VANCOUVER — During a late afternoon break between exams last month, Queen's University student Molle Dorst stuck her headphones over her ears, switched on her iPod and joined the throbbing, dancing crowd outside the student centre.
While Ms. Dorst worked up a sweat flailing to a Ministry of Sound dance-music compilation, her friend grooved to the Pixies beside her. Around them, students - all similarly equipped with MP3 players - bopped along in silence to their own music, provoking bemused looks from passersby.
"There were maybe a couple of giggles, and maybe every so often you'd hear, like, 'Ow!' - someone stepped on someone's toe," Ms. Dorst, 20, said. But otherwise, the party was completely devoid of sound.
The hour-long silent rave, also known as a silent disco or mobile club, attracted only about 60 students. But the concept, which has been popular in Europe for the past few years, is now catching on in the United States and across Canada. Last month, more than 1,000 people turned out for a silent rave in New York's Union Square. Tomorrow, a silent rave at a still undisclosed location in Calgary could draw even more participants. Meanwhile, similar dance parties are being organized in Edmonton, Kelowna, Chicago and Miami, with word of mouth spreading largely over the Internet.
At a silent rave in New York last month, partiers danced to music on their own MP3 players. (Waisum Tam for The Globe and Mail)
Unlike traditional raves, silent raves are held in public places and aren't rampant with ecstasy and other drugs typically associated with the clubbing scene, said Jonnie Wesson, 18, who organized the New York event.
He added that since participants bring their own music, these events tend to gather people from different age groups and social circles who might not normally interact with each other.
An exchange student from London, Mr. Wesson said he had attended several silent raves in England before trying out the idea in New York.
"It sounds sort of phony, but it really is a liberating experience. You wouldn't just dance on the street on your own at any time, so the fact that you do it at this [event], it's just really fun," he said, noting the New York party began a little after 6 p.m. and continued past 1 a.m.
Whether to seek approval from authorities is a murky issue for organizers, however.
Mr. Wesson said he was supposed to obtain a permit from the city for holding it in Union Square, but didn't do so, as he had not anticipated such a large attendance. As a result, he was on edge the entire time, although the event occurred without incident.
"Police only turned up two hours into it, and as far as I know no arrests were made," he said. "People were just dancing. They weren't doing anything wrong. The police stood by and some of them even started dancing themselves."
Fearing a crackdown, organizers of tomorrow's silent rave in Calgary are keeping the location secret until 24 hours before the event. They also do not intend to inform police of their plans in advance.
"We figure there'll be a lot less chance of people trying to shut us down if someone gets uptight about it," said Caitlyn Spencer, 19, one of the event's organizers.
More than 2,000 people have joined the Silent Rave Calgary Facebook group, and Ms. Spencer expects at least 1,000 to show up.
She added that silent raves are intended to defy conformity and redefine public spaces, similar to flash mobs, in which a large group of people briefly assembles to perform an unusual act, such as a public pillow fight.
"At least part of the point for us is it's a protest against having to inform the government of every single thing you're going to do, when there's really no point. Because besides someone possibly falling down and scraping their knee - or if people get out of hand, which doesn't seem that likely - it's a totally harmless event," Ms. Spencer said.
To ensure no one shuts down the party, she added, no drugs or alcohol will be allowed. The only additional rule is that participants act respectfully to the people and property around them.
At Queen's University, Ms. Dorst and her friends are already thinking of organizing more silent raves, and hope to make it a monthly event on campus, weather permitting.
"It was such a needed study break," she said, adding that the dance party gave her fodder for a final exam essay question on popular culture later the same evening.
"I think we should have events like this all the time."
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