Raving trend begins among upperclassmen

No less than 5,000 attendees crowded into the City National Civic Center in San Jose on Feb. 28, most dressed in animal- or character-themed costumes, consisting of shimmery mermaid-leggings, fluffy legwarmers and crop tops.

Fluorescent lights spun across the room as they allowed themselves to forget the obligations that restricted their freedom and lost themselves to the beat of the blaring electronic music. No boundaries confined these souls, no prejudice fueled drama between them. The only rule seemed to be  “Peace, Love, Unity and Respect” (PLUR).

Raves like this one, which was called Wobbleland, are parties or events attended by large numbers of people, where attendees from all around the area can dance to fast, electronic music. More upperclassmen have begun to attend these events as an outlet to relieve the stress of their busy lives.

Unlike school dances, raves have no dancing or clothing restrictions, with the exception for those under 18, who are required to cover their undergarments and wear shirts and bottoms at all times. At more well-regulated raves, attendees have to go through security, where they have to spit out their gum, throw away any water bottles, undergo a pat-down and follow all of the restrictions listed in the given event information.

A rave is a “concert of the DJs,” according to junior Beaudine de Roos, who started attending raves when her older sister brought her to one in the middle of her sophomore year and recently attended Wobbleland.

“I fell in love with the atmosphere [at my first rave],” said de Roos, who attends three to four raves every year. “There are some really great people and it is just super free. You can honestly just be yourself because no one will care.”

According to De Roos, raves appeal to several types of people. Not only are there people who “go just to say that they went,” but there are also people who use raves as opportunities to freak, a style prohibited at school dances. Ravers also include people who attend “because they love the community behind raving.”

“[At raves], no one will go the next day and go like, ‘Did you see what that person was wearing?’” de Roos said. “There is just no judgment. We just dance and it’s so great to dance your problems away.”

Senior Irene Chen-An, who also attended Wobbleland, said meeting new people and making friends outside of her usual friend group at school is the best part about raves. At raves, she said attendees wear candy, or “kandi,” bracelets. If they get to know and like someone, they then give the person their own bracelets using hand signs that stand for “Peace, Love, Unity and Respect.”

“How much you enjoy raves depends on what vibes you have,” Chen-An said. “If you’re all happy, then people want to hang out with you. If you’re wearing a cool costume, people are going to compliment you and try to get to know you.”

One of the many people Chen-An befriended at Wobbleland was a girl from San Ramon Valley High School. The girl lent Chen-An her jacket during the rave as it grew cold, and the two followed each other on Instagram.

Once the rave came to a close, Chen-An sent the girl a direct message through Instagram asking where she was because she still had her jacket. The girl replied, “You can keep it. We’ll see each other next time.”

As popular as raves are with some students, not everyone has fallen in love with them. One example is an upperclassman who attended Wobbleland as her first rave and spoke to the Falcon under the condition of anonymity.

“I’m never going to another [rave] again,” she said. “The music was really good, but there were so many people there that were from different backgrounds [and] a lot of them were really creepy.”

This girl said female attendees are highly susceptible to unwanted sexual advances, as some attendees seek to take advantage of the unwary and vulnerable.

“Guys just come up behind you and start grinding, and you don’t even know what they look like," she said. “If you turn around to face them, they automatically assume that you want to make out with them. I would normally just walk away, but there are a couple instances where they grab onto you, and you can’t get away from them.”

Looking back, she advised potential ravers to stick with a friend group to avoid uncomfortable or dangerous situations: the more friends, the better.

The other notorious association with raves is the perception of rampant drug use. According to a study on eMedicinehealth.com, 89 percent of rave attendees reported using ecstasy, a popular club drug, at least once, and nearly 50 percent reported use within the past month

According to de Roos, while raves are stereotypically portrayed in films as filled with drugs, many attendees have equally enjoyable experiences while sober.

“With every party, there is going to be drugs or alcohol, even here in Saratoga, but no one is there just handing you pills,” de Roos said. “It is your decision, and if you make a bad decision that you think is OK, then that is on you. It is not on the atmosphere of the raves or any of the dance parties.”

Junior Chloe Koon also disagreed with the drug usage perception.

“It’s not like in [the film] ‘Neighbors’ where people are just taking really hard drugs,” Koon said.

Other sources said little pressure exists to do drugs or alcohol at raves.

“If anyone asks if you want to do anything, and you say no. They won’t care,” she said. “They won’t bother you about it.”

In response to the stereotype that ravers “just go out and don’t really care about anything other than parties,” Koon said that the students from the outside do not necessarily understand that ravers are able to achieve a balance between academics and social events.

“I feel like parties shouldn’t have such a negative connotation in Saratoga,” Koon said. “It is definitely a fun way not only to switch over to another group of friends, but also to just meet new people.”