I Went To A Morning Rave Before Work And I Do Not Regret It

    It was exactly what it sounded like, but I somehow still wasn't prepared.

    Shannon Rosenberg
    by Shannon Rosenberg

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Hi, my name is Shannon. I went to Daybreaker before work one morning and I'm going to tell you all about it.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed
    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    That's me before and after realizing what I got myself into.

    If you haven't heard of it, Daybreaker is a morning rave where all kinds of people get together and soberly let loose, dance, and say a big "fuck you" to their regimented weekly schedules.

    Instagram: @dybrkr / Via instagram.com

    I heard from multiple friends that it was awesome and definitely an experience. Plus I got a full event description emailed to me in advance. Still, I wasn't totally prepared. So to better serve our readers and anyone who wants to try this out, here's what really goes down at a morning rave:

    First of all, it was really freakin' early in the morning. Like I-wouldn't-even-wake-up-to-work-out-at-this-time early.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    The event was supposed to start with an hour of yoga at 6 a.m. So everyone participating had to be in line by 5:45. (WHAT.) After my alarm went off, it took me a good 20 minutes before I could roll out of bed and brush my teeth.

    I had no idea what the dress code was, but was promised a workout, so I opted to go with athletic clothes — which I basically live in anyways — and headed out to Irving Plaza.

    When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised to find the event was '90s-themed and I was greeted by Power Rangers at the door.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    Jason and Zach looked a little bit different than they did in the TV series, but I was stoked nonetheless.

    There was barely a line to get in and everyone was in an AMAZING mood — like, too good of a mood. I got more hugs and high fives in the 10 minutes I was in line than I've gotten in the past five months. I was suspicious. Everyone was welcoming and genuinely ecstatic to be there — despite it being early AF.

    At 6 a.m. sharp, Taryn Toomey led the room through a not-so-typical yoga routine.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed
    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    It started out as more traditional yoga...

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed
    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    ...but then it turned into a yoga-cardio-stretching-screaming combo to top '90s hits.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    Stay with me here. At first I felt silly yelling at the top of my lungs in between jumping jacks and pushups. But after a little while it started to feel therapeutic, not to mention EVERYONE was really into it and Toomey was extremely passionate and badass. Everyone just wanted to work up a sweat and let go of their stress. No one was there to judge. It was actually great.

    Once the yoga ended, DJ Isaiah Martin took over and got the two-hour dance party started.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    I'd say it was an OK turnout.

    There were dance battles.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    There was freestyle rapping and an electric violinist.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed
    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    And everyone was having a ball, especially Jason the Power Ranger.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    Go Jason. It's yo' birthday.

    But my favorite part was when the fabulous Viva Bodyroll led the entire concert hall through a '90s-inspired jazzercise routine.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    It was everything a '90s kid could've asked for. We did the Tootsie Roll, the running man, the butterfly, and my all-time favorite, the Ice Ice Baby.

    What made it even better was everyone who came for the dance party had dressed the part. There were Spice Girls, eight different Britney Spears, lots of overalls, fanny packs, high ponytails, Madonna, and some Backstreet Boys.

    Oh yeah, and somehow I ended up onstage.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    We laid down some pretty sweet dance moves. I mean, you've got to give the people what they want.

    I was dancing so much that I was legit sweating buckets.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    Good thing I remembered to wear deodorant.

    Your ticket also includes coffees, juices, and cereals, plus fun goodies like these throwback slap bracelets.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed
    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    Tickets ranged from $30–40, depending on whether you attended the workout class or not. But between the food and drinks and concert/workout class, you definitely get your money's worth.

    It was an absolute blast and I would 100% do it again.

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed

    The only thing was my body was extremely confused when I walked out of the concert hall and into the daylight. This was supposed to be the part where I drunkenly stumble home, grab a slice of pizza, and gloriously pass out in the clothes I went out in. That's when I realized it was only 9 in the freakin' morning.

    I was wiped for the rest of the day. If you're a morning workout person — which I am only half of the time — this may be more of your thing.

    Find out more about Daybreaker and when its next morning rave is here.

    It hosts parties all over the world, from New York and Chicago to Tel Aviv and Dubai.

    Pro tip: If you're going to do this, which I totally recommend, just make sure you lock down a place to shower in advance. Your co-workers will thank you.

    Byyyeeee!

    Shannon Rosenberg / BuzzFeed