Anyone who’s ever visited New York in the winter will know how cold, miserable and gloomy it can be.
Sure, there’s the excitement of Christmas, but once the holiday season has passed, local New Yorkers are left with nothing but bitter winds, minimal daylight hours and biting frost.
Luckily, there are a fair few people out there who make it their mission to “warm things up” on the chilliest of NYC winter days, including the hosts of a DJ dance party on board a train in the city’s subway.
That’s right, someone really did throw a dance party—complete with professional DJ setup, strobe lighting, and club music —all inside a single subway train carriage!
The artists behind the idea, Meir Kay and a couple of his closest pals, hurried onto the subway, which “feels like walking into a freezer” in the winter. They then quickly set up the DJ booth, consisting of a fold-out table holding a laptop and a turntable, as well as a few portable disco lights, which they attached to the poles of the carriage.
The train pulled up at the next platform, and the club was officially in action!
One of the party hosts unclipped a red rope and bemused passengers filed into the train. Mier took to the mic, encouraging his fellow commuters to dance—and it didn’t take long for people to follow his instructions!
Men in business suits, women carrying heavy handbags, and children wrapped up warm again the cold all joined in on the fun.
There was no prejudice, no age restrictions. Everyone was welcome to take part in the subway dance party.
There were impromptu conga lines, friendly glow stick duels, and even some spinning on the carriage’s inside poles.
Many people grabbed their phones, jumping at the opportunity to film such a novelty occurrence. Those who weren’t dancing were laughing, cheering and clapping along.
Mier Kay said that he’d had the idea for the subway dance party after noticing the lack of human interaction on the trains.
He said:
“We could be sitting next to a fellow commuter for quite some time, yet we don’t say ‘hey buddy’ and many a time avoid eye contact. Starting conversation is so important and to break down those imaginary walls.”
Meir and his friends succeeded in their mission. Their subway dance party truly did boost human interaction and brought everyone together. Strangers joined force to pump their fists to the music, and the carriage soon became so full that there was simply no more room for entry.
It’s far from the first time the NYC subway has been home to a weird, wacky and wonderful scenario.
Back in 2015, a couple of comedians in leotards decided to recreate the NYC subway etiquette ads on location, with hilarious consequences.
Other subway trains have played host to some pretty impressive spontaneous dance performances, including a street dance mini-show put on by two strangers in 2017.
The subway might be a fairly gloomy place to be most of the time, but these little acts of entertainment are all that’s needed to brighten up a person’s day!
Take a look at the video below and let us know whether you’d be the first to join the dance party—or whether you’d relocate to a different carriage!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
