pandemic

For some, the pandemic was a real eye opener. With others, it just brought to the surface and exposed what we already knew. For our organization, it reinforced some of the traits that have come to define our collective and how we choose to operate. We are a community minded group driven by a deep passion for the music and culture. As the light at the end of the tunnel starts to wash over us, with more and more things feeling possible again and people beginning to envision a post-pandemic life, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on all this.

While there is a lot of talk about the future, it’s important to recognize that the pandemic isn’t over and at this point there is no clear cut closure, instead transitioning into another endemic risk we simply live with. We are all probably best served by cautious optimism and stripping of our reservations, rather than a full-fledged reversal of all the protections we’ve taken so far. Still, now that the local rules effectively shuttering our business have finally been lifted, the US vaccines have proven highly effective in the real world, and CDC guidance has changed (as a result) so that those who have done what is necessary to protect themselves and each other no longer have to be policed regarding masks, it feels like the pandemic is close to being behind us. There are still too many cases, but hopefully they continue to drop further down as more people get vaccinated, until they become a negligible background number. We must practice patience until then, as it will take some time to properly distribute and give people a fair shot at the vaccine.

This may come as a surprise to some since compliance was often completely absent, but for much of the pandemic we were not legally allowed to operate as a dance party. While we could work within requiring masks when standing, people congregating was banned and we were never interested in policing people or their bodies. Sit down lounge events were the only alternative, but with restaurants and bars already having so much on their plate, there wasn’t a lot of time, energy, or patience to focus on incorporating events. Under these conditions, we were still able to pull off alternative programing with a dance workshop and seated service film screening, but when it comes to a party the requirements were in total opposition to the entire point of our events, which is to allow people to come together, be free, feel comfortable expressing themselves, and let their guard down.

There is a certain irony here behind us pointing to following the orders as something that stood in our way, since our members have been behind all-night warehouse parties and pop-ups in the past — meaning bucking the law has never beyond us. Those were in instances of no harm, no foul. Emergency orders based on the recommendations of public health experts and epidemiologists meant to keep people safe though? That is very different. A little bending of the rules here and there is no longer just acting a little rebellious when people’s lives are at stake. It is detrimental to our culture and damaging to our community. We have always been a community minded collective, sourcing art, talent, and vendors locally and sometimes at great lengths just to make sure we what we put forward was an authentic and unique reflection of our area.

The COVID-19 deniers and naysayers have consistently taunted this caution as being ruled by fear, but once again there is a certain humor to anyone who should say that, seeing as our crew have almost killed themselves to put on events in previous times. From running on zero sleep to death-defying balancing acts setting up, close-call electrocutions to fleeing or sheltering from the calls of mother nature, they’ve been exposed to a lot. In the event of something more extreme, they would be some of the first to run into harms way and protect people. One of our co-founders and residents literally had a near-death experience from gigging. The truth is, we operate from a place of love and compassion. We love this music, the culture, and the people who are as passionate about it as us and care deeply for each one of them as a result. Maybe we are better served calling into question the motives of those that continued on as if it was all nothing. What were they thinking or afraid of? The reality is this is not a pleasant path to follow and we’re to discover there are not many good answers behind any attempts to justify it.

As music lovers first and foremost, the pandemic was an opportunity to step outside the grind of events and gigging to reconnect with and discover far more diverse music. Normal times often lead to routines, ruts, and relying only on songs that serve some utility. The music never stopped, artists continued making it, sharing it, and even playing it through livestreams. If anything, this connection with and over music was capable of being shared far wider than ever before. Platforms were shared with a sense of camaraderie, many seeking to document and expose new artists and DJs that might otherwise go overlooked. We learned to adapt in this way with a few livestreams of our own. Nobody is saying it is the ideal way to experience the culture, and we all certainly miss socializing and connection, but what about all the people who can no longer see or talk to their loved ones because they are gone? Whereas, we’re beginning to peek out of our quarantine shells and gather again, that luxury is now not afforded to over half a million Americans that have died.

We have always been firm believers in the idea of a safe space, a trait that goes back to the earliest seeds of this culture, like the rent parties held at David Mancuso’s Loft, where society’s marginalized could finally freely come together and express themselves in dance, without the stigmatization or pressures of the world. This guiding principle means always protecting our vulnerable, whether they identify as trans, queer, a woman, or noncomforming. During the pandemic, it meant the elderly, immunocompromised, and frontline medical and essential workers. In the same way we, as well as many promoters (especially those from Florida), have canceled events for hurricanes because we couldn’t reasonably ask people to drive out in such conditions and endanger themselves, the parties had to be put on pause.

As we explore what it means to restart in this transition period, we will continue to stick to these values and hope to finally offer a welcoming environment again for those that have felt excluded in some of the recklessness and disregard around them. While we explore dipping our toes back in, some may or may not hear about it, depending on if they share these values. It is nothing personal, it is just us reclaiming our spaces for feeling accepted, comfortable, and safe together again.