A NIGHT OF NOSTALGIA TO FEEL 13 AGAIN & EXPERIENCE JOY WITHOUT REASON
THE INVITATION
Joy didn't used to need
a reason.
Do you remember the best sleepovers? When you'd stay up way too late perfecting a dance routine for an audience of exactly no one. When singing at full volume wasn't cringe, it was just what you did. When you'd laugh until your stomach hurt over something that wasn't even that funny.
Joy didn't need justification, it just was.
Then somewhere along the way, you learned to be serious. Productive. Purposeful. You learned that play is for children and joy needs a reason.
We're calling bullshit.
This is a sleepover to feel 13 again. Not the hard parts: the self-consciousness, the drama, the trying to fit in. But the GOOD parts: where you danced like you were the star of your own music video and fun didn't need to earn its place in your life.
We're gathering in our best 80s/90s/00s fashion (or comfy PJs), bringing photos of our younger selves, and spending the evening doing exactly what we'd do at the best sleepover ever:
dancing, singing, creating, playing, and being joyful!
This is for grown women who know that playing is still available to them and are ready to prove it.
Party
Like it's
1999
THIS IS FOR YOU
If you're tired of optimizing your joy.
✦ You secretly still know all the words to your middle school anthem
✦ You miss the version of yourself who played without needing it to mean something
✦ You want to sing loudly, dance badly, and not care who's watching
✦ You're tired of optimizing everything, including your joy
✦ You know that playing is still available to you
Your 13-year-old self didn't need a reason to dance. Neither do you.
WHAT THE NIGHT HOLDS
Pure, unapologetic,
ridiculous joy.
Think of it like the best sleepover you ever had: the one where you stayed up too late, danced to every song, and laughed until you couldn't breathe. That's the energy we're recreating. On purpose. As adults. Unironically.
THE OPENING — SHOW & TELL
Bring a photo of yourself as a young girl.
Ages 5–15ish. Physical if possible, or on your phone. Plus one object of meaning from that time in your life. We open the evening with these; not to analyze the past, but to be with that version of yourself. To remember who she was before she learned to perform. The whole night is held by her presence in the room.
II. Sing-Alongs
Yes, actually sing. Out loud. Together. Iconic anthems from the era that raised us; the ones your body still knows even when your brain has forgotten everything else.
III. The Talent Show
Small groups. Three minutes. A dance routine you create together and perform like the star of your own music video. Judged by absolutely no one. Celebrated by everyone.
IV. The Dance Party & Close
Full-on dance party in your 80s/90s/Y2K fashion or pajamas. Nostalgic snacks throughout. And a closing moment to land and to notice what it felt like to be that alive in a room.
THE SPACE WE HOLD
A room where
being too much is the whole point.
This night only works if everyone goes for it. These are the agreements that make that possible and that let you actually let go instead of watching from the edges.
✦ WE SING BADLY AND LOUDLY
This is not a performance. It's a reclamation.
✦ WE DANCE LIKE WE'RE IN OUR CHILDHOOD BEDROOMS
No technique required. Full commitment required.
✦ WE DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR TAKING UP SPACE
Being too loud, too much, or too silly is not a problem here. It's the practice.
✦ PLAY DOESN'T NEED PURPOSE. JOY DOESN'T NEED JUSTIFICATION.
We're not here to produce anything. We're here to feel something.
✦ THE POP-UP RULE
No apologizing for your joy. If you do, you owe the group 30 seconds of interpretive dance. Consider yourself warned.
DRESS CODE
Your Best Era
80s/90s/00s fashion OR sleepover PJs. Bonus points for scrunchies, butterfly clips, platform shoes, or whatever makes you feel like you're 13 again. Fully committed costumes are encouraged.
WHAT'S PROVIDED
Everything You Need
Sleeping bag, pizza & popcorn, music & good vibes. Nostalgic snacks throughout the evening. The only thing missing is you.
ONE MORE THING
Ten Women Maximum
Always. Intimate enough that we can actually learn choreography together and that everyone's voice gets heard, literally and otherwise.
WHAT TO BRING — THE REQUIRED ONES MATTER
✦ A photo of yourself as a young girl
ages 5–15ish. Physical if possible, or on your phone. The whole opening circle centers on her.
✦ Your full voice
yes, we're actually singing. Out loud. Together. No backing out.
✦ An object of meaning from that time
for show and tell. Something that belonged to her world.
✦ Optional: nostalgic accessories, your favorite sleepover snack to share.
YOUR INVITATION
She's still in there.
She just needs a night.
Remember the sleepovers where you stayed up too late, danced to every song, and laughed until you couldn't breathe? Where joy didn't need justification, it just was?
You can still do that.
This is your invitation to play, sing, create, and dance
like you did at the sleepovers where everything felt possible.
P.S. Don't forget your photo and object. Seriously. The whole night centers on being with that version of yourself. Also, yes, there will be nostalgic snacks. Yes, you can wear actual 90s fashion or pajamas. Yes, this is really happening.
P.P.S. If you're thinking "I can't dance" or "I can't sing," perfect. Your 13-year-old self couldn't either. She did it anyway. So will you.
INNER CHILD SLEEPOVER PARTY