Daybreaker is a monthly morning yoga dance party engineered to elevate your spirits.
The last thing you’d expect when walking into The Met, also referred to as the Metropolitan Opera House, on North Broad Street, would be to see 200 people, dressed in Halloween costumes and seated on yoga mats. But that was the scene on October 27, 2019, when I arrived for the yoga, dance, and sound experience known as Daybreaker.
Daybreaker first arrived in Philadelphia in January of 2018, courtesy of producer and sound artist Luna Maye, who’d been participating in such events for two years before bringing them to the City of Brotherly Love.
She described Daybreaker as a “natural fit” for Philly before adding, “I’m so in love with this city. It has changed my life for the better, in ways I can’t articulate.”
Founded on the principle of radical inclusivity, Daybreaker is a once-monthly event in which people from all over the city can congregate for movement and mischief while wearing (optional) costumes. And not just because it’s Halloween but because every month Daybreaker centers its offerings around a specific theme and participants are invited to dress accordingly. But you don’t have to wear a costume. It’s all very lighthearted with no pressure and no rules aside from “be yourself” and “have fun.”
Think of each experience as a daytime nightclub only with Kombucha instead of cocktails, optional pre-gaming yoga, and post-movement sound meditation.
At the event I attended, Joanna Da Sylva of Teranga Yoga led an approximately 50-minute long all-levels yoga flow experience. Bodies of all shapes, sizes, ages, and genders, from all areas of the city and all walks of life, did yoga together. Immediately after yoga, we boo-gied down during a Halloween-themed dance session, then rounded out the event with the glorious sound stylings of Luna Maye, whose expertise with singing bowls can’t be conveyed in words. You have to hear her in action to comprehend the magic!
Another wonderful part of the Daybreaker experience is that every month, the organization partners with a different charity, and $1 of every ticket sold goes to that charity as part of Daybreaker’s investment in advocacy and activism. This month, instead of partnering with one of the global charity initiatives, Philadelphia’s Daybreaker chapter collaborated with Philly’s own United Francisville Civic Association, so every contribution went directly to support this city.
When was the last time you went dancing and knew that, in doing so, you were making a contribution to an important cause?
If you want to participate in a fun, family-friendly activity where you unleash your inner child, play, dance, and meditate, check out one of Daybreaker’s monthly offerings. The next one will be this Saturday, November 23, 2019, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at the La Peg Fringe Arts Theatre. For more information, visit here.
Images: Max Grudzinski
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