EDC Orlando is officially exactly one week ago today and we're here to take you right back like you never left. With it's convenient location right in the middle of Florida, this festival never fails to gather shufflers from across the state and more. A good amount of shufflers with solid representation on the internet at this point have made their way down here to see what all they hype is about and despite this years less than favorable line-up to some, pretty much everyone from Florida and then some still showed up. One reason being those shuffle circles. Along with those circles always comes the chance to engage in a possible energy exchange with other like minded people who express themselves in the same way as you, the chance to maybe get so swept up in the music, the moment and the vibes that you level up that footwork accidentally, the chance to connect, create and discover yourself... if you're willing. In Florida you have Ultra, EDCO, Sunset, Hulaween, LIC, iii points, we had the Dirtybird campout this year and so many more, but none of them have the shuffle circles that EDCO does. Thanks to the Sofla Shufflers, Shuffle City Florida and the Elder League, every year there's multiple thoroughly planned meet ups with well-known totems and notice spread across the internet before hand and these guys deserve a lot of respect for doing what they do. We all know how hard it can be to find your homies at fest; these folks gather us and make it happen and it isn't without effort.
The first meet up was at Dombresky for the house homies. This meet up was gorgeous despite the close to sauna-like weather. It was sunset at the main stage on day one and everyone was feeling it: the vibes and the heat. The shuffle circle was graced by many amazing dancers including (all credits down below) David, Marley, Celina, Mitchii, Ivanna, Tenshi and Lu from the New Empire Shufflers and Dee and Darlon of The Side Show Shufflers. I saw Supa to the Dupa, Sam Sapphire and Jalen Sanders representing KillerSteeze, as well as Felix Da'Silva, Angel Alamo and Michael Colamonici of the Toxic Ravers. Also throwing down at this meet up I remember Cassandra Haskins from Jacksonville, Mark Temple from New Jersey, and Christian Valerio from South Carolina. All these people really brought it from either out of town or outside of a crew. Loved it!!! As far as your locals you had Will, Kevin, David Rios, and Joe Moe showing up hard for Shuffle City. There was Tee, and Mike out there repping Sofla footwork styles and for your Orlando locals, the Elder League was well represented in this circle by Leo, Danny, Bradley and myself. Not to mention everyone who jumped in that I don't know personally and that I'm not remembering right in this moment!! (I'm only human lol) All I gotta say is even for someone like myself who never listens to house it was impossible not to vibe and throw down in this circle. In fact, I asked Kevin McAllister (aka Tmack) after his experience at EDC Orlando this year, what he thought set the Florida rave scene apart from other raves in the states if anything and this is what he said. "I feel like there's so much engagement in the circles here. You see a lot of shufflers and just as many new comers joining in and throwing down. I believe that at most festivals across the states you see new people come to the circle, but they're mostly just spectating the scene whereas in Florida you see the spectators actually trying to join in on the fun. The engagement is just contagious." Here's a few clips!
After this, the shufflers mobbed to a meet up at Pan-Pot where things only continued to get better as we then got to see some of Sofla really show out including Mabelle Perez, Stephen Patches, Michelle Klomberg, and Jose Negrete as well as Laylah and Mike from the Elder League. You also had Lianet, Stephanie Jimenez, Mike and Dhop of fyf crew and even Justin Michelena who is by the way one the best poi spinners turned shuffler I have ever seen. Big shoutout to all of you guys for throwing it down!!!! From Pan-pot it went something like Paco Osuna to Nicole Moudaber to Nicole b2b Paco so the techno was solid enough all night and the meet up at Pan-Pot was amazing because their (and all good) techno builds up over the entirety of the set so by the end its full on, as were the shufflers. It's not four 8-counts of drop to a break then switch tracks, it's more of a journey that you can take your shuffling on too if you allow your intensity to ever so gradually increase right along side the set. I don't have much footage from that night but... just know 'twas lit >:)
Day 2's official meet up was at Tiesto at a lot of people came out to show what they had. Again another beautiful sunset at the main stage and a lot of positive expression and exchanges of love within this circle. I talked to Jalen Sanders who is a Killersteeze shuffler, a Tiesto fan since 2004 and a first timer at EDCO about this circle and here's what he had to say: "The circle at Tiesto was such good vibes and I had a great time throwing down and watching everyone do the same. Tiesto ended up playing a bunch of tracks that I wanted to hear and I remember loving seeing everyone style including Papaturnt who was able to mix like a dubstep style with his shuffling and Ivanna who at one point had these sharp but smooth movements while the beat was building up. I absolutely loved it and I'm definitely going to go back." Jalen is first up in these next clips, check him out!!!!
I announced a meet up at Vini Vici with the intention of throwing down some psy with Ty but I was a pot full of wishful thinking when I hoped that Vini would play anything like I've seen him do in Europe. I left that set calling his music something like Big Room Psy. American Psy at the least! Lol!!! One thing's for sure, EDCO is not for the psytrance fans! Despite, we still did what we could and I'm very grateful to the kids who came over to the main stage to Big Room psy with me, and the ones who tried but couldn't find me! You guys are the real MVP's.
Every year the number of shufflers at EDC has just multiplied and multiplied to the point where I feel like I could comfortably say that shuffling has clearly taken over as the most common flow art at American festivals PERIOD. I go to the rave for the music #1 because there would be no dancing without the music, but my personal #2 reason for raving is being able to look around and see hundreds of people dancing as far as I can see.... For me? ... That's heaven. That's just hundreds of different potential versions of inspiration for dancer like myself, and this year had lots to offer in the huge number of shufflers present.
I had the pleasure of bringing along a friend all the way from Portugal (pictured on the left in her own clothing line @kalaia.swimwear) who is a student here at The Shuffle Circle and someone who had never seen others shuffle in person and happened to be in Miami doing business for the month of November... needless to say her attendance was a no brainer and when I asked her what was the biggest thing she learned about shuffling at EDCO she had a plethora of absolutely adorable answers:
"Before I had seen shuffling in person I had only ever seen cutting shapes online so it was cool to see a more hardcore style from so many amazing dancers in such a seemingly large dance community which we don't have in Portugal. I had also never seen shuffling on beat and I loved it anyways but to see it on beat made it so much cooler to watch than I ever imagined it could be. I loved seeing everyone hype each other up and I'd love to find a community of shufflers like this in Portugal." It amazes me to think that the shuffle movement has spread across the world and is so incredibly infectious that even someone who has never gotten to vibe off of a shuffle circle or see it happen on beat would already like it! Like it enough to get herself to EDC to see it all go down!! Crazy amazing stuff right there, and I feels her on the infatuation with this style of movement.
As always, it was an honor sharing the circle with all of you and I'm looking mad forward to the next gathering of Florida's shufflers under the electric sky ;D.
SHUFFLERS MENTIONED IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
David Rubenstein (@therealdavruby)
Marley Jennings (@marleyshuffles)
Celina Bertini (@celinabertini)
Mitchelle Julissa (@its_mitchii)
Ivanna (@ivanna_dances)
Kean Tenshi (@nes.tenshi)
Lu Xie (@jump_n_pump)
Diane "Dee" Epperson (@freakyfrequencies)
Darlon Justin (@darlonjustin)
Supa Man (@supatothedupa)
Sam Sapphire (@samsapphirecirque)
Jalen Sanders (@justbejalen)
Felix Da'Silva (@dasilvapr)
Angel Alamo )@toxic_ravers)
Michael Colamonici (@michael_colamonici)
Cassandra Haskins (@casstherealtor904)
Mark Temple (@markwtemple)
Christian Valerio (@christian388)
Will (@wiliitooo)
Kevin (@kev_onda_bus)
David Rios (@davyjone5)
Joe Moe (@hey_joemoe)
Tee Trujillo (@sofla_tee)
Mike Urrego (@sofla_mike_u)
Leomalis Gonzalez (@iamlrg_)
Danny Awsume (@dannyawsume)
Bradley Tuggle (@papaturnt1)
Kevin McAllister (@tmack8769)
Mabelle Perez
Stephen Patches (@patchez.in.space)
Michelle Klomberg (@michellemybellxo)
Jose Negrete (@iimagin3)
Laylah Arrechea (@soulaylahhappy)
Mike Zeno (@mz3035)
Lianet (@lianetn)
Stephanie Jimenez (@euphorichighs_)
Mike (@theinfluenceof_mike)
Derrick Hopkins (@dhop_87)
Justin Michelena (@justingabrielmichelena)