EVENT REVIEW: Land of the Free and the Home of the Rave

by: Mathaus Schwarzen, staff writer

Bryan College Resident Life and the Student Events Council (SEC) teamed up to host an event completely unknown to the College on January 23. “Land of the Free and the Home of the Rave” was exactly what its name implies—a small Christian college’s best attempt at the usually hedonistic dance party known as a rave. 

“Land of the Rave,” featured food, speed volleyball and live mixing from a former Bryan Student John Nyberg, known as DJ JohnnyJeff. Resident Life provided shuttles for students to save them the quarter-mile walk in the rain from the Latimer Student Center to the event’s location in the practice gym.

Bryan College hosted its first rave on January 23, dubbed, “Land of the Free, Home of the Rave.”

Though the rave got off to a weak start, with only two or three students dancing in a half-hearted manner, JohnnyJeff eventually managed to pull the majority of the partygoers over to his floor.  His setlist included classic dance tracks like Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” and Beyoncé’s “All the Single Ladies,” as well as contemporary tracks from artists such as Twenty One Pilots

His ability to hype a shy crowd eventually drew in most of the attendees. The songs were familiar and the bass was deep. Not much else is needed for dancing. Even though he cut off many songs that the students were enjoying, it was always to stoke the fire for a new track that was more popular than before. JohnnyJeff had his finger on the pulse of the party, and he carried the event through the evening. 

Students dance at “Land of the Free, Home of the Rave.” (Credit, Bryan College.)

The rest of “Land of the Rave” bore the hallmarks of a typical resident life event with a fresh twist. Water and punch were served with an overabundance of snack foods. The dancing was enough of a distraction to keep the food in stock. 

The subject of dancing at a Christian College is a sensitive one, and Bryan College is no different. A Resident Assistant (RA) confirmed that the hosts were under orders to discipline any displays that violated the Community Guidelines. 

The occasional wary glance was cast at the RAs on the dance floor until the students overcame their awkwardness. It took a while, but the party began in earnest about an hour in and became a fun, free environment of music, dancing and friends. 

“Land of the Rave” wasn’t very close to the drug-filled affair that is the stereotypical rave, but it was a good party and a much safer alternative. 

*Note: this article expresses the ideas and opinions of the author and are not a reflection of the views of the Triangle or Bryan College as a whole.

Mathäus Schwarzen is a staff writer for the Bryan Triangle specializing in campus news, and a sophomore at Bryan College, majoring in creative writing. He spends his free time writing, drawing and listening to music.