NLNL 2024 wrap-up
Hello dance fam! 2024 has been, well, rather large for NLNL! I wanted to take a moment to share some of my reflections and total gratitude with you! From our biggest silent disco yet in Hyde Park (can we top it in 2025?), to being filmed as part of the Cancer Council’s Move More campaign (look out for the ads on catch-up TV, radio, socials and online sometimes around March!), to dancing under the moon at Boola Bardip and then of course our ginormous 10th birthday!
As I’m sure you know, reaching ten years of NLNL felt huge for our community. On July 8th, our actual birthday, I shared some of my feelings on my personal Facebook page and would love to share them with you – see the end of this post!
Our incredible community
Over the years I have had the privilege of sharing some really private, personal moments with you – and I’m sure there were many more that I wasn’t aware of. People bring all sorts of experiences onto our dancefloor; the joy of a new job, the nerves of expecting a baby, the grief of losing a loved one, the heartbreak of a break-up, the frustration of the world at large, the moments of marvel at your body and how it moves. So many of you may be unaware of the impact you’re having on others, just by turning up and creating a space filled with love, acceptance, and celebration. This has never been more apparent to me than last month when we lost one of our long-time dedicated dancers, the utterly sensational and fierce Kathleen. We knew this was coming, we didn’t know it would be this soon, and when her besties and daughter came to NLNL just over a month ago and shared she had passed the day before, I was equal parts heartbroken for them and enormously grateful that in this unimaginable time, they knew our dancefloor was where they needed to be. I didn’t know I could be more proud of our community; I was wrong. Having gotten the news 3 minutes before lights out, experiencing those first moments of grief, letting those first sobs escape whilst moving my body in the dark to KC & The Sunshine Band, Dolly Parton, Basement Jaxx, Fisher, was an entirely unique experience. A rollercoaster in the softest, safest way, underpinned by a community who didn’t even know the strength and soft landing they were giving us just by moving around us. Kathleen danced with us for many years along with her two besties and daughter, and was so incredible that when she came to our dancefloor and the music was loud, we still heard her sing. The lights were off and the hall in darkness, and she still shone. We are all endlessly lucky her light shone on us. Kathleen, we’ll be dancing with you and for you every Monday night, always.
Reflection and growth
When I took on NLNL Perth ten years ago, it was because I needed a space to dance freely in the dark with like-minded legends. Never did I expect or dream it would grow to this size! As we grew, I back-filled the business needs and after ten years I’ve realised it’s time to be a bit more intentional about the business side of things. This was particularly apparent when I sat down with an entrepreneur mentor and we crunched some numbers – she gave me some hard truths around the (mostly non-existent) profit margins we’ve been running at, the amount of unpaid work that was being done, and the limitations for growth in our current state. All of this is to say your Monday night experience will stay the same, but there are a few changes in the pipeline to make it even better, and also a gentle heads-up that there will likely be an increase in entry fees mid-2025. As always, we believe in fun over fees and will always find room on our dancefloor for you, even if you’re in a financially tricky spot. This is done with the incredible support of our community fund, which has enabled us to provide a heap of free dances to people in need over the past year. You bloody superstars!
Heading into 2025!
So, what’s next for the most incredible community on earth? Well, silent disco, obviously! Dancing in the Park returns on 20th January, with tickets on sale now! Please note the cut-off for tickets is midday Saturday 18th January so we can confirm headset numbers. I’ve also got some dreams of some NLNL specials, one-offs, activations, and a collection of theme nights I’ve had in my back pocket for many years (such as slow jams, weird shit, covers and samples, to name a few) - stay tuned!
I must give a huge shout-out to the best girl gang in town, our Dance Captains, without whom NLNL literally could not operate. Miss Q, Nicole, Sam – thank you for having my back, keeping me sane, reassuring me that yes people would come to the tenner, affirming my choices for questionable covers in the playlist, and all the brunches and dinners and debriefs and lols. Love you to the end of the earth, a million times over!
My friends, thank you for another incredible year of dancing. Wishing you an incredible summer break – may it be filled with equal parts excitement and chill, the best of times, andof course the odd boogaloo! Can’t wait to see you in January! All my love and gratitude,~ Bryony Dance Commander NLNL Perth/Boorloo
"8 July 2024. There were a lot of tears tonight, mostly from me but many from others. A lot of meaningful looks where words wouldn’t suffice. A lot of hugs with a lot of sweat. Feeling both huge and tiny. I felt the calmest I’ve ever felt addressing my community. It was teary and heartfelt, and I could take my time and choose my words, I was being held and loved and the moment was momentous and shared with 105 people. I spent parts of tonight watching the silhouettes move, hands clutched to my chest or together in gratitude. I spent parts of tonight holding myself, moving slightly, eyes closed, crying. And obviously I spent at least some of the night getting stanky. But in those moments holding myself, it occurred to me that not many people get to stand in the same spot on the same night, ten years apart, and think ‘I did it’. But I get to. I did it, and I’m not even tired. I’m not even nearly done. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done, my greatest achievement, and I sit here proud and humbled and overcome. I am lucky enough to know that NLNL has saved some people. Some people think I don’t know, but I do. I know because I see it, and because it saved me a hundred, thousand times. During my lightest and (so many) darkest moments, I turned up to that hall and welcomed people onto our dancefloor. I put on my face and I smiled and it was genuine, and I know that if I disintegrated that I would be held and safe. It’s hard to explain to the uninitiated. I’m sure it seems impossible that not only can I have such big feelings about dancing in a hall every week, but that many people share these feelings. But it’s true. It’s the truest. No Lights No Lycra, thank you for keeping me safe. I will love you forever.”
Bryony Calendar
Dance Commander
"If you can dance and be free and not embarrassed you can rule the world.” ~Amy Poehler
Corroborees and Nyumbis have been taking place on this land for more than 65,000 years as an essential part of the cultural and spiritual life of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. NLNL is held on Whadjuk Noongar Country, and we express our gratitude and respect to elders past and present for tending to the land and waters so that we may be here today. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.
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