CLUBBING 2020
taylor donofrio
dancing on our own:
nightlife during the pandemic and it’s significance
Since March of 2020, we have experienced an unsettling new world due to the COVID
19 Pandemic. Businesses have been vacated, public spaces abandoned, and the nightlife industry
fell to it’s knees. A once vibrant and active night playground of DJ’s, dark rooms, and dancing,
quickly turned to a mandate to stay indoors and out of the public, leaving popular nightclub
venues completely empty. At a time where depression, fear, and sickness began to consume our
every day lives, the need for an outlet to express our growing anxiety became a necessity. Over
the past 10 months the nightlife industry quickly found innovative ways to bring these clubbing
experiences back to the people, offering connection, expression, and escape from a world that
has felt unrecognizable to us all.
For decades, nightclubbing has been a symbolic channel for people of all backgrounds to cope with their everyday lives and to explore and embrace who they are. As Micah Salkind, author of Do you remember House?: Chicago’s Queer of Color Undergrounds, writes in regards to his experience of feeling “small” as he was growing up, “house music spaces, even those I danced in prior to my time in Chicago, have allowed me to feel safe enough to practice shedding this habitual embodied retreat.” (Salkind, 2019, p. 224) Micah, like many others have used clubbing environments to explore parts of themselves they are used to hiding in everyday society, due to being ostracized because of race and/or gender. Nightlife offers a space to express a part of yourself that can only come out at night. Author Madison Moore speaks further about this nightlife culture specifically when discussing Sociologist David Grazian’s theory of the “nocturnal self.” Moore explains: “We fabricate a special night body so we can feel the difference between what we have to do during the day and what we choose to do at night, ultimately the difference between work and play.” (Moore, 2018, p. 94) Our desire and need to let loose, forget about our daily lives, in a darkened music driven room, has been an integral part of our culture, and when the pandemic hit, no one was sure where we would be able to go to find this safe space.
Through this pandemic, our need for refuge is at an all time high as our stress and anxiety reaches new heights. Debbie Plotnick, Vice President of Federal and State Advocacy at Mental Health America discusses MHA’s mental health screen program and explains:
This stress and depression that so many are feeling will not be dissipating any time soon as the pandemic has stretched over 10 months and will continue on through 2021. This continued stress needs attention in order for our communities to be able to rise to a place of health and mental stability. As Plotnick further describes: “When the waves of people needing acute care from the pandemic subsides, there will be the need for additional help with grief (over lost loved ones, livelihoods, and way of life and untold numbers of people will show the effects of traumatic stress.” (Plotnick, 2020)
Not only are our communities experiencing a heightened stress due to the pandemic, but they are also being forced to stay indoors which has caused it’s own issues. As institutions such a yoga studios, gyms, and dance clubs have closed, physical activity has decreased and isn’t readily available. At a time when physical activity could help aid in illness prevention, our communities are struggling to find alternatives to their normal physical routines.
Being physically active has important mental health benefits and encouraging people
to be active could help many cope with ongoing stress and avoid psychological ill-health. Each session of physical activity reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, so being active every day can be a partial antidote to the stress of the pandemic.
(Sallis, Pratt, 2020)
The need for initiatives for physical and mental health has become a necessity in order for us as a society to endure the affects of this pandemic. Though not your normal prescription for mental and physical health, it’s at this time that clubbing can be our medicine. Not only has night clubbing historically offered a platform for release of daily life and stress as previously mentioned, but it also offers a place to be physical active. Being able to dance and move to the beat without judgement, vibing off the energy of others, has led to a workout unlike any other and even has been replicated in recent fitness trends. Without this clubbing space to express our physical and mental needs, as a society we are feeling stressed, constrained, and detached.
Luckily the nightlife industry and their artists saw this gap and need and decided to take charge in it’s initiative to bring nightclubs to the people and their homes. In March 2020, United We Stream was built in response to COVID-19 and the closures of night clubs in Berlin. Created by a Berlin based organization, Berlin Club Commission, United We Stream brought together DJ’s from around the world to stream DJ sets for free to the public each night. As they began in Berlin, they soon expanded globally and are now have streaming events in 96 cities with 2158 artists. Within each live streaming event, the public is encouraged to donate to the platform which raises funds for these DJs, clubs, and nightclub artists. “After just two weeks, the site attracted 5 million viewers from across the world and nearly half a million dollars' worth of donations.” (Schmitz, 2020, p.1) Not only did United We Stream fundraise to support the nightlife workers in need, but it also gave an outlet to the thousands of club goers who were suddenly lost without their clubs, a place that many people call home.
Offering a place for club goers to gather virtually to listen to their favorite DJ’s from the space that they used to frequent, has given some hope during this difficult time. As one club goer, Lars Schott, mentioned: “I share my experience with other friends..for example, in Frankfurt or in Hamburg, and they have the same music on. We drink a beer together and chat via Zoom.” (Schmitz, 2020)
Initiatives like United We Stream not only helps club-goers to feel more connected, but it also keeps DJs at work and tending to what they do best, gathering crowds and creating an energy that is only specific to that of a club. Within this pandemic many DJ’s asked themselves if the experience would be the same. DJ Louie XIV spoke about his experience DJ-ing during the Pandemic for the first time:
As Louie XIV prepared to go virtual for the first time with his DJ set on Instagram, he started to receive texts of joy from his family, friends, and acquaintances near and far. What he thought would be a poor substitute for the real thing, the virtual DJ set became a highlight for him and his audience during a time that felt lonely and anxiety filled. “About an hour into my set, I realized it was there: the magical communion, appearing out of nowhere just like it does live.” Louix XIV explained. Texts and heart emojis filled his instagram screen as he played songs that were specific to the isolating times such as Robyn’s “Dancing on my own”. The significance of his virtual DJ set became clear, “The comments rolled in: “Thank you so much for this”; “I’m crying. I don’t know why!” I started to cry too. I felt a deep closeness to the people in that feed, the ethereal intimacy of a shared musical experience—even from a physical distance.” (Louie XIV, 2020) Although DJ Louie XIV was skeptical at first on how successful it would be, he soon found an intimacy and shared experience that he didn’t think was possible in the virtual space.
Not only can DJs feel the gratitude that their audiences are experiencing when being able to virtually connect, but they are also able to feel the impact that virtual clubbing has offered during this challenging time. DJ Zeke Thomas speaks about his experience DJ-ing during the pandemic, “My sister has corona, and I realized DJ-ing on Instagram was a way for my family to connect around her and dance with each other since we couldn’t actually be together,” (Louix XIV, 2020)
Similar to DJ Zeke Thomas’ experience, the virtual clubbing experience is supporting the public whether they are stuck at home and needing to physicalize their experience, or even when they are ill with the virus and needing connection.
The vast amount of virtual audiences that are attending these events is also a significant aspect to this new virtual clubbing experience, and it sheds light on how many people are in need of this type connection right now. DJ Physical Therapy, who usually plays live at Nowadays, a club in Ridgewood Queens, has been streaming virtual DJ sets from his apartment. One of his streams in March, during the strictest lock down period, had a streaming audience of 11,000 club-goers.
Back in Berlin, the clubbing capital of the world, United We Stream isn’t the only platform taking a lead in responding to the absence of this club culture. Club Quarantäne took form and was created by Club Promoters through out Europe. The virtual streaming event offers 360 degree views of a virtual club, electronic music, and even a virtual bouncer. The creators of the club built the streaming platform to “bring a sense of community to even the loneliest on lockdown.” (Jibilian, 2020) The virtual club attracted an immense 700,000 visitors over the span of their three parties they launched in the Spring of 2020, when the pandemic first hit.
Another virtual dance space that has received booming notoriety was created by Derrick Jones otherwise known as DJ D-Nice. DJ D-Nice leads an Instagram live club experience for thousands of people each night, celebrities included. The party began the first week of the pandemic and within the first night attracted 105,000 viewers who were all bopping and grooving from their homes. The virtual club, still active today, was a way for DJ D-Nice to contribute to what he felt the public needed. As he mentioned to PBS in an interview: “I really do sign on most times to do it for them, to give them a place, to just have a great conversation, to hear music and to keep their day inspired.” (Barajas, 2020) DJ D-Nice is used to playing live for big crowds, feeding off of their energy, however in this pandemic, he has found another way to feel this energy of the audience,
These flying hearts that DJ D-Nice speaks about has become a significant symbol within today’s virtual culture. When isolated at home, the way of relating to one another is often through a click of an emoji or a like of a comment, our own language of connection. While it’s not the same as physical connection, in the times of a global pandemic where touch is forbidden, this may be all we have.
For the queer community, one virtual club “Club Quarantine”, not to be mistaken with Club Quarantäne, has become haven for many. For decades, nightclubs have been a safe space and refuge for the queer community, where identity can be explored, stripped away or developed. As Micah Sinkland wrote: “Naive bodily experimentation connected me to the fleshiness of others as I was coming into my self- knowledge and, later, self- love, as a queer person in the world.” As these “brave” spaces, as Sinkland referred to them as, became a home for the queer community, it isn’t surprising that a virtual substitution was greatly needed when the pandemic hit. That’s where Club Quarantine comes in. Mason Pippenger, who describes themselves as a queer black Midwesterner, spoke about their experience of trying Club Quarantine for the first time,
For cases like Pippenger, where their current day to day may not be one of safety or comfort, a virtual club experience was a silver lining within this pandemic, and could be a consistent outlet for years to come.
These virtual clubbing experiences mentioned above are just some of the hundreds of virtual clubbing experiences that have taken form through out the pandemic, not because they are a direct substitute of the real in person experience, but because they are what people need right now. When the pandemic and COVID-19 hit, what we once knew and took for granted was stripped from us, and our worlds instantly changed. Isolated, scared, and in the unknown, we looked to find a way to connect, cope, and release this shared anxiety, and the virtual club experience became not only a bandaid for us but something we could count on. When this pandemic is over, who knows what will come of virtual nightclubs, but one thing is definitely for certain, we always know we can turn to the club even if that club is on the screen.
Bibliography
For decades, nightclubbing has been a symbolic channel for people of all backgrounds to cope with their everyday lives and to explore and embrace who they are. As Micah Salkind, author of Do you remember House?: Chicago’s Queer of Color Undergrounds, writes in regards to his experience of feeling “small” as he was growing up, “house music spaces, even those I danced in prior to my time in Chicago, have allowed me to feel safe enough to practice shedding this habitual embodied retreat.” (Salkind, 2019, p. 224) Micah, like many others have used clubbing environments to explore parts of themselves they are used to hiding in everyday society, due to being ostracized because of race and/or gender. Nightlife offers a space to express a part of yourself that can only come out at night. Author Madison Moore speaks further about this nightlife culture specifically when discussing Sociologist David Grazian’s theory of the “nocturnal self.” Moore explains: “We fabricate a special night body so we can feel the difference between what we have to do during the day and what we choose to do at night, ultimately the difference between work and play.” (Moore, 2018, p. 94) Our desire and need to let loose, forget about our daily lives, in a darkened music driven room, has been an integral part of our culture, and when the pandemic hit, no one was sure where we would be able to go to find this safe space.
Through this pandemic, our need for refuge is at an all time high as our stress and anxiety reaches new heights. Debbie Plotnick, Vice President of Federal and State Advocacy at Mental Health America discusses MHA’s mental health screen program and explains:
The number of people coming to the MHA's Online Screening Program showed what we’re all feeling, that we’re increasingly anxious and depressed. In late February through March, the number of people taking screens rose by 18%-22%. And the screening results for the 2,500 screeners were much more likely to be in the severe range than we’ve previously seen. (Plotnick, 2020)
This stress and depression that so many are feeling will not be dissipating any time soon as the pandemic has stretched over 10 months and will continue on through 2021. This continued stress needs attention in order for our communities to be able to rise to a place of health and mental stability. As Plotnick further describes: “When the waves of people needing acute care from the pandemic subsides, there will be the need for additional help with grief (over lost loved ones, livelihoods, and way of life and untold numbers of people will show the effects of traumatic stress.” (Plotnick, 2020)
Not only are our communities experiencing a heightened stress due to the pandemic, but they are also being forced to stay indoors which has caused it’s own issues. As institutions such a yoga studios, gyms, and dance clubs have closed, physical activity has decreased and isn’t readily available. At a time when physical activity could help aid in illness prevention, our communities are struggling to find alternatives to their normal physical routines.
Being physically active has important mental health benefits and encouraging people
to be active could help many cope with ongoing stress and avoid psychological ill-health. Each session of physical activity reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, so being active every day can be a partial antidote to the stress of the pandemic.
(Sallis, Pratt, 2020)
The need for initiatives for physical and mental health has become a necessity in order for us as a society to endure the affects of this pandemic. Though not your normal prescription for mental and physical health, it’s at this time that clubbing can be our medicine. Not only has night clubbing historically offered a platform for release of daily life and stress as previously mentioned, but it also offers a place to be physical active. Being able to dance and move to the beat without judgement, vibing off the energy of others, has led to a workout unlike any other and even has been replicated in recent fitness trends. Without this clubbing space to express our physical and mental needs, as a society we are feeling stressed, constrained, and detached.
Luckily the nightlife industry and their artists saw this gap and need and decided to take charge in it’s initiative to bring nightclubs to the people and their homes. In March 2020, United We Stream was built in response to COVID-19 and the closures of night clubs in Berlin. Created by a Berlin based organization, Berlin Club Commission, United We Stream brought together DJ’s from around the world to stream DJ sets for free to the public each night. As they began in Berlin, they soon expanded globally and are now have streaming events in 96 cities with 2158 artists. Within each live streaming event, the public is encouraged to donate to the platform which raises funds for these DJs, clubs, and nightclub artists. “After just two weeks, the site attracted 5 million viewers from across the world and nearly half a million dollars' worth of donations.” (Schmitz, 2020, p.1) Not only did United We Stream fundraise to support the nightlife workers in need, but it also gave an outlet to the thousands of club goers who were suddenly lost without their clubs, a place that many people call home.
Offering a place for club goers to gather virtually to listen to their favorite DJ’s from the space that they used to frequent, has given some hope during this difficult time. As one club goer, Lars Schott, mentioned: “I share my experience with other friends..for example, in Frankfurt or in Hamburg, and they have the same music on. We drink a beer together and chat via Zoom.” (Schmitz, 2020)
Initiatives like United We Stream not only helps club-goers to feel more connected, but it also keeps DJs at work and tending to what they do best, gathering crowds and creating an energy that is only specific to that of a club. Within this pandemic many DJ’s asked themselves if the experience would be the same. DJ Louie XIV spoke about his experience DJ-ing during the Pandemic for the first time:
I’ve always considered DJ-ing to be a fundamentally live experience, a magical communion experienced with a crowd of autonomous bodies who coalesce into one singing, dancing mass. The notion of DJ-ing alone in my small Brooklyn apartment felt antithetical to everything I love about my work. (Louie XIV, 2020)
As Louie XIV prepared to go virtual for the first time with his DJ set on Instagram, he started to receive texts of joy from his family, friends, and acquaintances near and far. What he thought would be a poor substitute for the real thing, the virtual DJ set became a highlight for him and his audience during a time that felt lonely and anxiety filled. “About an hour into my set, I realized it was there: the magical communion, appearing out of nowhere just like it does live.” Louix XIV explained. Texts and heart emojis filled his instagram screen as he played songs that were specific to the isolating times such as Robyn’s “Dancing on my own”. The significance of his virtual DJ set became clear, “The comments rolled in: “Thank you so much for this”; “I’m crying. I don’t know why!” I started to cry too. I felt a deep closeness to the people in that feed, the ethereal intimacy of a shared musical experience—even from a physical distance.” (Louie XIV, 2020) Although DJ Louie XIV was skeptical at first on how successful it would be, he soon found an intimacy and shared experience that he didn’t think was possible in the virtual space.
Not only can DJs feel the gratitude that their audiences are experiencing when being able to virtually connect, but they are also able to feel the impact that virtual clubbing has offered during this challenging time. DJ Zeke Thomas speaks about his experience DJ-ing during the pandemic, “My sister has corona, and I realized DJ-ing on Instagram was a way for my family to connect around her and dance with each other since we couldn’t actually be together,” (Louix XIV, 2020)
Similar to DJ Zeke Thomas’ experience, the virtual clubbing experience is supporting the public whether they are stuck at home and needing to physicalize their experience, or even when they are ill with the virus and needing connection.
The vast amount of virtual audiences that are attending these events is also a significant aspect to this new virtual clubbing experience, and it sheds light on how many people are in need of this type connection right now. DJ Physical Therapy, who usually plays live at Nowadays, a club in Ridgewood Queens, has been streaming virtual DJ sets from his apartment. One of his streams in March, during the strictest lock down period, had a streaming audience of 11,000 club-goers.
Back in Berlin, the clubbing capital of the world, United We Stream isn’t the only platform taking a lead in responding to the absence of this club culture. Club Quarantäne took form and was created by Club Promoters through out Europe. The virtual streaming event offers 360 degree views of a virtual club, electronic music, and even a virtual bouncer. The creators of the club built the streaming platform to “bring a sense of community to even the loneliest on lockdown.” (Jibilian, 2020) The virtual club attracted an immense 700,000 visitors over the span of their three parties they launched in the Spring of 2020, when the pandemic first hit.
Another virtual dance space that has received booming notoriety was created by Derrick Jones otherwise known as DJ D-Nice. DJ D-Nice leads an Instagram live club experience for thousands of people each night, celebrities included. The party began the first week of the pandemic and within the first night attracted 105,000 viewers who were all bopping and grooving from their homes. The virtual club, still active today, was a way for DJ D-Nice to contribute to what he felt the public needed. As he mentioned to PBS in an interview: “I really do sign on most times to do it for them, to give them a place, to just have a great conversation, to hear music and to keep their day inspired.” (Barajas, 2020) DJ D-Nice is used to playing live for big crowds, feeding off of their energy, however in this pandemic, he has found another way to feel this energy of the audience,
I would pay attention to what people were saying, even if I didn’t respond or interact with them, I would just pay attention to what they were saying and the energy that they were feeling. I just kept seeing hearts flying every time I would play a song, hearts were just flying. And I allowed that to translate into me realizing that even though there’s no audience in front of me, that on the other end of this is someone listening to what I’m playing. And they are interacting. (Barajas, 2020)
These flying hearts that DJ D-Nice speaks about has become a significant symbol within today’s virtual culture. When isolated at home, the way of relating to one another is often through a click of an emoji or a like of a comment, our own language of connection. While it’s not the same as physical connection, in the times of a global pandemic where touch is forbidden, this may be all we have.
For the queer community, one virtual club “Club Quarantine”, not to be mistaken with Club Quarantäne, has become haven for many. For decades, nightclubs have been a safe space and refuge for the queer community, where identity can be explored, stripped away or developed. As Micah Sinkland wrote: “Naive bodily experimentation connected me to the fleshiness of others as I was coming into my self- knowledge and, later, self- love, as a queer person in the world.” As these “brave” spaces, as Sinkland referred to them as, became a home for the queer community, it isn’t surprising that a virtual substitution was greatly needed when the pandemic hit. That’s where Club Quarantine comes in. Mason Pippenger, who describes themselves as a queer black Midwesterner, spoke about their experience of trying Club Quarantine for the first time,
I saw people in drag and nonbinary people in a space where they were celebrated. I heard music that I recognized and actually enjoyed. I saw other black people smile and not feel like othered. I wasn't being gawked at by my peers for moving my body how I wanted. I didn't feel just "good enough." Unlike my physical reality, this was a virtual place where my queerhood and my blackness could be put on display to be recognized and seen. I was able to participate in a side of my identity that's not available to me under normal circumstances. (Pippenger, 2020)
For cases like Pippenger, where their current day to day may not be one of safety or comfort, a virtual club experience was a silver lining within this pandemic, and could be a consistent outlet for years to come.
These virtual clubbing experiences mentioned above are just some of the hundreds of virtual clubbing experiences that have taken form through out the pandemic, not because they are a direct substitute of the real in person experience, but because they are what people need right now. When the pandemic and COVID-19 hit, what we once knew and took for granted was stripped from us, and our worlds instantly changed. Isolated, scared, and in the unknown, we looked to find a way to connect, cope, and release this shared anxiety, and the virtual club experience became not only a bandaid for us but something we could count on. When this pandemic is over, who knows what will come of virtual nightclubs, but one thing is definitely for certain, we always know we can turn to the club even if that club is on the screen.