the lads. I was warmly welcomed and guided in the direction of the basement. The area beforehand is a room lit by candlelight, with a warning that when I walk into the next room, it would be pitch black.
Well that’s an understatement! I couldn’t see a thing. I danced closely to myself with my hands held up over my face in fear of anyone dancing into me. Is there anyone else even in here? I had no idea! I didn’t even know what the room looked like, where the walls were or even where my friends had danced off to. I felt free – no-one was looking at what I was wearing, how I was dancing or who I was with. We were all just happily getting along, really dancing – the kind of dancing you do in your room – you look in the mirror and for that single moment you are f**king s**t hot!!
After a while of giving it everything, my eyes began to adjust until I could see shadows of people moving around me. I managed to pick out my mates white top and gave the signal to pop out for water. We were completely buzzed up and went back in for more. I decided to find out more about this quirky little concept by having a chat with the organisers.
Where did you get the idea from?
“Ronan was travelling in Australia and came across a group of people who danced in the dark on a weekly basis. He thought it was a cool concept – especially for us dance-shy Irish!”
Do people keep coming back?
“Yeah, definitely. We’re seeing the same sweaty and smiley faces once we get out into the light each evening which is cool – some bring friends, some sons or daughters, some fathers or sons, some come on their own, some with big gangs of workmates or classmates. Its cool to see them all mix and share their experiences afterwards.”
Why’s it called Soda Bread Box?
“That would be an ecuminical matter. (Free buttered Soda Bread when you leave)”
Who picks the tunes?
“We compile the playlist and we encourage dancers to send us their requests also. We keep the music funky, danceable and light. We hope to have guest DJ’s in the coming weeks and months – stay tuned!”
Why do you turn the lights off?
“We want people to lose themselves in the darkness! The lack of light loosens people’s inhibitions – people move more and more freely as the hour goes by, expressing themselves and releasing any stress or tightness in their bodies.”
What are your plans for the future?
Uninhibited dancing should be enjoyed by everyone and for that reason we’d like to bring Soda Bread Box to as many people as possible. As our current venue is closing down next week for renovations, we are hoping to move to a larger space where we can host in the region of 100 – 150 people a week. We’ve also made contact with organisations who want to run events for their people – to offer them something fun, energising and different – Soda Bread Box is exactly that!Similar to last week’s fundraiser for the Soar Foundation, we also hope to run charity nights for worthy causes that appeal to us. Another goal of ours is to reach out to the many different ethnic communities in Dublin so that we can all dance together – hosting themed nights taking inspiration from certain cultures and genres of music. Catch us every Monday at 7:30pm. Find Soda Bread Box on Facebook for details!
For more interesting event experiences, top event picks and nonsensical jargon on our fair city, follow @williammeara on Twitter. Feel free to send me useless information. I thrive on it!
