The founders of Brooklyn's wildest nightclub explain how partying can be 'resistance' in the Trump era
- Artists Kae Burke and Anya Sapozhnikova are the founders of Brooklyn's wildest, weirdest club, House of Yes
- A central philosophy of House of Yes is acceptance of "all people" regardless of race, sex, size, culture, or religion
- They say partying can be "resistance through pleasure-seeking" when you use it to connect with all different types of people.
Artists Kae Burke and Anya Sapozhnikova say they founded Brooklyn nightclub House of Yes in 2015 to be a place for all people "to truly connect, be themselves, express themselves, make their art, and present their art."
That mission has taken on new meaning as the United States, and the world, have seen pushback against globalization and surges in racism, nationalism, and xenophobia over the last year.
Burke and Sapozhnikova say the welcoming and accepting ethos of House of Yes has made it a refuge for communities who feel marginalized in the Trump era.
Sapozhnikova told Business Insider that the energy on the dance-floor felt "political."
"Everyone in that room was having the time of their life ... but everyone could feel this diversity on the dance floor. It was all ages and races and genders dancing their ass off together," said Sapozhnikova.
"We're living in a really divided time, but to have that, there's a realization that we're going to be okay."
Burke called it "resistance through pleasure seeking."
"The more you do that, the more you can connect with like-minded people and the stronger you are because of it," Burke said.
"When you are partying intentionally, and when the people who are behind it all are creating a platform for you, you can actually connect at the party instead of going and getting f-ked up and escaping. It's revolutionizing yourself."