I Went to a Dance Party at 6 AM and This is What Happened
By Alexis M Peters ‘20
Okay, I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no. I didn’t stay out too late, and I wasn’t being an irresponsible college student. I was living it up on the dance floor at 7 AM on a Wednesday for the good of my health.
The fact of the matter is: I hate exercise. I hate going to the gym. I hate running. I hate movement just for the sake of movement. You will never find me doing squats at the gym. You will never find me on an elliptical or a treadmill. And if you do, check up on me to make sure I’m alright.
I don’t like working out to get some exercise even though it’s supposedly “good for you” or whatever. I can’t get past the burning in my thighs or the burning in my lungs long enough for me to reap any real benefits. So, I tried looking for alternatives that did not include ellipticals or dumbells. I wanted something that would trick me into working out. Most people find that in sports, but as my coordination is that of these baby elephants:
I realized I would probably need to find something else. And as all great researchers do, I took my search to Google.
And that’s when I found Daybreaker.
Daybreaker is an alternative workout where you can attend a dance party at the butt crack of dawn. It’s precluded by a one hour yoga session, and you get a bunch of healthy (and free!) snacks to power you through. The party is alcohol free and you essentially get to workout by boogeying to your favorite tunes. Daybreaker emphasizes wellness, mindfulness, and self-expression through dance. On their website, which you can find here, they say, “We don’t need alcohol. We don’t need to pretend to be someone else. We come as we are to sweat, dance, and connect with ourselves and each other.”
When I read all this online, it seemed to good to be true. It seemed much too hippie dippie to actually be anything of value. But I figured what the heck? It sounded like fun! But in the back of my head, I was still wondering: Do these people really dance in a room full of strangers with no alcohol? I didn’t think humans were capable of that kind of bravery, but I was hopeful.
So, I bought my ticket for the dance party. For every daybreaker event, you can choose to purchase tickets for both yoga and dancing (typically $35) or just dancing ($25 or $20 for early bird tix). Yoga starts at 5:30, and the dance goes from 6:30 to 8:30. Daybreaker has cohorts organizing events in 22 cities across the world, and for Daybreaker LA, they host an event about once a month. Each event has a different venue (next month’s is a BOAT PARTY!) and this time, the cafe that hosted it wasn’t too far from campus, so the Uber ride over didn’t take long at all. I made it there with plenty of time to scoop up some of the free snacks that were promised including: cold brew coffee, kombucha tea, organic popcorn, and granola bars.
Surprisingly, when it came time to start boogeying on the dance floor, people weren’t self conscious (or too groggy for that matter). The DJ was dropping some awesome beats, and if you weren’t moving your body, you stuck out like a sore thumb.
There were dance performers dressed in crazy costumes and two musicians playing the saxophone and the trumpet. Throughout the event, the MC reminded us to be positive and mindful. He told us about the importance of sharing love with everyone around you, because you never know if someone else is having a bad day. It was honestly the perfect pep talk to start a Wednesday. After all the dancing was done, and everyone was sufficiently sweaty and glowing, he ended with a spoken word poem where everyone gathered at his feet, cheering and shouting their approval of his uplifting, and inspiring words.
(Everyone roaring and clapping at the MC’s prompt to “unleash your inner beast.”)
The experience was one that I will cherish forever, and will definitely do again! I didn’t realize that I wasn’t just signing up for a dance workout (which certainly left me sweaty and my muscles achey the next morning), I also signed up for an inspirational, spiritual journey about living with intention, and staying positive. I would highly recommend Daybreaker to all USC students! We all need a place to destress and let go, and this is certainly a great way to do it!
There are even Daybreaker events that happen on USC’s campus, that can be unlocked if enough people say they’re interested! So sign up here, and tell all your friends to do the same if this sounds like something you’d want to bring to the SC campus!
As I mentioned, Daybreaker has events in LA nearly every month. Their next is on March 31st, and it’s a party on a boat!! Hope to see you there…
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