Daybreaker

There's nothing so majestic as the rising or setting of the sun. It heralds in a new day, a fresh start, another chance to experience the joy and beauty of life. That's exactly what a bunch of people were thinking when they started hosting early-morning, exclusive, wellness-based dance parties. 

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Francesca and I were invited to perform AcroYoga at 6am for an event with a top-secret location. We got details only the night before. Once we got there and followed the signs to the venue, we were greeted only by large logos suggesting where to go. Once we were inside, the whole event unfolded just like a great story, or a yoga class.
Everything started slow, like a "Sleep No More" interactive/theatrical experience. People dressed in black, with fashion make-up and temporary Daybreaker tattoos, set the scene by pulling individuals out of their groups leading them to mingle among new folk. Francesca and I performed AcroYoga in the middle of the dance floor, invoking the spirits of playfulness, trust, community, and connection. Every 5 minutes, a gong sounded until the guests/attendees were on-board. Then, all were called by the sounding of the gong 12 times before sitting for a brief meditation with Rima Rabbath from Jivamukti Yoga. As the ship pushed off the shore, we opened our eyes and woke up for the second time.
Then the party started. The DJ started slow, growing to add a live synth band- adding fiddle and percussion improvisation to the mix. Dancers drew everyone to the floor with breakdancing, hip-hop, and vocalizations. Light-up jellyfish puppets and costumed characters joined the mix, adding to the surreal reality. At one point, the MC spoke to our higher selves, saying, "We all woke up this morning and made a choice. You could choose to get up and be an asshole. We woke up and chose to be awesome." The crowd cheered. It wasn't cheesy or over-dramatic -- in that moment, it was true.

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One of the most remarkable things to me about the whole event was the focus on wellness. There were smaller brands represented (Runa Energy Drinks, Brooklyn Roasting Company, Aloha), as well as bigger ones (KIND bars), all with a focus on health. No alcohol, man-made drugs, or pill (other than Aloha's vitamins), just pure dance endorphins maybe mixed with a bit of caffeine. I got the sense that even a naturally grown substance that is now legal in some states would be frowned upon.
Live, real-time experience and analog human interaction was encouraged. There wasn't a QR code, hashtag, or social media icon in sight - if you wanted to figure it out how to tag pictures and the like, you had to do the work and Google it or actually talk to someone else. There was a photo booth set-up on one end of the boat that printed analog photos (with the option to email digital copies). Whether happenstance, being a relatively new company, or design, all the little things supported and complimented the grand happening.

Once the ship docked back at shore, everyone exited and went off to work and their daily schedule. As quickly as it had started under the cover of darkness, it seemed to already be over, the bright light of the fully risen sun calling us out of trance and back to our responsibilities.

Daybreaker has captured the realization of our generation - true happiness comes from community and living in the present moment, not drugs or material objects. If this portable, Burning Man is what the future of the club scene looks like, you can count me in.

Check out www.dybrkr.com for more info, and #dybrkr on instagram for more photos.

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Written by Corey Loftus 
Founder / Visionary : constantly quotable

Corey is a voiceover artist, yogi, and father to a fur-child named Eddy. 
He'll work for almond butter. 
corey [at] iamhom [dot] com

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