I went to the Release Party for Tribalessence Volume II last weekend in Portland, OR, and it was just like it sounded.
Trance music, poi dancing, healing crystals, and a strange old man in a top hat giving out cards. But from all of this, I learned some very valuable lessons from this cultural experience.
1. I’ve never felt more respected in my life
Everyone had their own space and was in their own bubble. One person came up and talked to my friend and me and actually apologized for intruding on my bubble. A couple girls came in from a club (I knew because of how they were dressed) and generally acted like drunk girls are apt to do. Even though all their actions were obviously designed to be provocative, no one approached them. So they eventually left, after looking very confusedly at the single men flailing on the dance floor and doing their own thing. I didn’t fear that there was going to be any creepy frat boy grinding up against me, or anyone cornering me in the bathroom. Even though I knew this wasn’t my ‘scene’, I have never felt safer.
2. The hippie is not dead
We’ve all heard that being ‘hipster’ is the new hippie. Even though those are two nebulous concepts that no one can really tell you exactly what they mean (The first rule of being a hipster, is not to talk about being a hipster), I have every confidence that especially in the Portland rave scene, hippies are alive and well. We saw dreadlocks, we saw bare feet, we saw Indian print and tie-die, we saw face paint, henna, those mysterious healing crystals and third eyes. I’m sure seeing those people in any other setting would be quite startling, but there, it was the just fine to be whoever you want to be.
3. You can dance however you want and it’s okay
Everyone on the dance floor looked like they were doing their own thing. It took me a while to figure out if they were really just dancing offbeat. Hey, it might be a secret silent disco. I spent a while trying to look for earbuds, but then I got into the trance music. With the many different overlays of beats, everyone can dance to a different one and still be perfectly in time. The diversity of movements creates a very interesting aesthetic, one you won’t find many other places. From the very energetic woman who kept bouncing around for hours, to the flashing lights of the poi dancers, to the almost robotic-type moves of college kids, you honestly can dance like no one is watching.
4. It’s a giant family I had a great sense of community there.
Even though everyone was very distant on the dance floor, everyone seemed to know each other off the dance floor. This ragtag bunch of ravers, young and old, danced together. No matter if the Poi dancers were skilled or not, undoubtedly, someone would come up to them afterward with a kind word. The DJs were walking around, noticed they had never seen us before and personally introduced themselves to us, and asked us what we thought of their music (admittingly, most trance music sounds very similar). Even the café owners seemed to be in on it. It was heartening to see.
