As speakers boom out lyrics to Nelly's "Flap Ya Wings," junior Jessica Harris's lithe body rocks to the rhythm. She pumps her arms while her feet trace out a pattern on a two-foot-high platform: left, right, in, out. She has barely any space to move. Jam-packed around her, illuminated by circling blacklights and neon flashers, the jean-clad crowd of clubbers—all under 18—gets its groove on.
It's Thursday night, and Harris is at October Fest, one of several teen gatherings hosted each year at Polly Esther's Dance-plex in Rockville. On nights before selected no-school days, Polly Esther's and Illusions, an under-20 club in Rockville, each attract up to 1,000 students countywide. According to an informal Silver Chips survey of 100 Blazers taken on Oct. 12, 32 percent of students have gone to a teen club. These supervised clubs, requiring ten to 12 dollars and a student ID for admission, round up numerous Blazers looking for a night of beer-less, drug-less fun.
Grinding to the basics
While the crowd gyrates to reggae and hip-hop with no shortage of grinding and freak dancing, junior Ashleigh Nixon performs her own moves atop the platform. A natural dancer, she "pops and locks" her arms through a series of fluid stops.
"All my Haitians, make some noise!" the DJ blasts over the loudspeaker. Grinning widely, Nixon shoots her hands up in a cheer.
Harris cups her hands and screams something into Nixon's ear over the music—time to go to ground level and take a break. There's a nonalcoholic bar in the back serving water, Cokes, Sprites and Shirley Temples. A Dominican merin-gue, accompanied by a strobe light, is playing in the much less crowded Spanish room in an attempt to attract diversity.
Guillermo Herrada, manager of teen events for Illusions, also tries to cater to fans of the cha-cha, the Brazilian samba and other international music. "We want to make sure everyone has a good time. We want to make sure whites, Asians, Hispanics and blacks are all there," he says. Both clubs publicize themselves on the radio and through promoters at County high schools.
As a promoter for Polly Esther's, junior Jennifer Nguyen keeps herself busy passing out flyers at Blair before each event and receives free admission for her efforts. Upon arriving at October Fest, she hides her purse in the girls' restroom and squeezes into the party, a "sweatbox," in Nixon's words. Though shy about dancing with friends, she lets loose her moves because all the other clubbers do so too.
Safety behind the scenes
David London, unofficial teen-event coordinator for Polly Esther's, is in charge of hiring promoters like Nguyen. He believes the club has stayed true to its purpose: drawing teens away from alcohol and drugs often offered at teen parties. "When I was in high school, there was nothing to do besides party and drink," he recalls.
Herrada feels that Illusions has also diverted teens from dangerous activities. "I'd rather have kids under supervision than being on the street doing who knows what," he says. Herrada hires 16 to 20 security guards and collaborates with five to ten Montgomery County police officers for every event he hosts.
These precautions reassure Nixon's mother when she lets her daughter go to the under-18 clubs. While she still fears violence, drugs and sex at the clubs, she trusts her daughter to act responsibly and return home by her curfew.
Out of the sweatbox
The security squad, however, has left some teen clubbers with limited options. "There really isn't much to do other than dance, mix and mingle with your friends and drink water," Nixon remarks.
Seeking some new flavor, junior Ana Ponce once borrowed her cousin's ID and slipped into Platinum, an adult club in Washington, D.C., on a "College Night" in a skirt and high heels. Her two-hour stay tipped the scales for her in favor of 18-and-over clubs; she prefers the wide variety of music they play, the later closing times and even the clothes their patrons wear. "I think that's the most exciting part—getting dressed up and ready for wherever you're going," Ponce says.
But Herrada feels that the risks of adult clubs, which condone smoking and drinking, outweigh the benefits. "It's a completely different crowd," he says. "It's not safe."
No age attached
The club owners' rationale that teens deserve a safe, supportive place to party rings true with Nixon. "Basically, it's to experience the club scene. It's something innocent and fun, not provocative," she says.
Sophomore Simon Kanter, a patron of the pool club Galaxy Billiards in downtown Silver Spring, praises teen-friendly clubs of all types. "We've got to have someplace to go," says Kanter, a little frustrated about the widespread 18-and-over label. "You can't put an age limit on having fun."
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Chelsea Zhang. Chelsea Zhang was born in Tianjin, China on May 17,1988 and moved to the U.S. when she was five. She is now a SENIOR with inexplicable tendencies to get hyper at inopportune times and forget things. She doesn't remember if she's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, … More »
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