Meet The Person Behind Robot Dance Party
When you’re lounging with your BiRite ice cream in Dolores Park on a perfect San Francisco afternoon, you’re bound to see The City’s legendary Robot Dance Party (RDP). Swaying Side to Side with 4 speakers on his belly, they’re usually surrounded by fellow dancers enjoying the music and gettin’ into the groove right alongside them.
Robot Dance Party sways next to a happy dance partner at Dolores Park
During Hardly Strictly this year, Broke-Ass Stuart’s own Alex Mak and I ran into the robot completely “naked”. We were a bit shocked to say the least. Picture an empty robot body completely taken apart and a man standing by the head of his creation dripping from sweat. It was a sight to see. As he dripped with sweat after hours of dancing for any passerby, we asked about the story behind Robot Dance Party so we could share it with you all.
Robot Dance Party sans human
So, who’s behind the mask?
Although he wants to remind anonymous in some ways (by not showing his face in this article), we did get permission to tell you all who is behind Robot Dance Party. Chris Hirst grew up south of San Jose and lived in Davis and Santa Cruz prior to settling down in San Francisco. Outside of his weekends dancing as a robot, Hirst is a 3rd grade teacher at a local school. His students, understandably, love that he dresses up as a robot for fun.
What’s the origin story of Robot Dance Party?
Originally created in 2007, Robot Dance Party came to San Francisco as a Burning Man project. The creator wanted to connect with people on the dance floor in a way that a DJ just can’t – face-to-face while playing music.
“My absolute favorite part of Burning Man has always been the community, the way that people would be more comfortable letting their guard down and connecting with strangers, and I wanted to bring that to the music. The idea was that if the source of music was an actual person rather than just a speaker, that would create a more human environment (ironic since the final design ended up being a robot), and the limited radius of the music would require people to really cozy up to other people, and the light-hearted goofiness of it would encourage people to open up to each other and make new friends,” says Hirst.
Conga line with Robot Dance Party
How is the costume built?
I’ve always wondered if the costume itself is heavy in any way or how it’s built to be so structured – yet with the ability to dance alongside anyone who cares to join. Although he’s always looking to make the costume lighter than a previous iteration, it’s made of fairly light materials.
“Mostly fiberglass, hot glue, and a lot of love.
The current robot is the fourth model I’ve constructed. The body, head, feet, and clamps are made of fiberglass. The first robot’s body was made of plywood and the head was a plastic milk crate. The first one was co-created and built by myself and a friend, all the others have been built by myself, although many other people have contributed design ideas. The whole thing can be looked at as a huge collaboration. Ask me about any one component, I can probably tell you who contributed to the idea,” explains Hirst.
Robot Dance Party walking in the San Francisco Pride Parade
Is there more than one Robot Dance Party Costume?
Every so often you’ll see the robot in different “costumes”. From rainbow stripes to celebrate Pride Weekend to a full Santa look, RDP looks snazzy for all occasions. The truth is, there is only one costume with many many coats of paint.
“Yup, it has so many coats of paint at this point it’s like a jawbreaker. It’s funny how often I get asked if I have multiple robots of different colors like I have a closet full of them or something,” jokes Hirst.
Robot Dance Party glowing at an evening party
What observations has Robot Dance Party Had over the years?
Watching San Francisco for the last 12+ years behind the mask of a robot, there’s a lot you can observe. Being somewhat anonymous, you’re a fixture people may forget about. During my interview, I really wanted to know what types of observations they’ve made over the years.
“I can see a lot. What I’ve seen happening in the 12 years since I started dancing in Dolores Park is that the culture has changed significantly. When I started bringing the robot to the park, everyone danced with me. There were no spectators. People came running over to dance with the robot.
Over the years, slowly but surely, the culture shifted away from participating to spectating. Fewer and fewer people would dance with me. People would still appreciate me, I’d get tons of smiles and laughs, everyone would take out their phones and get some pictures and videos from their picnic blankets, maybe come over for selfies or tip me a few bucks, and then go sit back down. At this point, my typical afternoon in Dolores Park is a fishing expedition for dancers. I’ll spend over two hours making my way through the dense crowds of visitors and picnickers and if I’m lucky I’ll get fifteen minutes of people actually dancing with me. Those fifteen minutes are wonderful, and the moment someone starts dancing with me, I’m all theirs until they’re finished. But those moments have become so rare. I feel like my experience in the park is a microcosm of a larger phenomenon in San Francisco. There’s a sense of community that seems to have gone missing,” remembers Hirst.
Celebrating Pride Month with the city behind him in his favorite park
What’s the overall message you’re trying to send as Robot Dance Party?
Knowing that the project is meant to connect people to music and each other, I sorta felt like I knew this answer before I even asked it. Their answer made me smile and I’m sure it will do the same for you.
“I’m trying to create a safe space for people to connect with others and embrace their inner dancers. I’m a silly dancing robot, I look like something a four-year-old would draw and I dance like a goofball. It’s okay to let your guard down around me. Open up, let yourself out. Nobody’s gonna laugh at you, they’re too busy laughing at me,” says Hirst with encouragement.
Robot Dance Party always brings a smile to someone’s face
Where can you find Robot Dance Party?
Find RDP at Dolores Park on weekends and make sure you dance a little with them. Behind that mask is someone surely smiling back at you. They are also available for parties of all types. Bonus points for any party with Depeche Mode, Madonna or any Cyndi Lauper – 80s music is their favorite.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/robotdanceparty
IG: @robotdanceparty
Twitter: @robotdanceparty
Website: www.robotdanceparty.org
Note: all images are property of Robot Dance Party
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