I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I let some friends convinced me to go to Together As One at the end of 2009. I had many preconceived notions about raves and I wasn’t nearly as pumped about going as my friends were. I didn’t know anybody on the lineup and I didn’t know what to wear. That night felt like the start of any other night out with my girls, up until we got off the car. You could just feel the energy in the crowd.
That night my friends made sure I had a good time. I was introduced to all the genres. I got my first light show and they taught me all about PLUR which is pretty much the element of raving that has attracted me the most. It’s like I had been a kandi kid all my life and I didn’t even know it. I was hooked from that point on. I’m always looking forward to the next event.
Since then, I have learned to sew because I like creating my outfits from scratch and I’ve taken up glowstringing which serves as a form of meditation. Rave culture has also taught me about acceptance, appreciating the little things and about how we should treat one another. It’s amazing to meet people who don’t even speak the same language as you and still be able to dance together for hours . If you spot me in the crowd I will always be dancing. If you spot me anywhere else, I’ll still be dancing, but don’t be afraid to interrupt if you want to trade kandi. I believe a happy spirit is contagious and I think that is the spirit of the rave community. It’s the reason people keep coming back.
