This specific senior’s weekends tend to revolve around spandex, faux fur and pacifiers. Every weekend she attends a rave, or an organized, underground party that involves one or more disc jockeys playing electronic dance music and dancing.
Bramson began going to raves after a friend brought her to her first in Baltimore, MD last year.
“I started listening to [the music]… and started getting close with the people who were paid to work there,” Bramson said.
She is now employed by a rave association that “[throws] raves… [loves] to party… [and] most of all [loves] creating memorable experiences.”
She has since become part of the club’s Deco Team, meaning that she is in charge of Spandex, the stretchy, cut material ravers stretch across scaffolding by its pointed ends for decoration. Lights are then shown across the fabric for added effect.
“My payment [comes in the form of] the $20-40, sometimes even $60, tickets to get in [to raves],” Bramson said.
Raves place special emphasis on light shows. Bramson’s boyfriend and fellow raver spins Poi, balls of light or fire on the ends of a string.
Bramson practices the performing arts of Object Manipulation with her LED hula hoop, but if she has no objects on hand, she will Flow, or Liquid, Dance.
“Liquid dancing includes the use of Digits — fingers–, Tutting (changing the angles of your arms according to the beat of the music —Urban Dictionary) and, for me, pops and fluid-like arm motions,” Bramson said. “People often refer to [Liquid] as Dark Matter because of the Dark Matter Dancers [who are popular].”
Rave dance is not choreographed but random and in harmony with the beats of the music. For performances, however, club dances like Tecktonik can be performed.
EDM, or Electronic Dance music, provides the basis for raves, or radical audio visual experiences. Its sub-genres include Drum and Bass, Hardstyle, Happy Hard Core, Dubstep and Trap.
“In my opinion, Trap—which, in terms of EDM, is like rap music without the lyrics—and Dubstep are stupid,” Bramson said, “My favorites are Happy Hard Core and Hardstyle.”
“[My parents] don’t like that I’m out all night but know that I’m safe because I keep in touch,”
Bramson said. “They think it’s special and good that I’m active, but I’m still their little girl and they want me to be safe.”
Traditionally, ravers emphasize the element of community, preaching PLUR—Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. According to Urban Dictionary, PLUR’s value has somewhat faded in recent years as new generations of rave-goers get further away from the ‘true’ elements of the original Scene.
Bramson attributes the drug stigma often associated with raves to this distancing from ideals.
“I think it sucks that [raves are] stereotyped [as full of drugs and casual sex]…If you can’t go to a show and enjoy the music like any other concert then you shouldn’t be there in the first place… and I’ve never seen people having sex at a rave—you’d get kicked out,” Bramson said. “People at least go to their cars to do that kind of stuff.”
Although ravers live by PLUR as much as possible, Bramson says it’s hard not to judge those who are giving The Scene a bad name.
“We call girls who walk around in their underwear Prostitots—Toddle Prostitutes—because… those girls are, for lack of a better word, trashy,” Bramson said. “It’s not the way people dress that makes them a problem in the rave scene, it’s the way most of them act… I’ve never seen a Prostitot do anything but shake their butt and go around looking for Mollie (street name for Ecstasy).”
Modern female ravers, or “rave bunnies,” are not the only problem when it comes to raves’ image.
“ ‘Bros’ dress up in tight shirts and pants with their swag hats and do nothing but grind up on the Prostitots,” Bramson said.
According to Bramson, “real” ravers wear Kikwear pants, which are denim cargo parachute pants, or Phat pants, which are similar to Kikwear pants but vary in material and color. Some girls choose to wear Fluffies, or fuzzy legwarmers. ‘Old school’ ravers wear visors.
“[I’m a] Kandi Kid, which means that I have these colorful plastic bracelets covering my arms,” Bramson said.
Being part of the rave scene means going against mainstream society, something which Bramson does by defining herself as pan-sexual, meaning that she is interested in both men and women.
“It doesn’t matter what gender someone is to be in love with them,” Bramson said. “My boyfriend acts like a girl—he loves Hello Kitty.”
Despite their tendency to stray from social norms, there is some organization that can be found in raves’ spiritual component of sacred geometry. Officially called Body Chakras, Bramson thinks they are “cool,” but does not live by them.
“I’ve learned that everybody can do what they love and that [it’s possible for people like me] to meet people [they] can relate to,” Bramson said.
Bramson has valuable advice for those trying to break into The Scene.
“Be yourself. Don’t go in with the intention of trying to impress anybody, go to have fun and enjoy the music,” Bramson said. “Educate yourself about the music so other ravers will take you seriously.”
