On a Monday night in Auckland people are hitting the dance floor without worrying about how they look or what anyone thinks of their dance moves.
Legs of dancing people dancing at a party. Photo: ronnarong/123RF
At the No Lights No Lycra session in Grey Lynn attendees are, literally, dancing in the dark.
Started in 2009 by a group of dance students in Melbourne, the craze has gone global, with events in eight cities in New Zealand.
Craig Neilson went to to his first NLNL event in 2013, and though he thought it was going to be a night bike ride, he ended up hooked.
"I remember standing there in the darkness, hands in the air, feeling the vibration and thinking, 'I'm going to get involved in this'.
Photo: kzenon/123RF
"There's no teachers, there's no lights, you can't really see or identify the people around you but you can get totally with the music and completely lose yourself."
"Nobody needs to pretend anything in there."
Now Auckland co-ordinator, running the Monday night event at the Grey Lynn library, Neilson says the main thing is getting that dance floor euphoria and being able to express something you wouldn't otherwise have a chance to.
"To be able to be on your own - even if you're with friends it's still quite a solo experience - to be able to let go in a way that is entirely judgement-free.
"It's impossible for anyone to judge you, because no-one can see you."
The event made world headlines in March last year when a peformance by Lorde was found to have been by an impersonator. The Guardian reported: "Total darkness apparently worked in the impersonator's favour, with many of those in attendance excitedly posting on social media about Lorde's surprise appearance."
"It was just this insane list of media that had picked up on the story - and I wish that it really was Lorde."
Dance enthusiasts from all walks of life turn up to the sessions.
Rebecca, 49, a fashion marketer and goes straight from work. "You feel like you're the best dancer in the world and you've missed your calling to be a professional dancer," she says. [You] dance like you've had too many wines and you're at the end of the night and it's a party."
"This is a great break from having to use my brain all the time," says Paul, a doctor.
Student Jasmine, 20, was there for the first time. "It was really cool. It was like dancing in a club sober where you can't see anyone. There was no judgement ... it was therapeutic."
