Publication title: Edmonton Journal
Pages: B4 Section: City
Publication date: Jun 14, 2001
ProQuest document ID: 252911938
Copyright: Copyright Southam Publications Inc. Jun 14, 2001
Author: Stewart, Darren
Abstract:
A coalition of rave promotors, business owners, nightclub managers, dancers and concerned people calling themselves the Edmonton Right to Dance Coalition are planning to fight the proposed plan to regulate all-night dance parties. Coalition organizers have a petition signed by 1,500 dancers and supportive parents opposed to the bylaw amendments, that's growing by a few hundred names per day. They say their first goal is to get the message out that the rave community is not just about dancing.
Ravesafe, a local advocate group of rave safety, say they fear the bylaw will force all-night dance events underground, which would pose a safety concern. They say the dance events will likely continue despite a new bylaw, but in unsafe buildings with inadequate plumbing and limited security.
Full text:
The dance music community plans to give Edmonton city council an earful well beyond the beat-driven techno tunes the scene is known for.
A coalition of rave promotors, business owners, nightclub managers, dancers and concerned people calling themselves the Edmonton Right to Dance Coalition are planning to fight the proposed plan to regulate all-night dance parties. Coalition organizers have a petition signed by 1,500 dancers and supportive parents opposed to the bylaw amendments, that's growing by a few hundred names per day. They say their first goal is to get the message out that the rave community is not just about dancing.
"This culture reaches further," said coalition spokesman Marcus Gurske. "How many 18- to 25-year-olds do you know that put together events that gross $250,000? How many people under 25 do you know that run local businesses that do over a half million in sales each year?"
The coalition came together last week and is in the planning stages. Its primary concern is the proposed bylaw that would force the events to close by 3 a.m. Gurske said the curfew is unnecessary and would effectively strangle the local dance community and the healthy economy it brings.
He said the coalition hopes to "educate the public" about the culture to show it that the city does not have to impose heavy- handed regulation. He said the rave culture has wrongfully gained a stigma as being "anti-establishment" when it's an integral part of our mainstream culture.
"You turn on your TV and hear this music selling Tide or Mazdas," he said. "You can ... see kids with baggy pants and record bags everywhere."
Ravesafe, a local advocate group of rave safety, say they fear the bylaw will force all-night dance events underground, which would pose a safety concern. They say the dance events will likely continue despite a new bylaw, but in unsafe buildings with inadequate plumbing and limited security.
"The curfew may please a few business owners and parents, but really it would not help anyone in the end," said Mike Peebles, Ravesafe representative involved with the coalition.
About 20,000 people gathered outside Toronto city hall last August when the local council was poised to ban all-night dance parties in the city.
Known as iDance, the event was one of the biggest gatherings in Toronto's history. It was the culmination of months of advocacy work and organization by the city's dance community. Council voted the next day to allow raves to continue.
Peebles said the Edmonton group has been in contact with organizers of the Toronto event and would certainly be looking to apply their successes to the local situation.
"They made a huge difference," he said. "We're taking a page out of their book."
An Edmonton rally, likely outside City Hall, is planned for June 24 for those opposed to the bylaw.
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