{"id":374476,"date":"2026-04-11T11:53:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:53:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/374476\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T11:53:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:53:20","slug":"dance-till-you-drop-why-club-culture-is-having-a-senior-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/374476\/","title":{"rendered":"Dance till you drop: Why club culture is having a senior moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Laser beams thread throughout a Wellington bar as dancers rave and wave their hands in the air to rhythmic, high-energy electronic dance music. The crowd is older than one might expect, but raving over the age of 40 is experiencing a major resurgence.<\/p>\n

\n Behind the decks playing the tunes
\n is Michelle Harris. She was 40 in the 1990s. A part-time kindergarten teacher by day, by night Harris is DJ Halo. Approaching 90 decibels, and at 120 beats per minute, her music is loud and pulsating. Harris sports newly blue hair, piercings and tattoos.\n <\/p>\n

At 67, this grandparent also has a SuperGold Card, which gives her discounted Uber rides home. She has been DJing for 26 years, and dancing since her teens. She loves the culture and the late-night socialising.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to being with people, it\u2019s like that whole oneness of being in the same space of mind,\u201d she says. There\u2019s a lot of social connection going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Harris was a bit younger \u2013 well, 60 \u2013 she became a teetotaller, and started running her own \u201cLittle Monsters\u201d nights in Wellington\u2019s licensed venues, collaborating with other DJs she got to know. She promotes them through social media as bringing \u201cmonstrous fun to the dance floor\u201d. The emphasis is on the fun. Despite the name, drinking to excess or any form of harassment are not tolerated; these are safe, friendly spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe name was from the fact that I\u2019m a kindergarten teacher, and you are not allowed to call children little monsters,\u201d Harris explains. <\/p>\n

\"Hal\u00a0CederholmHal\u00a0Cederholm on the decks, wife Jackie waves her hands in the air like she don\u2019t care; top, Baz Bailey and friend Camilo Borges; bottom, Ramesh Premaratna (Ramz). Photos \/ Hayzelle Photography;Supplied<\/p>\n

Many Gen Xers can\u2019t imagine staying out well past midnight. Some Millennials can\u2019t ether. If they want to hit the bars and nightclubs, it\u2019s possible to relive their youthful clubbing experiences earlier in the evening so they can get their sleep. These nights are called Bed by 10.<\/p>\n

But 10pm is when Baz Bailey goes out to connect with what he calls his \u201crave family\u201d. They hit the dance floor to the hypnotic beats of psytrance, trance and techno, played by DJs.<\/p>\n

Eight years ago, aged 56, Bailey saw a Little Monsters night promoted on Facebook and taking place at Champagneria. He\u2019d never heard of the venue. At 10pm that Friday, after a Google search, he checked it out. He was hooked. He loved the loud music, the raving, the friendly vibe \u2013 and he met dozens of people, many of whom are now good friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d never been to a gig like that. I started for health reasons. I was told I was dying \u2013 they told me I had cancer,\u201d Bailey says.<\/p>\n

Now 64, Bailey, still with cancer, can no longer party like it\u2019s 1999 or even 2018. He used to get what he calls \u201craver\u2019s knee\u201d after a couple of hours, and started applying kostival, a special preparation he gets from the Czech Republic, that has helped. \u201cLittle by little my strength grew and next thing you know I was dancing with the best of them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The crowds aren\u2019t all geriatric; a minority are under 30.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get younger people coming up to say, \u2018Excuse me, can we have a selfie?\u2019\u201d Bailey says. \u201cAnd I say, \u2018Why?\u2019 and they say, \u2018\u2019Cause you\u2019re so old.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cI love it, and I\u2019m at the age where I don\u2019t give a damn what people think anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

These night owls are less self-conscious than those in their 20s. They come from all walks of life: government workers, business owners, real estate agents \u2013 two used to work at Parliament, one as an MP. In larger regions such as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, many are well over 45.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe platters that matter: Michelle Harris with the wheels of steel \u2013 and\u00a0possibly the knees of titanium. Photo \/ Hayzelle Photography<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people who hang out in the rave scene are quite intelligent, clever people. They work hard and they play hard. They are there for the music and the friendship,\u201d Tony Murdoch says.<\/p>\n

Murdoch owned popular Wellington record store The Soul Mine from 1985 to 2007, selling house music and hip-hop. These days, and now in his 60s, he\u2019s a bit of a smooth quiet raver and loves making friends late at night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a dancer, but I don\u2019t dance as much as I used to,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He keeps flexible by doing yoga daily. He has also occasionally performed as DJ SuperTone. He loves it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the most creative thing I\u2019ve ever done. I\u2019ve got a style that people seem to like. I\u2019m into the groove, I\u2019m living my best life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not the only one. Jackie Cederholm loves raving and dancing \u2013 and going to festivals. She has a device that counts her steps as she keeps fit well into the early hours. \u201cI probably do a half marathon some weekends,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s about 30,000 steps. Not bad for someone in their late 50s. Cederholm also says going out like this is great for community and social connection. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible for mental health, too. I\u2019ve never felt so good in my life. I have managed to maintain a good weight, and I don\u2019t worry what people think of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

They come from all walks of life: government workers, business owners, real estate agents \u2013 two used to work at Parliament, one as an MP.<\/p>\n

Dave Crampton<\/p>\n

Cederholm\u2019s husband Hal, 66, runs his own business, and looks forward to reconnecting with friends as he DJs throughout the country. He likes welcoming first timers who may have experienced club culture when younger, with its bouncers, pre-drinking and sometimes unruly behaviour \u2013 all of which are generally absent from the scene he\u2019s in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people who go for the first time are quite surprised at what they find, and surprised at how inclusive the people are,\u201d he says, \u201cThey are blown away because it\u2019s so different to what they are used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

As weekend night owls, although not every weekend, the Cederholms value this culture. It\u2019s a safe place. They cite values of peace, love, unity and respect, or PLUR.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what attracted me to the scene in the first place,\u201d Ashwyn Sathanatham, 41, says. \u201cIt\u2019s about people getting out of the riff-raff of life and into a nice non-judgmental environment, and that\u2019s what makes the scene quite special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arriving in New Zealand from India to attend university, Sathanatham took up DJing in 2001. As well as dance parties and raves, he runs Bollywood nights, which are high-energy DJ events centred around Indian culture. At least 30% of patrons are older than him; some started going to nightclubs before he was born. While he is a self-employed data specialist, after hours his business, 3333 Events and Productions, organises and tickets high-decibel trance and psytrance music events throughout the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will do it for as long as I\u2019m able to. I thought it may slow down, but it\u2019s not, it\u2019s just getting madder,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are some younger people who come, and they are having just as good a time as people of their parents\u2019 age.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Auckland, Ramesh Premaratna (aka Ramz), 41, DJs every couple of weeks. From Sri Lanka, he started in 2008. A graphic designer by trade, he runs progressive trance music events of up to 180bpm through his Lost in Sound brand. It\u2019s so named because people go to his events to escape from daily life and \u201cto get lost in the music, the drops, the lasers and the lights\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"AshwynAshwyn Sathanatham, right, and Mark Goston at the Lost Tapes party, Wellington, 2025; \u201cUncle\u201d Stu Lister sees in the New Year in Wellington, right. Photos \/ Hayzelle Photoraphy;Supplied<\/p>\n

Eighty per cent of his crowd are older than 30, many over 45.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all grew up together, we are all getting older together, so we are all moving forward together \u2013 they\u2019ll have a good night, go home safely at 3am, and come back,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are plenty of people who become lifelong friends. They go on lunches outside of the events.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stu Lister, from Rotorua, is one of them. He travels to other cities to attend high-decibel trance music events with his friends. He has been clubbing since the early 1980s. \u201cWe just haven\u2019t stopped. There\u2019s no reason to stop,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The rave family, as many of those involved refer to the group, call him Uncle. He\u2019s among the country\u2019s oldest ravers \u2013 he turns 70 next year \u2013 and recognises the benefits of socialising and keeping active. He has even done some DJing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy neighbours think it\u2019s a hoot. I haven\u2019t come across anybody who has said, \u2018Oh what are you doing that for? You silly old fool.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Lister loves dancing but can\u2019t stay on his feet for too long. \u201cI love to sit and dance. I call it couch dancing. I know I\u2019m not going to be able to stay on my feet for five or six hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 47-year-old who has been clubbing since the 1990s is public servant Meleanie Walker. Her workmates know of her involvement in the scene but have no idea some nights she doesn\u2019t get home until after 3am. She intends to maintain her late-night, high-energy lifestyle, in what she calls a safe environment with a good vibe, well into her later years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m one of these rave-to-the-grave people,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ll be going to raves with my zimmer frame.\u201d <\/p>\n

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