Approximately 30 Northwestern students danced to music only they could hear outside of Technological Institute on Friday.
The Silent Dance Party was an event organized by NU’s Happiness Club, a student group whose goal is to simply make people happy. Participating students danced for about 20 minutes to a coordinated music playlist on their iPods.
“It was really about doing something different,” said McCormick sophomore Alex Wilson, president of the Happiness Club. “We also just wanted to get our name out there and spread awareness about what we do.”
Throughout the past few weeks, members of the Happiness Club executive board e-mailed music playlists to those interested in participating in the Silent Dance Party. Students congregated at 12:50 p.m. in front of the main Tech entrance with iPods in hand and pressed play at the same time, dancing to current singles such as Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say,” as well as classics from the 1990s like *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye.”
Students on their way to and from Tech were able to witness the silent phenomenon. Many stopped to ask participants what exactly they were doing. The dance party lasted until 1:10 p.m. and ended with celebratory applause from dancers as well as a few passing spectators.
“I’m so much happier now than I was in class,” SESP sophomore Jake Rosner said after the dance party. “It was a really cool idea.”
The Happiness Club, which has been at NU for more than two years, is perhaps best known for its biggest event, Free Hugs and Hot Chocolate. Each quarter on the Sunday before finals begin, club members offer hugs and hot cocoa to anyone walking by the Rock. The club focuses on activities that echo childhood, said Kyle Richardson, a member of the Happiness Club executive board.
“A lot of our events are centered around letting loose and enjoying the littler, simpler things in life,” said Richardson, a McCormick sophomore. “I like being a kid. I think everyone does.”
Past Happiness Club events have included Bubble-Blowing Day, Chalk Sheridan Day and Operation Sandbox, during which members built a sandbox next to the Rock and encouraged students to play.
The club is currently planning several events that will occur throughout the week leading up to Dillo Day, Wilson said. He said the Silent Dance Party was a success and hopes it will encourage more students to participate in future Happiness Club events.Richardson said he encourages all NU students to join the club.
“It’s the most rewarding student group you could join at NU,” he said. “Everything we do is devoted to making other people happy, which can only make yourself happy.”
