Enthnography at Northeasterns After Hours

As soon as I got to After Hours in the curry student center, I checked in by showing my NUID’s to the female “bouncers” guarding the entrance. Once I was approved to enter, I immediately noticed the two DJ’s on the stage. Since the first was dressed formally, while the other was literally jumping around like an untamed beast, I immediately felt that the people attending this event will differ from each other. As they both remixed the same set of house music which everyone seemed to enjoy, a small group of hardcore partiers were joyfully jumping around in the middle as if they were intoxicated. However, no alcohol was served because of the universities policy. Thus even though some cultures accept alcohol and others don't, no one really had a choice to make.

While the party took place on the left side of the spacious After Hours, Starbucks was still open on the other. The students on the Starbucks side were acting very normally, as if the party didn't exist. There was a particular student who caught my eyes, she was reading a book under the spotlight of her phone while the speakers blasted the music loudly and equally on all sides. She was actually sitting next to a member of the technical crew, who manually - using an Ipad - altered the lighting on the stage with the flow of the music. that member was a female as well. Having females doing the usual job’s of men was completely out of the ordinary according to where I come from. but it the fact that they had these jobs helped in equalizing the male to female ratio in event.

half way through the House music set, there was a dance contest that everyone mutually agreed upon, and five people volunteered to participate in the dance battle. one of them was an indian who performed backflips that intrigued everyone, while the rest stuck to simple dancing techniques. According to everyone’s facial and physical expressions, the party was a blast.

from what I observed, this concert brought together people from...