Descent Into Dance Hell

We begin with a brief exercise in which we all dance as ugly and awkwardly as possible, and if anyone shows even the slightest bit of talent, we all stop and point at them.

At Dance Hell, the music starts out kind-of danceable, then gets more and more undanceable, embarrassing, or aggressive, then gets more danceable toward the end. We will attempt to move our bodies to things like:

• a track that heavily samples the sound of a cat meowing
• "ch*ke me like you h*te me"
• that Orc war soundtrack from The Lord Of The Rings with heavy drums, with horns going "Dadadaaaa, bum-pum-pum!"
• orchestral scores that express intense GRIEVING, PAIN, DREAD, or LONELINESS
• a cappella yodeling vocalizations in rhythmic loops
• dubstep
• ... and many more! There is a 1.5 hour playlist.

Dance Hell will be in the corner studio of Andy Arts on Fenkel Street. It's ADA accessible. There is plentiful free parking.

Disclaimers:

• No refunds.
• This is not a nightclub-like experience. Do not assume this is what you are used to. A typical Dance Hell has 1/3 of the participants leave before the end, because either they did not read the description, or did not believe it.
• Instead of avoiding emotional danger, we get experience at navigating difficulty. Evaluate your state on the day of the event, and if you find you are not prepared for stimulus, please respect yourself by not attending.
• This is not run by therapists, this is not therapy, and if you need therapy Dance Hell might be counterproductive. Ask your counselor whether Dance Hell is right for you.
• No intoxicants. Those who arrive to Dance Hell perceptibly intoxicated on any substances, or become so, will be asked to leave.
• Please turn off your phone for the duration of Dance Hell, or, if you must leave it on vibrate mode, step outside the room before answering calls or looking at texts.
• No videos or photography in the room.
• Do not converse in the room after we have begun. If you must say something to each other, step outside the room.
• Those who emerge from this challenge together often feel a bond of camaraderie.
• Just because the organizers say a dance is judgement-free or supportive or safe does not make it so. But we will encourage the suspension of judgement.
• Do not leave your longings unattended. We are not responsible for lost or stolen dreams.

Host or Publisher Matt Arnold