Sunday 28 April 2013

Week 4: Disco with a Twist

This weeks 'something new' came in the form of an opportunity, rather than a plan, thanks to the wondrous social media target advertisements of Facebook, which incidentally is where I'm pretty sure you've followed the link to this page from!  Apparently my age, gender, interests and location combined made me an ideal candidate for TK Maxx's Silent Disco, an event that they were staging in various locations as part of their 'Do Your Thing' summer campaign... funny they should suggest that as it ties in perfectly with the themes of this blog.

For those of you who don't know what a silent disco is, rest assured that you are not alone.  I too had to look it up on-line before agreeing to attend.  In a nutshell, rather than music being pumped in to your environment, like in a normal disco, the sound is instead directed straight to your ears through wireless headphones.  That's it, such a simple concept but not one that makes me want to go out there and get involved.  It's a good job that I'm looking for new things to write about or I might have missed out.    

Liverpool, get ready to Do Your Thing


The event took place last Thursday at 6:30 in the evening.  It had been a long day, made longer by staying in work until after 6pm to pass some time save going home and coming back.  Let's just say I was tired and not really in the mood.  Yet the incentive to do something new, as well as TK Maxx's own incentive of a £25 voucher for the first 100 people in (!), was just the motivation I needed.  

Doors opened at 6:30pm prompt.  First things first, paper work.  Collection of wireless earphones and signing of waiver for publicity.  Done.  Then it was time for the good stuff.  Earphones on, volume adjusted and channel selected.  There were two to choose from, both rather good, but one featuring the live feed from the in-store DJ and commentary from the event's choreographer... yes, you read that right, there was a real, live choreographer!

Before we hit the dance floor there was just time to head over to the bar for a (non-alcoholic) mojito served with ice and fresh mint. Delicious.  Then a quick wander around the shop whilst the dance floor warmed up.   


 Me with my Mojito getting ready to trip the light fantastic and with
my special John Travolta pose below.

The Arctic Monkeys were wrong - I don't Look Good on the Dance Floor 

The orchestrated highlight of the event must be the choreographer who really got the crowd going, swapping between the two music channels so that there was something for everyone, allowing scope for free styling whilst giving others direction through organised routines.  Not wanting to compete with the lad in his teens doing the caterpillar or the larger than life 50-something-year-old trying to do the splits, I went for the stylised option.  

 Here I am behind the girl in the orange top demonstrating my 'speghetti arms' 
(I don't think that's a technical term nor one to aspire too!)
Good fun all the same
 Below - being cool, brushing off my shoulders as part of the routine.  This part I mastered as it didn't involve moving my feet at the same time.  Co-ordination isn't one of my strong points. 

Verdict

I'm glad I made the effort to attend not only for the bonus £25 voucher that I managed to bag but primarily because it was really good fun.  Clearly, this was probably quite abstract for a silent disco, being in a shop rather than at a club or festival, but 100% effort was put in by all involved and it certainly had novelty value.  I'd definitely give this ago again but there is probably a right place and time - not sure that a sober 6:30pm start in a shop is something I'd do again... oh, what am I saying, of course I would but if possible I'd probably prefer somewhere a bit darker and a bit later next time.

Top tip - if you ever find yourself at one of these events just take your earphones off for a short time, even if its just for a minute or two.  Watching people dance to no music and clap to their own time is just hilarious - worth a visit to a silent disco on its own! 

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