Friends Sarah and Lise were keen to create a space for women to connect and dance together, but then be tucked up in bed by 10pm
Connecting with women like them they put on their first women-only dance event in a local bowls club
Disco Club began in 2022, and now they host events all around Australia
Here Sarah Wills, 45, Queensland, tells her own story in her own words
Throwing my hands in the air, I moved my body as Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ blasted on the sound system.
‘I wanna dance with somebody who loves me,’ I sang along, my best mate Lise, then 41, by my side.
Around us, hundreds of women joined in on the dancefloor, smiles as far as the eye could see.
Sarah and Lise worked together in radio. Credit – Supplied
A woman grabbed me by the shoulders. ‘I didn’t realise how much I needed this,’ she cried, confiding to us her health struggles. ‘You’ve helped me remember myself.’
It was 10pm on a Sunday in 2022, and moments like this is why, six months earlier, Lise and I had started Disco Club, a women-only dance event.
We’d missed the joy of dancing with our mates in a bar but, now mums in our 40s, the idea of schlepping to a venue, tottering in heels and staying out all night sounded awful. And who wanted to deal with work and kids hungover?
Chances to dance up a storm only really came up at weddings and milestone birthdays, and I missed the connection and freedom IÂ found spinning around to Kylie, or busting a move to Salt-N-Pepa.
‘I want to dance with my girls, have a couple of drinks and be tucked up in bed early,’ I told Lise.
‘I want to dance with my girls, have a couple of drinks and be tucked up in bed early’
‘I reckon we could make that happen,’ she mused.
Lise’s can-do attitude was one of the reasons we became such good mates.
We met through mutual friends in 2013, and have been inseparable ever since. At the time we both had young kids – me two girls aged two and six months, and Lise two boys aged three and six months.
Our friendship merged into business partners in 2015 when we started MCing events together. IÂ had a background in PR and Lise in PR copywriting so we figured why not.
Then in 2016 we were offered a gig to host a breakfast radio show, and we jumped at the chance.
‘I had a dream about us both sitting in front of mics,’ Lise confessed.
‘Let’s make it come true,’ I replied.
Disco Club was a huge success. Credit – Mary Miller
For five years, we juggled 2am alarms with after school sports and, with both our husbands doing shift work, things were chaotic but incredible.
I loved being on radio and I loved chatting to Lise for hours non-stop – just to turn off the mics, jump in our cars and natter away on the phone on our commutes home too.
But by 2021, the 2am alarms left us groaning, not giddy with excitement, so we decided to leave radio and start a podcast.
After one recording in October 2022, I turned to Lise. ‘When’s the last time we had a girls’ night out?’ I asked. ‘I miss having a dance!’
She felt the same, but we didn’t want to have to fight the crowds, and we both wanted to be tucked up in bed before midnight.
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Sarah and Lise were blown away by the response from women who attended. Credit – Mary Miller
‘If we’re feeling this way, there’ll be lots of other women feeling the same way,’ she said. ‘I reckon we could make it happen.’
For hours we spitballed about the type of music we’d play, where we could host it, and what vibe we wanted – comfortable, inclusive, warm and fun!
Before we knew it, we’d booked a function room at a local bowls club in Brisbane.
Sharing our idea on our podcast, we also posted on socials about the night out that we dubbed ‘Disco Club’.
We had no idea if anyone would come.
But 80 women turned up at 5pm on a Sunday in November 2022.
We’d hired a Bluetooth speaker, threw together a Spotify playlist, turned off the lights and hoped for the best.
‘We had no idea if anyone would come’
Now in its fifth year, the events are hugely popular. Credit – Mary Miller
As the first notes of ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ played, women flocked to the dancefloor. All my anxiety melted away – this was what we wanted.
Young, old, tall, short and everything in between, we all laughed, twirled and danced our hearts out in the carpeted function room. The energy was electric.
Lise and I danced and chatted to the women and sipped beers. It was magic.
As the night wrapped up, we knew we were onto something.
Let us know when the next one is! people wrote on social media.
Throughout 2023 we hosted six more events around Brisbane.
Each one sold out, and we moved to bigger venues as numbers grew to 150, then 400 – then 850.
Next messages started rolling in.
Please come to Sydney, one read.
This looks amazing – Melbourne next? read another.
We couldn’t believe our idea had become so popular!
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The women are proud to create a space for people to let loose and make friends. Credit – Mary Miller
So in 2024 we travelled across Australia organising events.
Attendees range in age from 18 to 81.
We’ve had women breastfeeding – even a baby on a play mat on the dance floor – and people leave with new friends.
Some women dress up in their glitziest dresses with heels, while others wear comfy clothes and sneakers.
Anything goes.
‘But at its core Disco Club is still about the amazing connections between women.’
Fast forward, and Disco Club has become something we never could’ve predicted.
We have a DJ, smoke machine, light displays and much bigger venues.
But at its core Disco Club is still about the amazing connections between women.
Events sell out in minutes and one day we might even take Disco Club overseas.
I’m so proud of helping create a space where women can come together, let loose and feel free to be who they are, without roles or responsibilities, for four hours of fun. I never tire of looking at the sea of women having fun.
I feel so lucky that this is my job, and with Lise by my side I’ll always dance, ‘with somebody who loves me’.
DISCO CLUB has sold out in Brisbane & Sydney, but there are still tickets available for Melbourne & Perth via https://mg.live/discoclub
Find out more here.
Writer
Brigid Auchettl
Writer
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