I love to dance and have a slight tendency to start an impromptu dance party no matter the location. At a wedding, I am on the floor before the wait staff has finished clearing the tables. Even at the bar stools-only, dartboard-featuring hole in the wall, if there is a single decibel of music in the air, I am rocking.
Strangely, this habit of mine is not shared by most of my friends. That is not to say that if we are behind closed doors, they will not two-step in my living room when MJ hits the dial, but in general a night of dancing requires quite a bit of finessing on my part to come to fruition.
Resistance stems from the high-end element most Milwaukee dance clubs boast, which clashes with the down-to-earth nature of my closest brood.
So when I heard of the classy yet casual, no dress code required night club, Hyde Bar on 906 S. Barclay St., I jumped at the chance to check it out, hoping that a comfortable atmosphere would allow a long night of dancing to ensue.
Friday night, the girls and I piled into the car and drove down to Walker's Point. Quick side note: while Hyde provides valet parking to its guests, a convenient facet of clubbing outside Downtown is the copious amount of (free) parking available within walking distance. We parked across from the entrance and scurried past the doormen without our coats.
Other than the cover charge (only $5) and the bouncers dressed in black, Hyde truly has the high-end services of a nightclub, without an ounce the pretension. A few banks of VIP benches rise in the center of the dance floor, but without stanchions, the crowd mingles and easily flows from bar to table without any distinction between the VIPs and those that have came simply to dance.
The Sound of iLL, a collection of internationally known DJs and MCs that have previously played in Chicago, rocked the stage on Friday. For some of the performers, this was their first time playing in Milwaukee. Most have regular gigs in California, Florida and Georgia as well as Chicago -- making this particular evening extraordinary for the Milwaukeeans in attendance.
With over 10 DJs rotating at the music equipment, the sets resembled a group of double dutch jump-ropers. Three people constantly bounced over the spinning records.
The DJ currently turning the tables jived with the beat, arms thrown in the air, fully engaged in the song and the movement on the dance floor. The next DJ stood to the right and swayed to the music slowly readying himself for the quick change over that would need to occur seamlessly for one track to play into another without a missed beat or a second of dead air.
As soon as the transition took place, the DJ formerly playing moved to the left continuing to bob with the music releasing the last bit of anxiety and energy before someone new stepped up and the whole process began again.
The hovering performers resulted in one fantastic musical set after another and created a dance party that carried on into the early hours of the morning. Hyde Bar's low-key atmosphere broke the self-conscious spell befallen on my friends and allowed for the ultimate hip-shaking good time.
Angela returned to Milwaukee after living on both coasts and overseas. Filled with uncertainty about the move, she quickly discovered the hidden gem that is Milwaukee. The caliber of arts, music and culture as well as the ease of accessibility to it all, make Milwaukee one of a kind.
After a year of acclimating to life in Milwaukee, she is now surprised she ever doubted the return home in the first place. Exploring the different facets of Milwaukee has been an adventure she never expected and is what you'll mostly read about in this blog.