It was right before 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 29, 2016, and Down's Hall was nearly silent. There was singing, dancing and the occasional "ohh," but no music, that is, until headphones were put on.
From the outside it looked like a typical DJ dance party, but once inside it was very obvious that this was far from typical. Down's Hall was lit up green and red as the lights on everyone's headphones flashed.
For those who are not aware of what a silent disco consists of, it is a dance party in which attendees wear headphones that access different DJ sets. Whereas most parties have one DJ mixing music, guests at Kean University's Silent Disco had access to two different channels of music, thus choosing what they wanted to listen to and when.
For this event, one channel played hip-hop while the other was a mix of pop music.
Kean University's Greek Senate hosted the party in order to raise money for Kean Dance Marathon (KDM). This was Kean University's first ever Silent Disco Party. Ashley Buhchanan, member of the Greek Senate, has a very positive outlook on Silent Discos.
"I think Silent Discos are a good way for people to express themselves," Buhchanan said. "You could just completely be yourself. No one can hear you singing. It's your own little concert and no one can judge you."
Tickets for the event had to be bought ahead of time and could be purchased at the Wilkins Theatre box office until 11 p.m. the night of the event.
Students needed to exchange a form of ID in order to receive a pair of headphones. At the end of the night, students would return the headphones they used and retrieve their ID. The headphones had volume control and a button to switch back and forth between the two DJ channels.
Within minutes more people piled in, and the line for headphones grew greatly. What started as small groups of people dancing on their own quickly turned into a huge group dancing together, similar to that of a pit at a concert. By 11 p.m., the DJs had interacted with their audience and brought the crowd together; people even took to the stage and danced on it.
Freshman Travis Kukoly attended the Silent Disco Party after hearing about it through his friends. Although it was his first Silent Disco, it had met his expectations and he would like to attend another one.
Another first time Silent Disco goer, junior Destiny Reddick, was eager to take the dance floor as she waited on line for headphones.
"Everyone's over there singing and dancing crazy," Reddick said. "I want to be over there."
Being able to switch back and forth between stations allowed individuals to listen to what they wanted, when they wanted. They did not have to listen, sing or dance to the same music their best friend or the person next to them was listening to. It was a unique way for people to express themselves while sharing a room with people who were doing their own thing.
As soon as guests received their headphones and locked into the music, they would dart for the crowd and begin dancing away. Attendees also enjoyed a photo booth throughout the evening.
The company who ran the Silent Disco Party is Silent City, which is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
By the end of the evening, there were 350 guests in attendance and a grand total of $1,900 was raised for KDM.
