The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

 

Bronx Week 2023 celebrations continued with a Silent Disco at Woodlawn Cemetery on Friday, May 12.

 

Dozens of silent partygoers wearing fluorescent cat ears and waving neon rods danced the night away while listening to their favorite music on headphones and intermingled with colorfully lit “robots” on stilts, which added to the fun and somewhat paranormal atmosphere.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of a silent disco, it consists of real DJs playing music of different genres on different decks, while attendees can choose which music they want to jam to by selecting different lines on their headsets.

 

To the uninitiated, watching everyone “get jiggy with it” in relative silence can seem somewhat bizarre but it soon becomes obvious that part of the fun is in attendees “finding their people.”

Participants said they could also tell which type of music others were listening to from their dance moves, or because they were mouthing the lyrics of specific songs. Some also mentioned that they felt the event was respectful to those buried on the grounds as it was a “silent” event and the dancing was in a designated side area of the grounds and not on the cemetery itself.

 

“Lauren” from Throggs Neck told us in part, “This is my first time at a silent disco. I’ve seen them before. This is so much fun! I’m meeting all sorts of people from all over my borough. I’m already sweating! The three DJs are unbelievable!”

In terms of the music choices, there was salsa, old-school funk, hip hop, ’90s hip hop, reggaeton, something for everyone. Some human chains / processions were even seen forming around the dance area at one point as the silent dancers followed the instructions of the DJs through their headphones.

 

Harlem Shells, another attendee, said the event was going great and the sound from the headphones was clear and good. “I’m actually surprised about the set-up and everything,” he said. “This is my first time coming and it’s looking great, especially from the music [perspective], and the robots. It’s a great event. It’s nice outside today. I like actually what the DJ is playing.”

Explaining that there were three different lines linked to the headphones which, depending on line chosen, would light up in different colors, he said, “There’s different music. It’s hip hop, it’s a live DJ, old-school hip hop as well, and reggaeton.”

 

We also spoke to Taj Lewis, one of the DJs on the night, one half of the Range Brothers, and a media associate with New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. We asked Lewis how he approached deejaying for a silent disco versus a non-silent disco. “Silent Disco is amazing because of the diversity of the music and the diversity of the crowd, and the way you can just directly engage with everybody, just to watch, and then like challenge the other DJs to see who has the best station, the best part of the game.. definitely!” he said.

Lewis added, “I want everyone to be on my color and on my station and just [inaudible] to make sure everyone is having a good time. It’s amazing!”

 

In addition, there was candy floss, snacks and overall, a good time vibe. The event was hosted by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and partners, The Bronx Tourism Council, BronxNet, Schneps Media, Pix11, and News12 The Bronx.

 

We also spoke to Kairi Moody from BronxNet who was also enjoying the music. “This is my first year here. I just took off my headphones and it’s like a club in your ears,” he said. “It’s so dope because you can change what you want to listen to and find people that’s listening to the same thing as you and you just connect!”

He added, “It’s like a silent dance walk/hall, a silent party but it is a party, and it’s amazing that we’re having it in a cemetery that has such historical facts. She [a colleague] told me that this is where Duke Ellington is resting, so many musical celebrities and icons that’s here so it’s amazing!”

 

Another attendee, Rita Jones had traveled to the event from New Rochelle and said it was also her first time being at a silent party. “First, I thought it was really strange ’cause I’m like…….in a cemetery, you know? It’s kind of spooky but I guess you need to be quiet alright, you know, and respect the dead, but it’s really interesting, and I love it, and we can tell who is listening to what based on the color of the headphones, and I’m enjoying myself. I live in New Rochelle and it’s not too far. Drove here.. it’s a nice evening.”

Kathie Lombardi agreed it was a great night. “It’s about time people get out of their houses to the Boogie Down Bronx!” she said. Asked what kind of music she liked, laughing, she replied, “I like the old stuff. I’m a little old so…” Referring to the neon rods and cat ears, she added, “I love all the little giveaways. These are great; they’re really cute. I’ll take them home and I’ll have some souvenirs.”

 

We also spoke to Gina and Lisa from Westchester Adventures meet up group in Hartsdale who said they were also having a good time. It was Lisa’s first silent disco. We asked if it was what she expected. She said, “Yes, it’s actually really cool. I can’t wait for it to get a little darker so we see all the lights.”

Meg Ventrudo, executive director of Woodlawn Cemetery, Crematory and Conservancy, also spoke to Norwood News, saying, “So, this is just a wonderful event. We’re so happy to be a community gathering space here in The Bronx, and Woodlawn has a very rich, musical history. Celia Cruz is buried here, Duke Ellington is buried here, and so we love to celebrate our musical heritage, and we just love to be a place where folks can come and enjoy our beautiful arboretum, and think about coming to the cemetery to see all the wonderful treasures we have.”

 

For over 150 years, Woodlawn Cemetery has been known for its collection of trees. The lot owners have selected final resting places where trees shade their loved ones, according to Woodlawn officials. “Several families created ‘memorial gardens,’ beautifully landscaped spaces designed to comfort visitors and showcase memorials,” they said. “Today, with so many New Yorkers and tourists using Woodlawn as a green sanctuary, a place to take a quiet walk, the care and maintenance of our landscape is of great importance,” they added.

Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero wished everyone a happy Bronx week, saying, “Bronx Week is all about highlighting the beauty, and the culture, and the people of The Bronx!” Of Woodlawn, she said, “This is a landmark, a beautiful landmark! It’s historical, it’s the largest [cemetery] and we’re just having a good time, looking forward to the rest of Bronx Week and again, we’re highlighting the beauty of The Bronx, different landmarks, different areas that [don’t] get enough credit for [their] beauty so we’re just excited to be here!”

 

Another female attendee, Joetta, we spoke to told us she was listening to old school music. “Oh it’s lovely! It’s just so great to come out! I was here last year. It was a little bit rainy last year but it was good.”

Asked if there was anything she wanted to add about the event, Joetta said, “You know our borough president is just so wonderful. She is just the greatest. She thinks of all these little things.”

 

Click here, here, and here to view a few short videos of the event.

We later spoke to Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson who said the Bronx week celebrations were going great. She talked about the launch, the unveiling of the honorees on the Bronx Walk of Fame, as reported, and added, in part, “This year, we were grateful to create a new People’s Choice Award, where Bronxites submitted recommendations on an educator that they felt would be just, you know, a [worthy] recipient of the award, and we were grateful to announce that Principal Luis Torres from School District 9, the principal of C.S. 95, is the people’s choice inductee, and then we had our veterans’ event which was an amazing celebration of our veterans, past and present.”

The borough president continued, in part, “We had our centenarian event honoring our oldest New Yorkers. We had two older adults that were 104 years young and two that were 100, and we honored everyone. It was such a nice luncheon at Villa Barone. Tomorrow is our annual Health and Wellness event where we have our skating party.” Other events which have since taken place included a labor luncheon, a business luncheon, the Bronx Ball, the Bronx Week parade, and food festival and music concert.

Gibson concluded, “It’s really been a celebration of all things Bronx and just highlighting all of the great people that make the Bronx a great place to live and raise your family, focusing on our historical districts, our landmarks. We just want to make sure we show the residents of the Bronx what they deserve, what they are capable of doing around the borough as stakeholders, as leaders, so many people that do so much to make this borough great from our entrepreneurs, small businesses, our educators, our first responders, our nurses, our hospital workers, so many that are part of the fabric of our great borough. That’s what Bronx Week is all about.”