PLUR is Healing: The EDM Community and Raves

I was walking through the front entrance with two of my best friends and I felt my heart rush as my eyes locked onto the enormous yellow letters that spelled out BEYOND WONDERLAND. It was my first rave and I was becoming overwhelmed by all of the people as I clenched the muscles in my chest, trying to slow my rapid heartbeat. I stepped into a sea of color totems, rave outfits, and stage designs that mesmerized me. I wore highlighter green shorts, which were very short in length, and a black bra with a fishnet top. My best friend, Elizabeth, wore a black tutu, a black bedazzled bra decorated with flower petals, and black leg warmers with wisps of silver in them. As we passed through the entrance, two girls strode over to us and enthusiastically said “YOU TWO LOOK CUTE! “ Both of them were dressed in pink and purple two pieces like the Cheshire cat and had fluffy pink cat ears. Katie and I told them, “we love that you’re matching!” The two women introduced themselves as Joslyn and Emely and asked us, “You both look young, is this your first time?” We excitedly said, “YES!” Joslyn and Emely grabbed our hands and asked us to trade kandi. We slid bracelets off of our wrists onto theirs as they returned the favor, and the girls gifted us a small pack of juicy fruit before running off to a stage and shouting, “HAVE FUN!”

My friends and I walked to Mad Hatter's Castle, one of the Alice in Wonderland themed stages, gently pressing through the crowd with our right shoulders raised as my eardrums were being bombarded by notes of music. The thin, black hairs began to rise on my forearm as we walked into the middle of the crowd, fitting neatly amongst others like Tetris blocks. My group needed to take a water break so when we left the crowd I sat on a bench with my best friend, Victor, where he and I traded kandi (beaded bracelets). I raised my middle and index fingers on my left hand to meet his so that we’d create a peace sign, I moved my fingers to form half a heart, then I laid my palm against his with my fingers pointed up to symbolize unity, and I finally locked my fingers into his as a demonstration of respect. I slid a black and white beaded bracelet off my wrist and onto his as he pulled a purple beaded bracelet with black letters reading “Do What Now?” that had a perler bead of Meatwad clipped on it. I laughed because we’ve been best friends since we were 11 and he’s always joked about me being as clueless as Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, so this held a lot of meaning. Trading kandi is a sign of respect and I hugged him for this thoughtful bracelet. I glanced at it every few minutes that we danced, up until 2 AM when the festival ended. We drove home from the NOS center to Victor’s house and the moonlight illuminated my new bracelet. My parents were scared when I told them I was going to a rave because of the stereotypes on the news-that it’s filled with people doing drugs, overdosing, and stealing from each other. Their nagging complaints were partly why I was so nervous, however, they were wrong because raves helped shape the way I interact with the world.

PLUR stands for peace, love, unity, and respect and I’ve felt this at every rave I’ve attended since I was 19. PLUR has seeped into my way of life and is more than just a slogan at a rave, it’s an attitude I demonstrate in my career. Every class session I teach I show all of my students respect and create a peaceful environment for them because when I read their writing it is a vehicle that unifies us. I love teaching and raving influenced the way that I create an inclusive and positive environment in my courses. Raves are popular because they provide a safe and encouraging space for strangers to meet and share their interests where they can become part of the EDM (electronic dance music) community, and I try to make my students feel part of the scholarly community. Raves have strengthened my attitude towards work, and the bonds between me and my friends. These intimate moments serve to remind me how great life is.