Morning Gloryville: Recommended Dose of Beats for Breakfast

Ideas - by Laura Phillips

Photo: Ivanna Oksenyuk

Morning Gloryville is the worldwide breakfast rave phenomenon that brings bursting early morning life to the heavily urbanised back lanes of Melbourne’s CBD. The philosophy is simple: all welcome, no drugs, no alcohol, just a good dance (with a bit of yoga when you need a breather), that leaves you energised for the day ahead. Pulling on activewear pre 6am has never been so fabulous. We asked Morning Gloryville Melbourne‘s Eddie FitzPatrick a few Qs ahead of the highly anticipated 2nd birthday party ‘Cirque du Discotheque:’

Morning Gloryville is a global movement, how did it come about in Melbourne and how has it been received?

Morning Gloryville started in London just over 3 years ago, with the aim of establishing a new attitude to partying separate from the negative stigma of drugs and late nights – and became the pioneers of the conscious clubbing movement. The response was incredible and as word started to spread, Morning Gloryvilles popped up all over the world—19 cities to date! The Melbourne chapter of Morning Gloryville started up nearly two years ago (our next event is our 2nd birthday!) and our events have been consistently selling out thanks to the strong community that has built around it in Melbourne.

Getting into fluoro-wear and glitter at 6am is a challenging thought for some, why do you think the event has had such enormous international success?

The short answer is that it’s a lot of fun. People are drawn to the authentic, healthy and mindful experience that MGV creates because what it offers is unique. Our dance floor is a place where people are totally present. They make eye contact, they talk to strangers and that makes for a much more inclusive environment where dancing sober is a lot less intimidating than you’d initially imagine. I think MGV is part of a larger global trend away from experiences that are just shiner forms of escapism to ones that more conscious, mindful and focused on direct human interaction.

The crowd is a wonderful mix of dancers, some en route to their 9-5, some not, why do you think the event has such broad appeal?

A core part of our philosophy of inclusiveness is making multi-faceted events with elements that reflect different interests and communities in order to connect them to universals like dance, music and play in a holistic environment. We bring the best elements of festivals, clubs, fitness, nutrition and dance under one roof and then create an all ages, sober, safe space to people to explore them.

Photo: Ivanna Oksenyuk

The mornings are an uninhibited celebration of sober vitality, what do you see as the essential elements to creating such an all-inclusive, unintimidating, inspiring space?

Morning Gloryville’s attitude and approach is above all things, loving and playful. While that could be construed as sounding a bit ‘hippy’, I think all our events are created with the love and diligence that’s reflected in the way that our community treats each other. That community spirit comes from diversity, which naturally creates an open-minded and inclusive environment. Our amazing team of volunteers plays a major role in cultivating this communal intention, guiding patrons into the right headspace as they move through the experience. Underpinning it all though, is the energetic combination of dancing first thing in the morning—it creates the ultimate feel-good experience for everyone at the event. I love wandering through the dancefloor because all you see is smiles!

Why do you think it’s important to separate dancing from alcohol?

MGV’s sole mission isn’t to promote abstinence but we think it’s important to create a sober space because when people generally go dancing, drugs/alcohol are readily found in those spaces. It can be hard for people to differentiate what’s actually making them feel good from those nights out. Our bodies produce a wealth of feel-good chemicals (like serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin), which are naturally stimulated by dancing, music, play, hugging, exercise, meditation, healthy food and Melbourne’s drug of choice – caffeine!. Dancing is a universal occurrence across human history—it’s hardwired into us. But despite being fundamental to our wellbeing, it’s become an act that is marginalised to prescribed spaces alongside alcohol. This can create a reliance on booze to feel comfortable moving and excludes those who aren’t interested in drinking (or who aren’t old enough to drink).

Photo: Ivanna Oksenyuk

The events incorporate a variety of activities to suit different interests and provide a breather from the dance floor. Why is balance and wellness so important to Morning Gloryville?

We believe they’re essential to a fulfilling life in general, and are passionate about helping attendees to explore differing ways to find them in an accessible space. We want to shift the association that people have with wellness about it being arduous, anti-social or limited to intimidating environments like gyms. We create parties that are just as fun as excess without the repercussions to physical and mental health and hopefully show people that they have the confidence to explore dancing sober at other parties.

Another motive behind the range of programming and activities we have is that it’s part of creating a stimulating environment introducing people to new experiences, broadening horizons, giving people a sense of adventure and allowing some of the finest health practitioners and artists in Melbourne to share their skills and passions with our community.

Photo: Big Doofa

How do you see Morning Gloryville contributes to the creative energy of Melbourne?

Melbourne was one of the first cities to to establish an MGV community because Melbourne is a city that thrives on being a creative trail blazer. We wanted MGV Melbourne to connect with what makes the city tick and give it a technicolour MGV twist. Our team works hard to create vivid, theatrical spaces for people to play and interact with using themes, roaming performers, games and plenty of dancefloor surprises! As a creative business, we employ and provide a platform for artists and have established ourselves as another string to Melbourne’s identity as a boundary-pushing creative city.

Serotonin has also been proven to increase creativity and productivity and we always have positive feedback from patrons about how it puts them in a great mood so who knows what creativity we’ve stimulated!

What’s on the cards for Morning Gloryville Melbourne’s third year?

Exciting collaborations, popping up in unexpected places, bigger events and so.much.dancing!

What’s a favourite dance track that will give readers an idea of what to expect at Morning Gloryville Melbourne?

So hard to pick just one! We don’t stick to one type of music – our bookings cover DJs who pump out everything from techno, pop, hip-hop, disco, house, 90’s rave, 80’s classics – every MGV party is totally different! But if you’re twisting my arm, I’d pick Basement Jaxx’s ‘Do your thing’ as its a classic tune but the lyrics are all about making your body sing, using dance to ‘free the mayhem in your mind’ and being you. That’s our jam.