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They say a wedding is one of the best places to meet future romantic partners. But what do you do when you live in a perpetually single city like Denver, where it seems nobody is getting married these days?
You throw your own non-wedding reception, of course.
That’s the idea behind Denver Dance Hall, a one-night singles-only dance party being held on Thursday, December 4. The event was created by a trio of local friends — Mary Long, Ava Shomaker and Chloe Rekow — who want to make dating fun again. All single and in their early thirties, the women were inspired to take action after venting about spending the summer on a series of fruitless first dates with people they met online.
“‘Chore’ was the word we kept coming back to,” Shomaker says. “It feels like a chore when this should be a very exciting point in our lives. This is the opportunity to make exactly the environment that we would like to meet somebody in.”
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Long, Shomaker and Rekow have each lived in Denver for years, though they’re all originally from out of the state, having moved to Colorado as adults. When it comes to finding a match, they argue that the Mile High City isn’t the problem — it’s the dating apps.
“You find yourself overly nitpicking descriptions or analyzing photos,” Shomaker says. “When in reality, if you saw that person on the dance floor at a bar or something, you would probably be attracted to them.”
Courtesy photo
Denver Dance Hall is meant to remove the cold, calculating algorithms and profiles from the equation, simply putting local singles in the same room to have fun and get to know one another.
It’s being held at Evans School in the Golden Triangle. It will be the first event at the newly redeveloped historic venue above the Schoolyard Beer Garden.
Various complimentary appetizers will be served, and a cash bar will be available on-site. The first drink is included with the price of admission for the 21-plus event. Stu Miller and the Supernova Band will play live music throughout the night, covering songs from the ’80s through the early 2000s.
The evening is meant to be free-flowing, though occasional light interventions will help spur conversations. For example, the hosts will reveal who requested certain songs and periodically announce raffle winners who scored a free date night (including a round of mini golf at Holey Moley, a movie at Alamo Drafthouse, or dinner and drinks at various local restaurants and breweries).
“Think of it like a wedding reception, but there’s no wedding attached,” Long says. “We’re taking an old ritual — in-person meeting at a dance, something that maybe our grandparents would’ve done — and we’re giving it new life in the modern world.”
More than 125 tickets have been sold for the event as of December 1, according to organizers. The event has a capacity of around 200 and will continue to sell tickets online and at the door on the night of.
Long, Shomaker and Rekow say they aren’t making any money from the endeavor. They’re selling the tickets at cost, only covering the price of putting on the dance hall.
“We’re doing this because we give a shit,” Long says. “We care. We all want dating to be more fun and we’re actually trying to do something about it. We’re doing it just because we want this to exist.”
Denver Dance Hall is Thursday, December 4, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Evans School, 1115 Acoma Street; tickets are available for $40.
