Reddit mentions: The best popular dance books

tldr: scenes are different, rave is massive even if the undergrounds are not, I love musical diversity.

"scene" vs. "music scene" vs. "rave scene"

A "scene" is a term used within a subculture - a sub-group seeks identity within a smaller group, but also maintains its identity with mainstream culture (contrast this with a "counterculture" which actively seeks to differentiate itself with commercially provided cultures, and seeks a separate identity from the mainstream). I haven't studied this term too much honestly, but I think "scenester" or "scene kid" was originally used as a negative way to refer to people who were interested only in the fashion or physical appearance of other subcultures (for example, people that would dress in a "goth style" but not actually listen to/enjoy "goth"/industrial music).

Over time this "scene" term was absorbed by some people - it is no longer a universal derogatory remark, but instead a way to refer to the subculture's collective image, principles/tenets, actions, interactions with mainstream culture, etc.

A "music scene" is not always a subculture, but overall it represents the musicians, audience, events, venues, and other productions within a music community, plus aesthetics derived from or associated with the music and any external/social responses. There can be a "Beyonce scene" (artist/celebrity cult-centric) just as much as there can be a "death metal scene" (music genre) or a "Manchester scene" (geographically-based).

Regarding OP's prompt:

> what the rave scene is and what we want it to be

The "rave scene" exists at multiple levels, and also as a part of wider communities. "Rave" is a music subculture, arguably existing as part of a wider community "electronic dance music scene" or "EDM" scene. For at least a decade, academia has used "EDMC" (electronic dance music culture) to describe the various types of communities that have spawned from original disco/house parties in the 1980s.

Honestly I don't think it's possible to address what the "scene" consists of in a reddit post. Entire books have been written trying to parse the different elements of EDMC and the "what the rave scene is" prompt is asking no less than that.

But I'll play along.

What is rave

There is a sound system, and it is playing electronic dance music - "EDM" being an umbrella term for electronic music created with the intent to be danced to (or is danced to by a majority of its listeners). Beyond that, a rave is when a community re-appropriates a space to have a music and art gathering where there typically would not be such a gathering.

The space re-appropriation admittedly uses some elements of TAZ; I really believe TAZ concepts are vital in EDM/rave culture's ability to provide powerful, meaningful experiences.

Anyways, if I drag my sound system out to the woods, or break into an abandoned soap factory, and I call my friends together and we gather in these places and blast techno into the sky, then that is rave. The trees didn't get together originally to host dance parties, and the factory sure wasn't built to house a sound system.

This is why I still call things like Ultra and EDC "raves" - these physical spaces do not exist because someone had the idea of having a sound system party there. The spaces are re-appropriated to do so. To that end, I've raved in people's apartments too.

At the same time, while I don't consider most nightclubs to be "raves" proper, I do consider them essential in the EDM community as a whole, and many nightclubs seek to mimic and implement elements of rave party aesthetic (sound system, visual elements). So I can kind of give a pass to incorporating some "club scenes" as part of the "rave scene"

So we have a bunch of people that get together and listen to this music. An old, negative take on "scene" would say that a rave scene "occurs" when that community of ravers grows to such a point that people - who otherwise are not interested in the music and other rave principles (whatever they may be) - end up going to raves, talking about themselves as "ravers," maybe even calling down their own interpretations of rave.

Aspects of the rave scene

But "the scene" makes better sense using the definition from above.

• Music - primarily electronic music made to be danced to, but also all the music that - at the time - fits in the context of the rave (could be lounge jazz in the chillroom to the spontaneous drum circles that form at some festivals)
  
• Musicians - people that create the music (producers, musicians), people that play and share the music (the DJs)
  
• Audience - people that listen and dance to the music (whether at home or out at a club or at some festival)
  
• Venues - clubs, unannounced secret locations, parks, cruise ships - wherever people meet to share in the music and the identity
  
• Events - raves, festivals, private house parties, whatever - the gathering as a whole, including its promo/marketing
  
• Aesthetics - kandi kids, black-garbed hipsters nodding to techno, junglists in camo... and these are just the physical ones. For example, the Burning Man aesthetic goes beyond just how people dress (e.g. 10 principles)
  
• Related external/social responses - sound policies and city ordinances, protests utilizing rave music to energize a crowd, concerned parents writing local lawmakers to adjust curfews, the price of renting a warehouse in a gentrifying area and/or being forced to drive further away from a big city to find a place to play loud music
  
• Other productions - people that write/draw/sing/craft about raves, rave philosophy and PLUR... something like this subreddit would fall in here
  
  Rave as we know it (~Detroit/Chicago to the first UK acid house parties) is nearly 30 years old, and I bet many people on this sub could probably have parents that could have gone to go to early raves. What rave is will flux throughout time, but I think this definition will last.
  
  Not only is the Second Summer of Love almost 30, but the idea of people listening to and dancing to music together is thousands of years old - the music may be futuristic in mindset, but the gathering is a tradition as old as civilization.
  
  What I want it to be
  
  Well, tbh I think my local scene is fine where it is.
  
  I always say that at the end of the day, if you can't stand the music, you won't keep coming back. I don't worry about the (hundreds of) thousands of people that go to massives because in a couple years, if they don't really care for the music, they won't be back anyway. Maybe some people come in and then get burned out on the ecstasy, but if they love the music and talk about it and share it then I would accept them as part of the culture and the scene. I meet a lot of 30+ year olds who are returning to rave after 5 or even 10 years of "taking a break" - maybe they're chasing the dragon in some fashion but I notice that all of them can tell me their favorite genres, DJs, or even pick out the tunes they love. All other differences aside, the music is the unifying factor for me.
  
  So, with music as the focus, my main concern in throwing raves is to introduce an audience to a diverse spectrum of electronic dance music (and by extension, its associated cultures). Before I hosted raves, I was doing indie music shows and putting stoner metal bands, folk singers, and jazz combos on the same lineup, hoping that the crowds would mingle at some point or another. If I could realistically play every style of music on a list like this at one event, I would.
  
  Beyond this, I know (especially from doing calendars over the last ~4 years) that there is a lot of diversity as far as specialized shows go - big room, trance, drum and bass, techno, house, even psytrance ... you can find events that do just that kind of music. I think it would be great for someone to come to a rave, be like "oh what's that kind of music, I really dig it" and then find out there are weeklies/monthlies devoted to just that kind of music. I honestly don't think this is that different from what could happen at massives like EDC. One of my favorite experiences is talking to "newbies" at festivals and about the different kinds of music going on. Not all mainstream events are like this, though, and it's a little bit harder to promote the "diverse vibe" at those kinds of events. But it's still worth checking out, for me.
  
  On the same token, I also love talking to people who only go out to club nights and gab about all the little warehouse parties going on - some of them might not know anything about these otherwise. Either way, I want to share this tradition and find people who can keep it going with me.
  
  Finally... the people that actually throw and host raves consistently over many years tend to be plugged into mainstream society in some way or another, even if it's just because they need a decent day job. I tell young people to travel, experiment, explore their world, think about the big picture - and I need to work with dreamers and visionary-types to balance out my own personality - but I also think it's important for a rave scene to be able to fund venues - and yes, a lot of that is about money and having a consistent, good wage, or at least having time to scout.
  
  anyways, I could talk about rave culture forever but would honestly not get anything else done today typing it all out. cheers
  
  P.S. I've recommended this a million times before but if you're interested in EDMC Technomad by Graham St. John is the best book I've ever read about the culture as a whole.

Depends on the size of the space, but you can usually practice fundamentals like driving, balance, etc. in a small space. Waltz is a good vehicle for practicing all of these; try doing a single half natural/half reverse or change step and then reset. To train your balance, do a half natural/reverse slower than normal and make sure that you lower at the 'and' of count 3. If it's too easy to stay balanced, try turning down the tempo.

If you follow (and even if you don't), heel turns are also a good thing to practice, and they can be practiced in a small space.

If you are doing standard, I also recommend a copy of either The Ballroom Technique, Ballroom Dancing, or both. These are by the same author and have roughly the same content, but the first is more of a quick reference (and does not include a section on V.Waltz). You can also look up the same content on Ballroom Guide's workshop page for free.

Haha yeah I guess I could send it/post it later. It's not very good! I'm an undergrad still. It's actually about pop/commercial EDM, and how progressive house and trance were "transformed" into pop music.

If you're more interested in stuff like this, look up Mark Butler's book Unlocking the Groove: Rhythm, Meter, and Musical Design in Electronic Dance Music. It's academic, but it's very interesting to see dance music really critically broken down and analyzed. That book generally discusses rhythms and form, and his book Playing with Something that Runs discussed how DJs interact with crowds and how forms different songs overlap to create form of a DJ set.

edit - forgot to mention, you can find that first book online for free pretty easily, I would highly recommend it!

Wow that's really cool! I have always wanted to try silks and maybe with all this upper body strength I am getting from pole I can someday get into that.

I'm personally of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with pole dancing being sexy. I know pole fitness studios tend to do their best to separate it from exotic dancing, but I think it delves into the much deeper issue of female sexuality and empowerment being something that people are afraid of and quick to dismiss since it is threatening in some way. A very good read on this subject is Claire Griffin Sterrett's PoleStory. At the same time, I understand pole fitness studios and instructors want to be regarded as legitimate. It seems to be a really delicate balance of the public's opinion of you and what you do, as well as standing up for what you believe in and expressing your sexuality as you desire.

Foundation

It's by Joseph Schloss. He's a guy whose work you may want to explore in general. He spent several years in the NY hip hop scene, interviewing all the OG's, while simultaneously starting/developing as a competitive b-boy. He also helped Alien Ness write "The Art of Battle."

Awesome, knowledgeable guy.

Here's a second to Mark Butler's work. Unfortunately, like a lot of theory books, it's really expensive (because libraries will basically pay any price for books).

However, Butler's first book, Unlocking the Groove, is only 27 bucks on Amazon right now. This is the pioneering work on the theory behind dance/electronic music, and is well worth a read.

Yes, quite a lot, actually!