One thing we love about the electronic dance scene here is its emphasis on safety and inclusion. Our favorite venues and parties all foreground credos that aim to make it safe for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people to cut loose without being assaulted or marginalized. But the meaning of “safe” is more complex than the simple word lets on. As we run down a few of our favorite inclusive dance parties and spots, we thought we’d ask how they think about and handle their conduct policies. 

Durham’s long-running Party Illegal, often found at The Pinhook, has been at the forefront. They have a written policy prioritizing the safety of “non-white people, queer people, trans people, nonbinary people, disabled people, and our trusted friends and regular attendees first.” It appears on their Facebook events and is posted at the door alongside posters about consent. Illegal prioritizes “lots of communication with security, event staff, the venue, and partner groups about our goals and methods and whether they’re effective,” they told the INDY. “If people can’t respect the rules of the space and each other, they get kicked out.”

According to Illegal’s proprietors, they’re also exploring new ideas, such as having a number you can text to report harassment.

“True ‘safety’ is an unattainable platonic ideal, since it’s impossible to predict or prevent all aggressive or harassing behavior, but it’s something we aim for,” Illegal says. “We are constantly assessing what works and what doesn’t, and we are always looking for feedback about experiences people have so that we can learn and do better.”

Arcana, one of our favorite basements to dance in, hosts the monthly Super Secret Dance Party, among others. At Super Secret last Friday, a new safety-policy sign designed by bartender Heather Davis had appeared. It made explicit rules that had long been implicit in the bar. It was inspired, according to Arcana’s Lindsey Andrews, by a conversation about insufficient posted policies that was started on Facebook by Laura Friederich, aka Queen Plz of Party Illegal. 

“Laura was focusing on party culture and organizers, but we felt that the things she was suggesting were a great idea for bar culture in general, especially one that hosts dance parties,” Andrews says. “We knew that several places, including Ruby Deluxe, already had signage that we liked, and Laura posted several examples. Our staff worked together to come up with language that we thought would have helped us more firmly address problematic situations in the past.”

Raleigh’s Ruby Deluxe makes our list, and owner Timothy Lemuel affirms that safety is a moving target.

“Communication is a huge priority,” Lemuel says. “We keep a floating staff member on busy nights that walks around checking in. The secret weapon is that my entire staff actually cares about the community they are serving and wants to be involved in change.”

This is far from all of the Triangle’s inclusive dance scene, which also includes the femme-focused Mamis & the Papis, who call the dance floor “a sacred space for community to gather and release,” and The Conjure. There’s no such thing as perfect safety, but we’ll always spend our dancing time in places that center it in their intentions.

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