There are some regular techno spots/events where I like to go because the crowd's already relatively polite due to the culture; everyone's there to dance and indulge in the music, as there's a no-photos rule and no-conversation guidelines, so people truly give each other room and stay engaged, especially in the spots often full of regulars.

One spot had a few people vibing and dancing, and people drifted around as tends to happen. In the midst of my dancing, I went to put a bag up next to a speaker so I could free up my shoulders and be a little more loose because that music was groovy. As I gently tried to slip back to my spot, I bumped into a guy who was vibing that I'd slipped past before, and we both gave each other obligatory apology waves and head-dips/nods... And then he seemed to have a realization, turned to me, and rotated both of us by my shoulders, moving me into the massive spot in front of him where I could dance better.

Besides the fact that I did, in fact, have more room now, it was an overall really gracious gesture - I'm one of those 5'4" femmes who often has to fight for her life even in the backs of crowds, and it just set a good vibe for the rest of the night. (Some others I knew mentioned they'd seen him being kind elsewhere which was cool to hear.)

More to a wider point, I think there's gonna need to be be a massive culture shift and mass education about giving space to dance in crowds, and an equal pushback against promoters and venues that make it hard to do so (not long after, I went to another venue that was awful with crowd behavior and size).

But I hope everyone gets a chance to give and receive moments like these someday! I know I like to shift when I can give room to others but this was something else. Anyone else have stories like this?