By Clare Nemec
I went to my first rave when I was only 13 years old. Young, I know. It's 7 years later now, and I can honestly say from the deepest part of my heart raving and the rave community saved my life. And yes, to some, that may sound over exaggerated or simply crazy. But to me, music has the power to heal your soul if you let it. It can fix your wounds with just a few simple notes and a meaningful melody. There are happy songs like “Home” by Excision that make you want to just dance and shake your booty all night long, and then there are songs like “Fractures” by Illenium that make the words to speak to you when you feel alone and like no one else can.
@dinamo155
It's hard to find something comparable to the feeling of dancing in a sea of complete strangers that feel like family. You are surrounded by thousands of beating hearts and shuffling feet that will treat you as if you had been their lifelong best friend. And after that night, they very easily could be. You see, raving does that. It has a way of being able to bring people together, and closer. I have formed so many deep unbreakable bonds with people I merely only traded a piece of kandi with and a short chat, that have now blossomed into great friendships. Because at that moment, you don't need to know where they came from or even their last name. All that matters is you came tonight for the same reason: to be free and live your best PLUR life.
@em.raves and @dinamo155
To me, raving was able to give me a complete sense of identity. It provided me with a safe place to be confident of myself and my body without fear of judgment. That is something I have struggled with for a lot of my life, and let me tell you, I’m still far from perfect, but I now have an outlet to express myself, all of me. From my crazy personality to my rave-tastic style sense, everyone has their own set of demons they battle and raving has helped me beat mine.
@dinamo155 and @rowsalaz
The rave community has taught me countless times the power that love, freedom, and respect can have in life. I promise you if you give it a try, you can feel the same love as I do. No matter who you are, if your hair is purple or green (mine was!), if you think you can't dance, if you're in jean shorts or just a pair of pasties as soon as you walk through those doors; you are home. You belong. Inside those doors, we are one big, supportive, ever loving, colorful family. So come on in! I’m Clare and I can't wait to hopefully see you at my next show! Let raving change your life too.
@dinamo155