Too Much of a Good Thing

I have gone to three different dance clubs in the last month or so. None of the trips were planned, but each experience can only be described as spectacular.

The first trip was to a place call Volume in Nowon. Nowon is a very cool place with many outdoor restaurants and one of my favorite bars called Metropolis. I have blogged about Metropolis before. It was there I watched the Stanley Cup Finals with the Canadians. Several Fridays ago one of the Canadians called, "Hey, you want to play poker? We are at Metropolis." We played three sets of Texas Hold-em. I was the first one out every time. My poker skills are non-existent here. Then I got crushed in darts. Just wasn't my night.

It was nearly midnight when the Canadians got the urge to go to the dance club. They were shocked to learn that I had never been. There is a good reason I have never been. I am too old. Several of the clubs require you to be under a certain age. This was not a scene I was anxious to visit.

"We always have a good time there. You have to go. You will be the token foreigner. Everyone will want to dance with you."

The club was only a few blocks away. It was in the basement. The bouncer looked older than me which made me feel better. We put our umbrellas in a locker and entered what looked like a miniature movie theater with tables in the seating section. Up front there was a railing that separates the DJ from the dance floor. In the back there was the bar.

At many Korean bars you have to order food. This place was no different, so we got the cheapest platter for three and hit the dance floor. The music was typical dance club fare. Electronic music with a strong pulse and lots of energy. The cool thing about this place was the amount of strobe and laser lights. Everyone knows Canadians can't dance, but my friends looked good moving in the strobe lights; so I was hopeful I wasn't making a fool of myself (I've got some moves - okay perhaps not).

Anyway, my friends were right. Several people wanted to dance with me. Every time I turned away from my Canadian friends a new girl was there ready to dance. Koreans are phenomenal dancers. Some of them have amazing moves, but what really makes them shine is their love of dancing. I have not seen such joy in a very long time. I have been to some dance clubs at Yale. They are fun but way more predatory. The dancing in New Haven seemed to be  more about the hook ups and not the dancing. At Volume, every time I made eye contact, the girl would just beam and start to dance with me. At times the fog machine would cut visibility to zero. As the smoke would fade, attractive women would emerge and begin to dance with me. With the laser lights bouncing off them, it was really surreal.

The Korean guys were really cool too. Many of them dance by themselves or with their male friends. It really is about the dancing and having fun. They too would want to dance with me. One even dragged me onto the dance floor as I was trying to drink my beer. Side note: the staff hang around the dance area with brooms and dust pans awaiting the inevitable broken glass from people being dragged onto the dance floor.

"Where are you from?"

"U.S."

"We love the U.S.!"

This exchange was repeated several times and was usually followed by high-fives. Then they would try to mimic my dance moves. Even if they were mocking me (I don't think they were), it was an absolute blast. At 2:30 in the morning the DJ took a break. When the music didn't restart at 3 my friends were ready to go home. I was actually disappointed. I was having so much fun I didn't want to leave. The club was still crowded, but too much of a good thing...