My Daybreaker Philadelphia Experience

What is Daybreaker? 

Daybreaker started as an early-morning community dance party without any alcohol or drugs. Of 300 people invited to the first one in New York City, back in 2013, 180 showed up. Now Daybreaker is an early morning dance community of 500,000 + members in 28 cities all around the world, and growing. It inspires people to wake up and start their day by dancing in extraordinary spaces, sober. Daybreaker starts with one hour of yoga followed by 2 hours of reckless sober dancing before work. I was invited to perform as an electric violinist at Daybreaker Philly this year and can’t wait to share some details with you.

D.O.S.E.

Apparently dancing is absolutely scientific. After DAYBREAKER experience humans feel energized throughout their entire day. Dancing sober among peers early in the morning releases your brain’s natural “happy chemicals.” Daybreaker calls this quartet of chemicals the DAYBREAKER D.O.S.E: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins.

My First Daybreaker Event

My first experience with Daybreaker was back in early 2017 when they first brought it to Philadelphia. Since then I became a resident artist, and have rocked my electric violin almost at every party in Philly as well as a few in New York City. I fell in love with this movement.

One Love Themed Event

  • The One Love-themed daybreaker party that happened last month was out of this world- an incredible experience. The producer of daybreaker in Philadelphia and my dear friend Luna Maye called me about 6 weeks prior to the event with the words, “I was thinking to book ‘so and so’ to DJ, but last night I saw a dream that you were DJing this one, so let’s set up a brainstorming session. I have so many ideas!” We got together to discuss music selections, outfits, wow moments and lighting cues. She is an incredible event creator, which made it very easy to follow her vision and create a perfect playlist for everyone there to enjoy. Keep in mind, the party is all ages! I can’t help but shout out to the lineup that made the morning so special. 
  • We started with the powerful hour of yoga led by Stacia Nero
  • An incredible aerialist, Rae Mae followed her, who opened the dancefloor with a beautiful solo on red silks supported by my electric violin improvisation
  • MC Akil Apollo Davis kept us all engaged and present

As usua,l Luna Maye closed us off with her magical crystal bowls sound meditation. What a morning! Check out incredible photos by Max Grudzinski to feel the experience.

What is DAYBREAKER currently up to?

Daybreaker HQ team has recently partnered with Oprah Winfrey for her 2020 Vision Tour: Your Life In Focus. 9 stadiums, 135,000 people combined and with headliners such as Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kate Hudson, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Dwayne Johnson, Gayle King and Jennifer Lopez. Wellness + dance + community – DAYBREAKER is a true success story of an idea that blossomed into a worldwide movement. 

Be sure to check out what other festivals and high-end events I’ve played at like Daybreaker Philly!