Earlier this month, the Church of England held a “silent disco” in Canterbury Cathedral, advertised to young people as the “Rave in the Nave.”
A “silent disco” or a “silent rave” is an event where people dance to music they listen to on wireless headphones and alcohol is served. The Nave is the main body of the cathedral where Anglicans have gathered to worship for centuries.
The Nave was transformed into a disco for the sold-out two-night, four-session event estimated to have drawn a crowd of 3,000, dancing to the music of Brittney Spears, the Vengaboys, All Saints, and Eminem.
Church leaders said they need to reach out to younger people and find ways of raising the “large sums” the Cathedral requires to survive, according to The Daily Mail.
David Monteith, the dean of the cathedral said in a statement the event would be “appropriate and respectful” and that “cathedrals have always been part of community life in a way much wider than their prime focus as centres of Christian worship and mission.”
“Whilst dancing of all different kinds has happened in the Cathedral over the centuries – and The Bible memorably celebrates the gift of dancing with King David dancing
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