charlie-sunshine

Almost a year on and I still can’t believe it. It all started last year September when I finally convinced Moth (my hetero-life partner) to shirk the luxurious trappings of the city and embark on a now decidedly lifelong trance adventure.

We popped our proverbial cherries at Earthdance…popped being an understatement, more like obliterated! We came, we saw, we conquered. We conquered Earthdance in much the same way as the Spaniards conquered the Americas; with chicken pox and pestilence… but instead of pox we used copious amounts of glow in the dark bubbles, heart-shaped glasses, a fake moustache, a set of wings and a monster truck filled with charm and wit.

We were possibly more like Settlers I suppose, setting up camp in new territory and making it home for the weekend. Not entirely unlike the Dutch Settlers who conquered our fairest Cape with boerewors, 16th century racism and two-tone khaki shorts, we were instead armed with a blow-up mattress with a gaping hole, some party favours shoved into a bra and most importantly a radioactive glow in the dark spider called Lemmywinks (who became my personal mascot for the weekend and due to his untimely demise a heart-wrenching dedication will follow soon).

While I always tend to be allured by psychedelic arachnids…my better half chose a Batman and Joker bobble head combo, the two of which totally got lost along the way. You’ll probably encounter them on the back of a milk carton- the only problem is that South Africa rarely, if ever supplies milk in a carton maybe that just means that the dairy industry over here doesn’t care much about missing children.Could it be? I must admit that I’m personally indifferent; being voluntarily lactose intolerant and all.

The weekend was an assault on the senses, being outside exposed to the elements, different music coming from all directions. One could easily get lost during the course of the day. Pause. Blink and before you knew it dance floors and people alike lit up in shades of luminescent awesome. Since that fateful weekend, we have become seasoned professionals, welcoming newbies into the fold and rarely missing a party up until the very end of season when winter’s icy clutches showed no remorse.

My advice to all of you who are itching to be deflowered and trance up a storm is that Earthdance (one of the first on the calendar for the upcoming season) is a good first bet, slightly more maintstream than all the rest but one of the easiest parties to get swept up into its warm welcoming embrace. Soon you’ll forget about all those pesky labels anyway and realize that these parties are anything you make of  them and who needs a roof to have a good time anyway?

So like a Jedi to it’s young Padawan I say simply…you’re in for a treat! Fasten your seatbelt, whip your hair back and get ready, for in a few short weeks we’ll all be dragged down and around the  illusive rabbit hole.

List of upcoming trance parties to follow! Until then check out Earthdance here http://www.earthdancecapetown.co.za/