The Dance Village

[ApacheAnderson]

I have an eclectic music taste, but if pushed 'Dance' music would probably come at the top of the list. I love going to all types of underground dance music clubs and have had some of the best times of my life smooshed up against a DJ booth.

However in 5 times at Glastonbury I've only ever managed to have three good experiences in the dance village and one of those was food related (the other's where Beardyman in 2008 on the G-Stage and Mr Scruff in 2002). I try every year but the whole area leaves me cold.

Is it just me? The dance line up has been brilliant a couple of times, and even DJ's and Acts i love in previous years have left me running for the green fields when they perform in the the dance village.

[hellcats]

I thought it seemed a bit like a ghost town when I was up there last year to watch Doves so, yeah, I get what you mean, although I've never actually watched anything on any of the dance stages but there didn't seem to be that many people up that end of the site in general.

[laid back in the sun]

would work a lot better if it didn't shut so bloody early

[ApacheAnderson]

would work a lot better if it didn't shut so bloody early

[lahm]

I think it's in need of a revamp. They should let the Glade organisers take it over or focus it on more electronic music (Jungle, Techno even Psy-Trance) instead of 'dance' per say. I think it would bring in more of a diverse 'avin it' crowd. I am very pleased with the Bangface takeover at the Glade lounge though.

[bombfrog]

I love dance music but it rarely works at Glastonbury. Listening to Deadmau5 in the afternoon while it was still light and I was still sober just wasn't right and I can't really get into anything banging before 10pm.

[bamber]

Two Words....

Stanton Warriors.

All you need to hear to justify the existence of the Dance Village. Quality.

[philly_eds]

the dance village lineup is awesome (well not saturday)... but yeahhh! fatboy slim, boys noize, chase & status, simian mobile disco, magnetic man, above & beyond, rusko, nero, fake blood, crystal castles, jack beats, stanton warriors etcc. some quality acts playing there, im sure ill be spending a fair bit of time in the dance tents, when nothing else takes my fancy!

Edited June 4, 2010 by philly_eds

[philly_eds]

also... 2ManyDJs were AMAZING last year. definitely one of my highlights. Altho i definitely agree that, the main headline acts of the dance tents should play between like 12-3am... after the pyramid, other etcc headliners have finished. However i got a feeling they may get a little too rammed : /

Edited June 4, 2010 by philly_eds

[Ryan Smith]

I love dance music but it rarely works at Glastonbury. Listening to Deadmau5 in the afternoon while it was still light and I was still sober just wasn't right and I can't really get into anything banging before 10pm.

[Harrow Strongbow Ciderman!]

the dance village lineup is awesome (well not saturday)...

[glastoman417]

I'm not hugely into dance music, but I do enjoy spending a bit of time in the dance village.

A couple of years ago there was nowt I particularly wanted to see early Saturday afternoon so I decided to dance my way through the dance village, dancing to 3 songs in each venue whether it was music I initially enjoyed or not, had a great time!

would work a lot better if it didn't shut so bloody early

[muddyslingbax]

i like dance village but i know what the OP means, it just leaves me feeling a anti climaxed.

can't say i particularly enjoy the crammed tents and dodgy sound but hey, we're in the middle of a field so you make do.

The Glade has a great sound system; small area, under the tree canopy, lovely

[hombrederayo]

dance village line up is always quality and diverse, but maybe the issue with atmosphere is the daytime thing, but not much they can do about that. If they had most of it on after the other stages had shut, it would be carnage down there, much the same way that arcadia/shangri-la gets. Not sure the shangri-la organisers would want to have to compete against the dance village headliners either.

[Alzeefest]

would work a lot better if it didn't shut so bloody early

[ApacheAnderson]

dance village line up is always quality and diverse, but maybe the issue with atmosphere is the daytime thing, but not much they can do about that. If they had most of it on after the other stages had shut, it would be carnage down there, much the same way that arcadia/shangri-la gets. Not sure the shangri-la organisers would want to have to compete against the dance village headliners either.

[Cooter]

would work a lot better if it didn't shut so bloody early

[doddy135]

would work a lot better if it didn't shut so bloody early

[uberland]

I agree entirely. The Dance village could be so good but for the following reasons:

1/ shuts too early

2/ the punters. majority of people flock to the guitar-based main stages meaning that the dance village is a ghost town for most of the day. I heard some great stuff in the dance village last year but there were only 2 of us in the whole tent!

3/ Too much pop and house. Not enough DnB, IDM, breakcore and more extreme/experimental ends of the genre. Rise in popularity of Dubstep may improve things we shall see.

I agree with the other post. Let the Glade crew run it.

A deciple of Glade Fest.

Edit: what does annoy me too is that everyone has to cram into shangri-la and arcadia late at night (very unpleasant and over crowded after midnight), when the ideal late night venue (dance village) is closed!

Edited June 4, 2010 by uberland

[Kowalski]

Last year was my first year at Glasto and I really enjoyed the Dance Village. There's a great atmosphere, so much more pleasant than say the Slam tent at T in the Park. Lots going on, with plenty of places to chill out. A huge bar, and a cracking pie stall at the far end.

It was quiet last year for the likes of Japanese Popstars, Filthy Dukes etc...

But there's not a huge amount takes my interest in the line-up of the dance village this year. Most of the dance acts I want to see are playing elsewhere.

[Rolf Harris]

It keeps all the scousers in one place so I like it.

[APC]

The Dance Village has an appauling lineup of dayglo white teethed big sunglassed kidpopsters. There are few exceptions.

[TG24]

Last year was my first year at Glasto and I really enjoyed the Dance Village. There's a great atmosphere, so much more pleasant than say the Slam tent at T in the Park. Lots going on, with plenty of places to chill out. A huge bar, and a cracking pie stall at the far end.

It was quiet last year for the likes of Japanese Popstars, Filthy Dukes etc...

But there's not a huge amount takes my interest in the line-up of the dance village this year. Most of the dance acts I want to see are playing elsewhere.

[philly_eds]

You're joking aren't you?

For me 'Skanking Saturday' is what I'm looking forward to the most at Glasto this year, starting with Dub Pistols, followed by The Specials legend Neville Staple! ..But then I'm gonna hot foot it from The Dance Village to The Glade to catch end of The Orb & then enjoy some heavy Dub, Ska & Reggae from Don Letts while we await the mighty DREADZONE for some serious bouncing in the Glade Sat eve!! f**king handsome & makes my 'Skanking Saturday' complete.... except DZ clash with another Specials legend: Jerry Dammers

But I'll console myself with catching Ska/Two Tone supremos The Beat in the early hours!

I'll leave you 'DANCE' / ravers in peace now!

[autoinflate]

Dance village, well, it's a great concept. I've often hoped one would spring up somewhere in the UK....you know, country village with a pub and post office etc, except everyone's off their faces throwing moves.

Perhaps that's what the glastonbury dance village needs - a post office. Maybe one of those little ones at the back of a newsagents that's never open. Or a pub, not like the Queens Head in a tent, but a proper one with a thatched roof and a place to tie your dog up.

Anyway - whoever said dance music doesn't work at glastonbury - come on dude, it was partly responsible for propelling glastonbury from a 70s hippy type festival with a few bands and a couple of fields into the behemoth we see today. Glastonbury was a major legal event on the post-embryonic rave scene that retained much of the charm of the early illegal raves. In the early 90s the site was awash with sound systems pumping out a broad spectrum of dance genres - you could party 24hrs the length and breadth of the site and beyond into the car parks where some of the best parties were happening.

Then followed the traveller riot, market shootings, Roskilde incident, overcrowding and NIMBY protests gathering pace. In came noise regulations, proper security and the erection of the superfence. All good for the survival and general prosperity of the festival, but the death knell for free-form party culture.

So what we have now is a well organised if somewhat sterile dance village which nonetheless provides great acts through til midnight, then a variety of excellent licensed/organised parties running til 6am and sometimes beyond in the late-night areas.

Dance music is very appropriate at Glastonbury in my view and still very enjoyable, if maybe a shadow of it's former wickedness.

Edited June 4, 2010 by autoinflate