Butterflies, Rainbows, Pineapples and More at Global Dance Festival

Rainbows, fur and lights abounded.

August 5, 2018

Mauricio Rocha

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Fashion can allow your imagination to run wild, as evidenced by the crowds at Global Dance Festival at Mile High Stadium in late July. We spotted many different tribes of ravers, decked out to celebrate themes ranging from Super Mario Bros. to Mexico to butterflies; some opted to wear just their underwear or go naked under a splash of body paint. But no matter what they wore (or didn't), they all displayed undeniable creativity and enthusiasm for the hard-hitting music.

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Students Jessica Dudley, Alyssa Dudley and Ashley Howery spread their wings as butterflies at Global Dance Festival.

Mauricio Rocha

A trio of butterflies traveled to Denver from the Midwest for the fest. Ashley Howery accessorized her outfit with gems and jewels around her eyes; she also wore kaleidoscope glasses that turn what you see into a wonderland. Kaleidoscope glasses were definitely on trend at the festival.

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Mauricio Rocha

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Mauricio Rocha

Howery completed her look with a bunch of candy bracelets, the go-to accessory for any true raver.

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Jennifer Stallcup and Éder Estudillo represented their Texas hospitality with a pineapple totem.

Mauricio Rocha

Jennifer Stallcup and Éder Estudillo came to the festival from Dallas. Estudillo works in sales, and Stallcup is an emergency management specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We stopped to chat with Stallcup about their look.

Westword: Who or what inspired your outfits?

Jennifer Stallcup: His inspiration for his outfit and fashion for the festival was pineapples and Borgore. Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality, and that's what we do in Texas.

Who was your favorite musician to see at Global Dance Festival?

Our favorite music act was Illenium.

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Estudillo wears an armful of candy bracelets and carried a light-up pineapple totem pole.

Mauricio Rocha

What was your favorite part of the festival?

His favorite part of the festival was meeting up with friends from last year's festival, making new friends and bringing me to my first festival. My favorite part was experiencing my first festival — everything from the music [to the] atmosphere and the people.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I met some amazing people and cannot wait to go back next year!

Keep reading for more looks at Global Dance.

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Mesh and fishnets were also in heavy rotation. This woman wore pink fishnets and a light-up backpack designed by her boyfriend, an engineer.

Mauricio Rocha

We spotted some white-belted platforms mid-air on the very vertical Super Shot.

Mauricio Rocha

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Aerial dancers entertained concert-goers taking a break in the grassy area.

Mauricio Rocha

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This fan wore a tank top printed with the titular star of the futuristic 1999 Disney Channel movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century.

Mauricio Rocha

Now in its sixteenth year, Global Dance Festival is a great place for creative and outgoing people to cut loose.

Whether they were dressed in rainbows or as butterflies, carrying pineapple totems or light-up backpacks, everyone looked like they were having a great experience. We can't wait to see what the crowds come up with for the seventeenth fest.

In the meantime, always have fun and stay true to your rave spirit, Denver.

Mauricio Octavio Rocha graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in English writing and a minor in cinema studies; He has been writing about fashion and style for Westword since 2012. Rocha also writes songs for his music and art project, VULGAR FEVER.

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