The summer of 2000 was an amazing time for drum & bass in Toronto. After a number of legislative moves against the rave movement, a group known as the Party People Project was formed to fight back. By creating a well organized and media-friendly platform on which the community could show their true colours, "iDance" came to be, and forever changed partying in Toronto and southern Ontario.

Overcoming the highly publicized drug-related problems of our rave scene, and maintaining the ability to hold large all-night dance parties on municipal property was a task that brought together the efforts of party promoters, DJs, politicians, police, and thousands of dancing supporters...

In the three years our mayor had been in office, Nathan Phillips Square (the large gathering-space connected to city hall) hadn't been filled to capacity over any issue, but times were clearly changing.

Tuesday August 1st 2000. One day before the legislative vote on bill 73, banning raves on city property. It was a perfect Canadian summer day. With the weather holding up, a stage was built in front of the iconic Toronto City Hall, and the iDance rally began.

Headlining DJs, advocates of the rave culture, and revellers from all over the world came to support our right to dance, and to help shed the negative stereotypes surrounding our scene.

All through the day and well into the night (not to mention after-parties, it's what we do of course) the city was shown just how positive the movement really is.  Thousands of people dancing and having fun made a big mark on the politicians and jurors.

Bill 73 didn't pass. A vote of 50-3 lifted the ban, allowing after-hours dance events to be held on city property. This however, didn't change much. Toronto's police commissioner and select members of the mayor's office put limitations in place making it nearly impossible for promoters to use the city-property on a normal budget. A number of 'Duty-Paid-Officers' were now required at any event, often costing more than the talent...

Toronto's rave scene was forever changed in the summer of 2000, some say for the worse, some for the better, but there is no argument that the evolution of our community was altered in a massive way. Being a part of such a huge movement, not to mention dancing to Ed Rush in the pond adjacent city hall, is something that will stay with me forever.

 

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