My favorite part of Germany

By Mary Pinckney Waters

Last night I returned to my favorite spot in Germany: the dance floor. After meeting a couple locals in a cocktail bar, we followed them to two sheeted metal double doors, the entrance to dance club Atomic Cafe. Past the cover charge and coat check, we stepped into the warm red glow of the club, which had a packed dance floor with clusters spilling out into every corner.

The club resonated funk, from the remixed oldies tracks to the collage of classic album covers behind the DJ to our fellow dancers with afros and tapered jeans pulled tight over Chucks. And the dancing!

Having lived in Germany for a year, I've been to many a dance club in D-land and am quick to tell my American friends that these clubs are my favorite part of Germany. This might sound a little strange, but I am convinced that if you want to sum up one of the biggest differences between Europeans and Americans, you should head straight to a nightclub. Let me explain.

Picture a typical American club: You walk in and everyone scopes you out, talks about your outfit, and most likely trashes it. You want to dance and you'd like all of your friends to join, but almost all of the males in your group say "they just don't dance." So you, your girlfriends and a couple brave fellows approach the dance floor, which hosts about a one-to-five guy-girl ratio. Most of the girls are dancing by themselves, except for the "lucky" ones who have smashed themselves up against males. The movements of the dancers are all very similar in fashion: hips side to side, in a circle, or in a snake-like "S" -- essentially with the goal of looking as seductive as possible. You look down at yourself dancing every few minutes to make sure that you do, in fact, look sexy. "Gosh," you think to yourself, "this is a lot pressure; no wonder the other guys in my group don't like to dance."

From what I've experienced in Germany, the European club scene plays out a bit differently. First, the gender ratio on the dance floor levels out at one to one. But that doesn't mean everyone pairs off; most people still dance by themselves, allowing a lot more freedom to show off individual style -- and trust me, there's a lot of it. Unlike what I've seen all too many times in many -- not all -- American clubs, the kids in European clubs don't stress about mimicking music-video moves. Rather, their ears choreograph their steps, their eyes are often closed, their lips always curled up. Granted, some European dancers are still champions of off-beat awkwardness. But who really cares? At least they're having fun, unlike their American counterparts who are so worried about how much they resemble exotic dancers that they can't let themselves relax.

Of course, these are just generalizations based on my lone observations, but however much you agree or disagree with them, I invite you to test them out for yourself firsthand, preferably with good friends and a carefree attitude.