Disco's Not Dead! It's Just Silent at C&I Studios

The lights are dim. The drinks are flowing. The music is just right for your sensitive eardrums. You stare at your date, dancing in front of you. Your steps are not in sync with hers. You lean over and ask, "What station are you on?" She lifts her headphones to respond.

Headphones? Music at just the right volume? This is silent disco.

Disco isn't dead; it's just gone silent. Or, more specific, it's piped directly to individual listeners' ears. At silent discos, people dance to music through wireless headphones, oftentimes selecting from several music options. Silent discos have become popular, especially at music festivals such as Coachella and Bonnaroo. Now C&I Studios is bringing the trend to Artwalk.

C&I's Silent Disco will take place Saturday during this month's Artwalk in Flagler Village. At the beginning of the year, the venue's creative team planned separate themes for each Artwalk. For the June edition, they produced a water fashion show where models jumped into a pool at the end of their walk. This month, two DJs will give Silent Disco a try.

Silent discos are perfect for people who don't want to be subjected to the will of one DJ for the night. Because you have control over the volume, you can say goodbye to buzzing ears and a sore throat the next morning. Those not wearing headphones can listen to the rhythm of people's feet as they dance to their own beat.

If Silent Disco is a success, C&I plans to host others. In addition to organizing these monthly themed events, C&I hosts weekly movie nights when locals can get together to watch old and new movies on a projector, as well as open-mic nights the last Thursday before Artwalk.