After four years of war, dance has become a form of resistance for Ukrainians

Despite the war and the constant threat of Russian attacks, cultural life in Ukraine has not completely ground to a halt. In clubs and alternative spaces in cities like Kiev and Kharkiv, young people continue to gather for electronic music parties, turning rave culture into a form of resistance, solidarity and hope during the war.

Silhouettes of people move through dark alleys covered in snow and ice, moving to the muffled rhythm of music emanating from a concrete building in central Kiev. Inside, a dim red light blurs the faces of the dancing crowd, their sweaty bodies pressed close together.

This red light is reminiscent of the dim lights used by soldiers on the front lines against Russia, hundreds of kilometers to the east, to avoid detection by the enemy. But for the people dancing at Closer, one of Kiev's most popular nightclubs, the party is a way to forget the war, if only for a night.

"It's something that helps us stay sane," Valeriia Shablii, 32, who attended an event organized for Maslenytsia, a Slavic holiday marking the beginning of spring, told CNN.

"We say it's like a balance between war and life."

The war has disrupted much of Ukraine's cultural life. Many music venues have been closed since Russia's full invasion in February 2022, and some artists have fled the country, while others have joined the army.

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However, Ukrainians continue to gather to party. The Closer club, which is located in a former factory, was closed when the war began, but reopened just eight months later and has hosted music events almost every weekend since.

Under the constant threat of missile and drone attacks, and after a difficult winter accompanied by power outages, dancing has become a way to release the emotions of war, Shablii says.

"People are so tired," she said. "Coming here and spending some time with friends... brings people together."

According to her, rave culture is still alive in Ukraine's major cities, although it has changed, and has become a strong form of resistance during the four years of fierce war with Russia.

"She didn't die," she said. "We will continue to celebrate even on Putin's grave."

Rave and resistance in Ukraine

Even before the war, the electronic music scene in Ukraine was often associated with the idea of ​​resistance.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, a new era of independence brought more openness to Western culture - a development similar to what happened in other European cities known for electronic music, such as Berlin.

Large parties, raves in abandoned buildings, and festivals began to appear across Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula, becoming spaces where people could freely express themselves and experiment with music.

Rave culture in Ukraine peaked in the mid-2010s with the creation of the famous “Cxema” parties in Kiev – very large parties organized in urban warehouses or under bridges – which later became internationally known.

These events were aimed at "creating a safe and democratic space" and "building a community" for young people who felt disillusioned and faced economic insecurity after the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, when protesters ousted then-President Viktor Yanukovych over corruption and abuse of power, "Cxemas" founder Slava Lepsheiev told CNN.

"The resistance then was against the old system and the Soviet mentality," he said. "After the complete occupation, the direction of the resistance changed and now it is against the enemy. We gather and dance to stay strong."

"Given the horrors of this war, it is very important for us to have the opportunity and desire to continue having fun," he added, saying that holidays have become a way to escape reality for a while.

But organizing raves during the war is difficult. Due to the nighttime curfew, “Cxemas” events are now organized during the day and are smaller for security reasons.

"A very wild energy"

Event organizers in other Ukrainian cities say the war has changed the energy of these parties.

“The party has more energy,” said Anton Nazarko, co-founder of “Some People,” a group that runs a nightclub in Kharkiv. “It’s a very wild energy.”

Kharkiv is located only about 30 kilometers from the border with Russia, and Nazarko said that sometimes even Ukrainian soldiers participate in the club's events, which are usually organized every two weeks.

"In the morning, our friends from the community fight in the trenches. In the evening they come to party," he said. "They dance like it's their last day."

The first headquarters of the group “Some People” in Kharkiv was bombed just days after the war began, Nazarko said, although fortunately no one was killed. He said his team sold some of their personal belongings and borrowed money to build a new venue — the “Center of New Culture” — in 2023.

Nazarko says that the continuation of cultural life in Kharkiv is a contribution to the war effort.

"This is very important for Ukraine and for the city," he said. "Because the Russian military wants one thing - for all the people to leave here."

The club, located in a Soviet-era refrigerator factory, has a generator that allows parties to be held even during power outages. The location also serves as a bomb shelter for local residents.

Nazarko and his team plan to expand the center by building an exhibition hall and a cinema.

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"If the war hadn't started, we probably would never have started this huge project," he said. "We don't know how long we're going to live... we don't have time to dream."

DJs on the front lines

But for some others, the harsh reality of war has driven them away from club life in Ukraine.

Daniel Detcom is now a junior sergeant in the Ukrainian armed forces and previously served as a rifleman and drone operator. But before the war, he was a well-known DJ and techno music producer.

His Kiev-based electronic music collective, Dots, hosted hugely popular parties that drew DJs from all over the world, Detcom told CNN. Many of them were amazed by the energy of the people dancing in Ukraine.

"These DJs were like, 'What's wrong with your dancers? They dance like crazy!'"

But as tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalated ahead of a full-scale invasion, Detcom began preparing for war. He trained at a shooting range and took courses in first aid in combat situations.

Despite his career as a DJ being going very well, he joined the army as soon as the war began.

"I didn't think of it as a choice," Detcom told CNN. "It just seemed like the right thing to do."

As he waits to return to the front lines, Detcom says he misses the "vibrant" rave community that existed in Ukraine before the war.

"They were happy days and without many worries," he said. "Life will never be the same again."

However, he continued to produce music on his laptop while serving in the army. He even organized a few parties during his breaks from the front. But now the parties are not as carefree as they used to be.

He says that organizers usually make sure that medical teams are present at parties. He himself always takes two first aid kits with him, due to the risk of Russian attacks, and he usually does not drink alcohol.

Rave culture has changed. "Now the parties are during the day," Detcom said. "This new generation of people who go out to clubs and DJs have never really partied at night."

New opportunities

However, in some ways the war has also created new opportunities for DJs and electronic music producers in Ukraine.

"I think there's a big push for young artists now. Every day I see new faces," said Denys Yurchenko, artistic director at "Kultura Zvuku," a school for DJing and music production in Kiev.

He told CNN that fewer international artists are willing to travel to Ukraine to perform in clubs because of the war. This means there is more space on the schedules and events for Ukrainian DJs and producers, who are experimenting with new musical ideas.

Yurchenko also added that many record companies have shown interest in promoting Ukrainian artists during the war with Russia. Money raised from the sale of several compilation albums of Ukrainian electronic music, as well as from club events, has been used to help the war effort.

Detcom, Nazarko, and Yurchenko have performed or organized raves to support Ukraine during the war.

"This is absolutely, 100%, for resistance and to help our country," Yurchenko said.

At the "Closer" club in Kiev, this resistance is also accompanied by hope.

"We are waiting for spring," Shablii said.

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On the dance floor, friends embrace; a young couple kisses on a sofa in a dark corner. Despite the cold, groups of friends laugh together in the club's courtyard, passing hand-rolled cigarettes among themselves.

After a harsh winter and four years of war, Ukrainians continue to celebrate and dance.