Determinación de planes de entrenamiento y desarrollo

If they do experience the ecstatic sensation the clubber may experience it intensively-

participating within the crowd, actively interacting with others and experiencing euphoria socially. On the other hand, they may experience the ecstatic through withdrawal into

1997: 21). Interestingly, every positiveoption available to the clubbers on the questionnaire was ticked by over 30% o f the clubbers w ho had taken ecstasy (M DM A). W om en appeared to

experience more positive and more negative effects than men - in all o f the above categories w om en recorded a higher percentage o f effects experienced. See Peroutka et al (1988) for further discussion o f the experience o f consuming ecstasy (M DM A), as well as the personal accounts presented in Saunders (1995; 1997).

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themselves - through reflection, interpretation, and sensations of clarity and tranquillity (Laski, 1961). This continual fluctuation is palpable in this extract where Dionne is describing the sensation of 'com ing up' on a mixture o f ecstasy (M DM A) and speed (or amphetamine).

DIONNE (an extract from ""The Moment"'^^): Wander around for a bit, chat for a bit, can see a few familiar faces so that’ s cool. Seems a good crowd and not so young - paranoid about being over twenty-five. Think I ’ll just stand still here for a minute and lean my head against this pillar, close my eyes and let the sounds wash over me. The bass is pumping, I can feel it reverberate in my body, so that’ s where my sternum is. I like this. Time to dance I think, just casual to start with, check out the opportunities. Couple of raised-up platforms with good showing o ff potential for later on. Ditch the beer and f ill the bottle with water from the cistern, can’ t seem to get the taps to turn on. Not a smoker but now’ s the time for cigarettes. Gum too, starting to gurn. No pockets so have to pester boyf [sic] every time. He gets a bit fucked o ff and that brings me down for a while. Shit, don’t need this, what I need is another p ill and then I ’ ll just be ready and waiting for the moment. Do a whole one, feel a bit guilty for

quarter o f a second then head to chill out room. Find Sarah - whispers conspiratorially how much have you done, 2, that’ s alright then as she pops another. Rushing big time now and sit down heavily leaning against the wall. Mouth runs away with me as I insist I ’ve seen this woman on TV - get a grip. Steve comes and sits down, he’ s well loved-up. He puts his arm around me and I grip his arm tight. I t ’ s suddenly very important I must hold on. Don’t ever let go. He smiles. M y heart is racing and I scrounge a fag. It - the moment - w ill be soon.

W hether the clubber experiences intensity or withdrawal at any one moment depends upon a number of factors. To give a simple example, if it is dark and crowded and visual contact with others is problematic, withdrawal is more likely than if there is more light and eye contact can be easily made. Moreover, a fuller dance floor may trigger an experience o f intensity w ith the crushing tactility o f the crowd inducing euphoria and a sense of

An extract from the short story, "The Moment", w ritten during 1996, w hich Dionne enclosed with her original letter replying to my request for volunteers in The Face. She adds in the letter that the story is autobiographical.

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closeness, yet it may equally trigger withdrawal through the employment o f an "involvem ent shield" (Coffman, 1963: 38) as the dancer gets 'lost' in the crowd.

Secondly, the clubbers will orientate themselves w ithin the régionalisations and mediations o f the dance floor depending upon the spacings and timings of that stage o f the Night, the physical configuration of the club, especially the location of the DJ booth, their own location and whether they are within a sub-group or not, and the type of music being played at that moment. If the DJ is visible, perhaps on a raised stage or platform at the 'fro n t' o f the dance floor, then the clubbers w ill be more likely to face him (or less usually, her). If the dance floor is relatively small or the periphery too well-lit then the clubbers will be more inclined to face into the dancing crowd in an attem pt to avoid eye contact with non-dancers, who, it might be assumed w ith some confidence, are not on the same motional and emotional 'wavelength' as the dancers at that moment. If dancing w ithin a group of friends, the clubbers may be more likely to face other members o f that group; if alone, they will be more likely to face the 'fro n t' of the club, perhaps where the main lighting rig or slide projector images are positioned. These are further examples o f the "engagement closure" that Coffman (1963: 1 56) mentions in his discussion o f crowds and social interaction. In any case, any environmental feature - physical or social - which encourages crowd interaction on the dance floor will be more likely to foster an intensive interaction as a result of the ecstatic, with the reverse (withdrawal) being the case in instances where crowd interaction is difficult.

A third factor which impacts upon the clubbers experience of the ecstatic is their pre­ clubbing state o f mind and attitude - the impact o f their social lives more broadly. In certain cases where I accompanied clubbers on their Nights O u t my presence

unquestionably had a tangible impact upon their state o f mind and thus their enjoym ent of the Night.

SEB: Certainly the next time that I go out with you, just because we’ ve been out once already and we’ ve had this drink and stuff, and we’re obviously going to keep in touch [um-huh] and something as simple, cos I ’ ve got to stress that this DID affect the way that the night because it took up a lot o f my consciousness - because I didn’ t feel comfortable when I went out and it was just because I was in London and I didn’ t have a change o f clothes and I should have had and I normally come down with two or three outfits knowing that it w ill be how I feel, what I choose to wear - 1 didn’t do that for some reason this week but that

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can affect me and I think it must have affected the way that I was on the night/^

Throughout the evening Seb was conscious o f not being happy w ith the way he looked and I believe this concern, combined with my presence, actually prevented him from experiencing the ecstatic in terms of withdrawal or intensity. He did not feel comfortable w ith himself, and was also too concerned that I had a good time to 'lose' himself fully. The music is a fourth feature of the Night that impacts upon the nature o f clubbers'

experiences o f the ecstatic. The playing of 'special' musical tracks - what some clubbers call 'anthems' or 'classics' - can trigger a very sudden shift across the dance floor from predominantly withdrawal to mostly intensity. An introverted experience can quickly become an extroverted one. Catching a simple glance or smile from another dancer while dancing can also suddenly pull someone quickly away from a sensation of personal inwardly-orientated reflection and isolation and into a crowd-based sensation of empathy, intensive inter-clubber interaction, and a sharing of spaces and emotions.

BEN: So, as far as I understand it then, for you, you take ecstasy for stamina but also for other reasons ...?

K IM & VALERIE: [together] Oh yeah ...

VALERIE: Someone w ill say something to you and you’ll go, “ Yes, definitely” - you’re totally connected.

K IM : And as well - you don’t need to talk. Part of the thing of going out clubbing is that you’ve got everyone around you ... this is what I was talking about expressions - everybody is expressing themselves. Take Jim and that - you [talking to Valerie] look over and whereas I haven’ t seen you for sometime and we may have got a little different, when we’re at a club, we might look over at each other and we both grin because we don’t NEED to say anything. I t ’ll be that connection. I t ’ s all there. Partly i t ’ s experiencing things together,

whatever they are, but because it ’ s on such a different level and everything’ s so new and ... umm ...

BEN: ... and do those feelings extend to people who aren’t in the immediate group, beyond your friends I mean?

K IM : You might not know what they’re thinking but you know that they’re there to be happy....

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VALER IE: ... but I definitely feel a lot more empathy for our little group than ... when I see people in a club I just think excellent, they look really happy, they know exactly where I ’m coming from, yeah, but when I look at Rachel, David and John, there’ s something more ....

K IM : .... but then you can look at the other people in the club and it ’ s more than just them being happy. I t ’ s more than that. You’re dancing to something and i t ’ s building up and up and you look around and they’ re building with it as well, when .... it’ s the experience you have together that matters. You do sort o f empathise and connect better with them. I think it ’ s really natural.

VALERIE: When I ’m straight it ’ s a different experience - 1 don’ t talk to people when I ’ m straight. I ’ll just go to dance, yeah? [right] ... and I ’ ll look at people and I ’ ll know how good they’re feeling, yeah, but I ’m not on the same

wavelength as them ...

K IM : ... you don’t feel as in tune. When you’re up there dancing and you’re on one you can get going as the music w ill get you into it and you’ll be really going for it, but when you go and sit down and like take a break and just sit down and look around, sometimes you’ll feel part of it, sometimes you won’t though as you’re more an observer of what’ s going on than part o f it [yeah].'^''

This wonderfully nuanced and evocative passage is interesting for at many reasons; I want to make four points. First, the clear sense of empathy and o f a shared ethos existing between clubbers ("you're totally connected") is obvious. This is manifested in the lack of the need to say how they feel - they just "know". Second, the importance of the group of clubbing friends is clear; while Kim and Valerie feel empathy for others ("you might not know w hat they're thinking but you know they're there to be happy"), what they feel for their close friends is "something more" than this. Third, the "natural" quality o f the

empathy that Kim suggests the non-verbal communication of the dance floor can generate is suggestive of the notion o f a 'real se lf which, as I suggested above, appears so valued in the clubbing experience. This "natural" feeling is generated through being w ithin the dancing crowd - "it's the experience you have together that matters". Finally, Valerie notes how her dance floor experiences of being straight are quite different to her experiences of being on 'E' - she is not on the "same wavelength" as others, but just goes to dance. Kim adds that she feels more of an "observer" when she is not on 'E' - "you don't feel as in tune".

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