| Issue #50, March 23, 2007 |
A Montauk Surprise
The burning of the Alien
Photo by Mike Rura
Skinny Dipping, Music, Dance, Meditation at the Montauk Yacht Club
By Victoria L. Cooper
Montauk can be unpredictable in terms of weather, surf and what the daily specials are at Gurney’s Inn, but the activities last weekend, set a new precedent. From Friday, March 9 at 4 p.m., to Sunday, March 11 at 11 a.m., a two-day dance music and freaky fashion festival termed the “Burning Beach Ball,” took place at the Montauk Yacht Club. The event was sponsored by the International DJ Guild and Kostume Kult, which posted the event only on their website. As a result, most of Montauk and the East End were unaware of the party until phone-call tip-offs were made and music could be heard bellowing down Star Island Road.
Some of the happenings at the Burning Beach Ball event included a naked swim. What is most interesting is that many of the partiers are mainstream, business executives and professionals. Many of these prominent men and women attend events sponsored by the International DJ Guild and use it as a creative outlet. Many corporate events are held at the Montauk Yacht Club Resort and Marina, known as the perfect escape destination for travelers and those seeking a relaxing getaway at the foot of world-class beaches. Yet the Burning Beach Ball was anything but corporate.
Bjorn The Bee
Photo by Sandra Dillon
The weekend was full of activities designed to build a temporary music community and to celebrate the arrival of spring. A schedule of artists, DJs and bands, assembled on two separate stages and provided entertainment for all in attendance. Partygoers were encouraged to purchase tickets for the weekend and rent rooms from the Yacht Club and surrounding motels like the adjacent Snug Harbor Hotel. A party bus and transportation were provided for those coming in from New York City and Brooklyn, but most people at the event were from Connecticut, New Jersey and the greater Metropolitan area. Some of the 300 guests who packed the Montauk Yacht Club and left it with no vacancy, traveled from places like Toronto, Virginia, and San Francisco.
The principals behind organizations, like the International DJ Guild and Kostume Kult, who are free-thinking DJs, are not common in today’s elitist, capitalistic society. The companies are based in the New York area and find that there is a big difference between typical club goers and the underground dance community. They identify with the underground participatory dance culture and plan events, which are fueled by themes, like satire, absurd and irreverent humor, radical self-expression, civic responsibility and gifting. The community is inviting and welcomes and respects the stranger who participates, encouraging individuals to discover the idea of immediacy (the reality of participating in society in order to overcome barriers that stand between an individual and the recognition of his or her inner self). In many ways this is an important touchstone-value of this underground culture.
Dance Balloon by Michael Balloonhed
Photo by Mike Rura
The entire weekend festival may look very much like the Burning Man, which is an annual experiment in temporary community, where participants are committed to radical self-expression, but it is not. Parties hosted by the International DJ Guild are not in any way connected with the Burning Man and in fact, Mike Rura, president of the International DJ Guild, feels that this is just a great way to throw a party. The International DJ Guild is commercial and in the business league, while the Burning Man is strictly not commercial, especially since the only things sold at the Burning Man are ice and coffee.
The Burning Man is held 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada, at the Black Rock Desert and takes place the week prior to Labor Day weekend. The event attracts nearly 40,000 people and the entire venue is dotted with mini-villages and theme camps, which often relate to the overarching theme of the festival. In the past, themes have included fertility, time, hell, outer space, and hope and fear. The theme for 2007 is the Green Man.
The stereotype surrounding many events like this include illicit drug use, group sex and other taboo activities, but it goes without saying that these organizations comply and support all local, state and federal laws. The International DJ Guild and Kostume Kult believe that because of this stereotype, many people who should be at these events, are not. They believe they are just left-of-center people who love to have fun and experience the joy of life. The organziers of the event, Mike and April Rura of the International DJ Guild and Jim Glaser of Kostume Kult, hope to be more involved in East End events as the season progresses. Perhaps this time around, there will be more people inspired to experience this modern day exodus into the world of no holds dance.
 |
