There's always so much stuff going on in London, but unless you're in the know (Or know someone in the know), it's really easy to miss out on all the coolest events. Trial and a great deal of error these past three and a half years has helped me streamline my method of becoming more aware of happenings around me, and now one of the things I do is subscribe to websites like Indigo Memoirs. In the dead times when I'm waiting for buses to arrive or classes to begin, I read through their suggestions on where to go and cool things to do, and thus far it's stood me in good stead.
For instance, thanks to them, I found out about Morning Glory, and got myself a ticket to the coolest way to start the day in London. M has been going on and on about how I needed to exercise ("Sitting in your bed with your laptop all day isn't healthy!"), but I loathe running and have yet to find a cheapish place nearby to do yoga, so very little physical activity had been done at all. A one-off intensive free-style dance marathon though? I was totally down for that. Up in my hovel of an attic room there's isn't even enough space to move, much less dance (I generally just clamour onto my bed from the door - that's how little space there is), and I've needed to get my moves on for ages. Doors opened at 6.30 am to the feel-good sober rave, so I caught an early train down to Cambridge Heath and stayed for most of the dancing, which went on till nearly 11 am.
The dancing was wild, but quite unlike other raves, there was a definite wholesome vibe to Morning Glory. Fresh pressed juices were sold alongside organic coffee, toddlers were in attendance, life-affirming slogans were hollered out and group hugs were exchanged. Some people went all out with their costumes, while others (Like me!) were quite happily decked out in pajamas. It was all very uplifting, and my body was still thrumming on leftover adrenaline from my krav maga class the evening before so I was all over that dance floor. The glorious thing was that even with the sheer number of people at the venue, everyone magically had enough space to do their thing. Only once did I accidentally whap someone in the face when I was throwing my hands up in the air, but that's still much better than my previous record, which will never be mentioned again. Hooray! I am now less of a public menace!
At the back of the room, there was a small table set out with organic beauty products that we could help ourselves to, so in between DJ sets I'd shimmy my way through the sea of bodies and help myself to the tea tree wipes to freshen up and get some stretches done. There was a Japanese news crew who were around filming a segment, and it was quite funny watching from the back as the dancing got more frenzied whenever the camera came near.
Beyond the power of improvised dance, there were also free fifteen minute massages to help participants recharge. I managed to snag a slot for the healing head massage, which was the most gentle and soothing treatment I've ever had. So soothing in fact, that I fell asleep halfway through. When the therapist woke me up though, I felt utterly refreshed and ready to jump back into the thick of the action.
I skipped out early to beat the queues for the cloak room, and when I left the Oval Space, the glorious weather seemed to reflect the "It's a nice day to be alive!" ethos of the dance party. Even the Bethnal Green gas holders looked cheery under the sunlight.
With a song in my heart I went back home, and wound up napping before class in the afternoon. Woke up ridden with aches and found that I couldn't lift my arms over my head any more, which was perfectly understandable considering all the exercise I'd done within a 12 hour span. It felt good.
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