Clubbing in Singapore

Clubbing was always seen as one of those 'vices' which was reserved for the very bad but bold. I was warned that it was a scene of sleaze  alcohol and shameless dressing. For me, that sounded like something I had to do at least once in my life. It wasn't just the rebellious part of me speaking but it was also that I hated listening to my parents telling me that was something was bad without me judging it for myself.

Even then, I got into the clubbing scene much later than most of my peers. Only at the age of 23 did I dare to venture into a club as my curfews were set much later to 12 or 1am. However, that is the time when the party's just started eh?

My first experience was at St James Powerhouse with some of my former secondary school friends. I remembered feeling extremely fat as most of the Chinese girls (I didn't see girls of other races much) were slim, petite and had nice legs. And the guys there were obviously into that kind and treated anything above 60kg or equivalent to their weight an eyesore. And I'm sorry guys... you really spoil the scene with your passive standing-around and furious typing on your handphones like your life depended on it. I appreciated the music, for I loved dancing but I felt extremely rejected and almost unappreciated as a woman. Subsequent visits there and to other places like Butter Factory proved my point.

It was only last year when me and my cousins discovered Movida which was housed in St James and that was where I found my calling. I realised that the clubbing/dancing experience lies very much in the company around you. Movida had a live band that played Latin songs and after years of doing Malay dance, you can say I fitted right in. It was all about the gelek (shaking of the hips) and basically dancing instead of jumping up and down on the spot. Heh. And the crowd! The men were dancing! Not just standing pressed against the walls and playing with their handphones. I was thrilled.

Movida however, attracted a different kind of crowd - the expat crowd and perhaps it was their open personalities that attracted me to the place. Although some guys were out to fish for one night stands, some were truly there to enjoy themselves and that was what I liked. They danced crazy silly moves, so un-self conscious (even the girls) that you just know you've got to join them! Plus they always make you feel like you're beautiful (sometimes they'll tell you) and I think a woman deserves to hear that, regardless of what shape she is!

So my verdict after almost two years of trying out the clubbing scene? It's not really as bad as how my mum seems to make it out to be. In fact, I enjoy being around people, tilting my head up to look at the lights and just losing myself to the music. The sociological term for it is "collective effervescence". Durkheim may have used it to describe religious gatherings, but I think the concept applies here as well. It's that feeling of being ecstatic yet faintly lucid, rendered by the close interactions and intersubjective experience with others - which was why I said the crowd is just as important as the music.