No booze, no cover, no judging: Inside Mexico City's free dance parties

MEXICO CITY — It's 4 p.m. on a recent Sunday afternoon, and a pavilion of towering windows in a Mexico City urban park is nearly packed. The public is diverse, but everyone here wants the same thing: to dance freely, at no cost, without harassment or prejudice.

Twenty-somethings, children with their mothers, teenagers and elderly couples gather around the disc jockey's console. A murmur fills the air as roughly 300 people await the start. The first notes then pierce the air and a shiver runs through the crowd.

''This is an open invitation for everyone to move as they wish in a safe space!'' said Axel Martínez, one of the collective's founders, as he grabs a microphone and cheers the revelers on. At their own pace, each person is carried away by the music — and no one seems surprised by the moves of others.

From experimental jazz pieces and smooth Egyptian hip-hop to the more familiar pulse of cumbias grooved with an electronic touch, people dance to it all.

The party was organized by the Nueva Red de Bailadores or NRB (New Network of Dancers), a collective that aims to create spaces where people can gather to dance freely. There's no cover charge, no booze, and no pressure to do the ''right'' moves.

Dancing with peace of mind

The collective began nine years ago as a simple gathering of friends dancing freely in an apartment. As word spread, their numbers swelled from 20 to 50, then more than 100 — so they had to move to a park.

''The New Network of Dancers is (a community) of philosophy and action,'' said Martínez. ''Dancing alone is very fulfilling, but dancing with a lot of people is also very enriching.''

As their numbers grew, the NRB approached the authorities and established a relationship with the agency responsible for preserving Mexico City's historic center and with museum directors, who agreed to provide sound equipment and other resources for the events.

Building on its network of contacts, it has organized some 300 dancing sessions in ever more striking and unexpected spaces, such as old factories and gardens.

The latest NRB party featured two dance floors — one inside and one outside the pavilion — both areas filled with joy and lightness. As organizers pointed out, their parties forgo police and security, fostering a sense of collective care where attendees look out for one another.

"Being able to come to a space where you feel happiness and respect ... it gives you peace of mind,'' said Ana Celia Agustín, 29, a regular at NRB dances.

A key to the collective's success comes from having become a real social network, and what NRB member Elías Herrera describes as a ''virtuous circle'' between online and in-person interaction that the collective has unleashed.

While social media videos and posts have played a role in promoting the dance parties, word-of-mouth has been key to make them so popular.

''I knew a lot about dancing and my body always mixed it with alcohol," said Mateo Cruz, 27. ''Here I found a new place. It's been an eye-opening experience for me to discover that I have all this stuff inside me that I can let go of. I can completely free myself from what others think, from what I think myself.''

‘Fun without any trouble'

The Mexican capital is a city that dances, especially in its most popular neighborhoods, where public space is often turned into a dance floor for market anniversaries, patron saint celebrations or simply the joy of weekend cumbias.

Generally, however, these parties feature a more homogenous crowd and musical selection. In contrast, the NRB dances have opened the dance floor to a more diverse audience and invites everyone on a shape-shifting musical journey.

Isabel Miraflores, a 73-year-old retired high school assistant principal, came with her husband and said she enjoyed both the dancing and the presence of people of different ages. ''I think it's wonderful because it's a free event," she said. ''We get together with people from all parts of society and we have fun without any trouble.''

The sun has set, it's almost 7 p.m., and there is just over one hour left before the dance ends, but dozens are still waiting in line to enter the pavilion in the famed Bosque de Chapultepec, an urban park that stretches across more than 2,000 acres in the heart of Mexico City.

''In a capitalist reality like ours, it's very difficult to find an alternative, especially one that is free," said Martínez. ''Accessibility is everything for us.''

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