‘…and the self is lost’ is a new weekly clubnight at the Arc, Bristol’s first entirely sober nightclub, on Broadstreet, in the city centre.
The name expresses the Buddhist idea that deeper self-connection and connection with others arises when we cease to be in our minds, believing and attaching to our stories about ourselves, and about others. In these moments, when the inner machinery of this sense of self softens or dissolves completely, the gateway to deeper connection appears.
Dancing is one of the most powerful ways to access this experience of losing the self, because we use our bodies, and to really feel with how we are moving, we must be primarily aware of our bodies and not our minds. If we can stay here long enough, our worries van vanish for a while: our insecurities, our anxieties, our regrets, our self-limiting stories.
Building Community
I found it hard to give up drinking, partly because I was not part of a community that I felt especially a part of. Feeling a sense of belonging among others has been a struggle for me my whole life. Now I realise this longing more deeply, and realise I have the power to do something about this. I therefore feel deeply called to create not just a clubnight, but a real sense of community around a shared experience of dancing, expressing and connecting.
I have some ideas for how to do this, how to make this more than a simple clubnight with loud music and bodies moving.
I believe that, in the absence of intoxicating substances to help us settle into and feel connected to the space, we need some kind of opening ritual each time to create that for us. I am thinking that before the dancing begins, we have a variety of different ways of starting the night, to welcome people into the space
- Live acoustic performance from George Patrick (a super talented friend of mine with a truly beautiful voice and even more beautiful songs).
- Dance-themed sharing circle (what role does dancing have in your life? What do you find difficult about shared dance spaces? How are you afraid to dance in front of others?)
- Authentic Relating Games
- Open Mic
I would like to give others the opportunity to lead this Starter period of the night. Please get in touch if you have an idea for this.
The Music
On the night I will be the only DJ, at least at first, to help create a certain kind of atmosphere. I also don’t currently know anyone else who DJs open-format (all genres), which is something that is really important for the vision I have. I want to be able to play everything from sing-alongs to deep emotive house and techno, to face-melting dubstep, to – and much more that is near-impossible to categorise but very hard not to like.
But I also don’t want this to be just an excuse for me to share my music taste with others – even though this is naturally part of the appeal for me. I want to really serve the dancefloor, curating sets that make the room of dancers actually lock in to the music and really move with it, or be moved by it.
So there will be a Requests Box on the night, which you can write down tracks you want to hear on these nights, and put them in this box, and I will listen each week and add them to my collection (if I also like them). Unfortunately, it goes against my musical conscience to play anything I do not myself enjoy – this feels inauthentic.
My hope is really to bring the audience good enough music, weaved together smoothly and interestingly enough, that we really get a room full of people really dancing, with their phones away (most of the time) and their talking to a minimum (except towards the back of the room). This is the centrepiece of the community I hope to create.
Get Involved
If you want to help in some way, please get in touch if you have any ideas for how to make this night a success. I have a strong vision, and a lot of drive to make this something really beautiful, but I think it will come to fruition best if I build it with others, not just for them.
