Dance as a Form of Liberation and Resistance
What do we gain when we get lost in the moment?
I needed a break.
We all do.
Events in the United States and around the globe have been maddening and depressing, to say the least. Sometimes we need to go into radio silence for a minute to reflect on the present and to reset the heart and soul.
We need to shake the pain away and, just for a moment, escape.
We can get lost dancing to global music at Reem’s in San Francisco as a form of resistance to Palestinian oppression. We could get swept away from lighting and visuals as two femme statues with glowing eyes watched over ravers at Dreamstate, held at San Francisco’s Cow Palace.
What better time for us to take a 15-hour trip across the world to Sydney, Australia.
There, like in the US, we shook our feelings away. Sure, we saw wallabies, kangaroos, blue penguins, and even cassowaries. We flew down the world’s steepest railway and floated across the skyway in the Blue Mountains National Park.
But music has been—and always will be—a balm for us. It was just my second time leaving the United States, and I longed to see how people abroad experienced dancing in the moment. I had heard tales of the darkness and mystique of Berlin’s Berghain and Panorama Bar and the sweaty floors and sun-soaked beaches of Ibiza. I had seen footage from YouTube videos of sets around the world. I constantly heard the debates about whether phones should be allowed on the dance floors.
So, my partner and I went to a “cabaret-inspired 70s discotheque” in Sydney’s Darlinghurst neighborhood, Carousel, to see two beloved electronic artists, Luttrell and Moon Boots. Throughout the week, clouds and rain descended on Sydney, forcing what was supposed to be an outdoor day party to move inside a historic ballroom that featured remnants of the stage from Sydney’s first gay bar, Capriccio’s, which opened in 1969.
It’s unreal that the timing worked the way it did: Luttrell, who has called San Francisco home, reached the end of his Australiasia tour just two days before we ended our nine-day stint in Sydney. At the same time, a friend from San Francisco happened to be starting his weeklong solo adventure in Sydney.
I’ll never forget how I felt when I saw the Sydney dance floor. The people gathered—uninhibited and rarely approached—to dance. They closed their eyes and felt the music. They closed their eyes. They shouted. Most put away their phones to live in the moment. A group of ravers wore mustaches in honor of Luttrell’s signature facial marker and held high an illuminated light
I felt discomfort when I took my phone out to capture the moment. But then, I set it away for as long as I could, even as my brain tickled at the thought of sharing this moment with others.
I felt liberation in the face of uncertainty. I felt the love one another felt. I carried that with me over the weekend when I saw the Dreamstate ravers and the people at Reem’s.
We all deserve that feeling of freedom and relief.
A quick aside: I’d love for you to subscribe to this little meditative experience called a newsletter. Apologies for the delay. I’m hoping to do this weekly. But I’m getting used to the cadence. If you’ve been to my shows as Black Panda, you know I love to stay connected to the people around me. Much love.
What’s Next?
April is here, folks, and we’re coming out swinging. My friend and collaborator Ed Hofmann and I joined the Kokolores Records family with the release of our track “To Be Mine” last month. We celebrated with the launch of our first day party, Soul Salon. Stay tuned for more on the next installment. In the mean time, you can buy it on Beatport and Traxsource and stream it on Spotify. All the support is appreciated. Here’s how we described this soulful 2-step release:
To Be Mine is a call for togetherness. The piano house-inspired track, grounded in a funky bassline, emotive strings, and a rhythm that swings between 2-step and 4 to the floor, reminds listeners that the past is always present. In To Be Mine, Ed Hoffman and Black Panda deliver a soulful experience that is both nostalgic and contemporary throughout time.
So, what else is happening?
Wednesday, April 9 - Crash Course Presents: Run It Back Five Year Annniversary Special @ F8 (SF): I can’t wait to celebrate my dance scene homie Watts’ fifth year throwing a monthly party at F8 and to mark visiting DJ/producer Drew Dapps’s birthday. Grab your tickets.
Thursday, April 10 - Digital Rain Presents: Electric Disco Pandamonium @ Monarch (SF). We’re bringing a night of funky, soulful, disco House to the main room of Monarch for my next edition of Pandamonium, an event curation project I started to uplift BIPOC, femme, and queer artists in the San Francisco dance scene. We’ve got an incredible lineup in the main room, including visuals from a dear friend DJ Maculate. Upstairs, our dear friend vRok is hosting open decks. So come by, dance, and support. Get your tickets.
Friday, April 11 - Francis Mercier @ 1015 Folsom (SF): Incredible that just a few months ago, I watched Francis warm all the hearts and souls in the middle of the desert at Burning Man. Now, I’m hosting another Pandamonium takeover featuring an all BIPOC lineup at San Francisco’s iconic venue, 1015 Folsom. Grab your tickets before they sell out.
Saturday, April 12 - Opulent Temple Presents: Sacred Dance White Costume Party @ The Regency Ballroom (SF): I’ve heard this described as prom for attendees at Burning Man. I can’t wait to share a rare ambient, chill set with those who visit Opulent Chill’s section. Grab your tickets.
Sunday, April 13 - SINdustry Night @ Butter (SF): Help me get through this week with a Sunday night scaries shake-off. We’ll have live sax from Jeff Straw and live drums from Nuv. Best of all, it’s free!
Saturday, April 26 - House Music All Night Long @ Bergerac (SF): I can’t wait to celebrate the homie Enji’s birthday. So thankful for the invite. If you want a taste of what’s to come when I throw my Paradise Found party, come through.
Sunday, April 27 - Soul Salon Vol. 02 @ Shhhhh (SF): We can’t wait to announce the next Soul Salon. Save the date.
Saturday, May 31 - Pandamonium Presents: Paradise Found @ Bergerac (SF): This one’s massive. It’s my first ticketed event, and we’ve got a jam packed lineup. I want to bring the immediacy and intention I saw in Sydney and elsewhere into Bergerac that night, just as we do in every dance floor we grace. We’ve got audiovisuals from DJ Maculate, go-go dancing from Voluptuous Vibes, and dancing from the incredible drag queen, Amyl Westwood. We’ve also got a stellar lineup of dear friends who are doing amazing work in the San Francisco Bay Area dance scene from Charles Hawthorne to Bay B Sol to GOMA. Get your tickets now for $5.
Let’s Not Forget
As a treat for making it to the end, here’s a pic of Nano’s long-lost cousin in Sydney.
Edwin “Eddie” Rios is a Brooklyn-born, Oakland-based freelance writer and DJ/producer (Black Panda). You can find his writing life here. You can follow his musical journey here. Here’s his SoundCloud and Spotify. Share this with your friends.