Staff photo by Clay Schuldt It was quiet in German Park on Friday afternoon, but a dance party was raging, sponsored by the New Ulm Wellness Collective and MRCI. Everyone wore headphones and danced to their own beat.

NEW ULM– There was a dance party Friday afternoon in German Park, but if you did not hear it, that was the point.

The Wellness Collective and MRCI collaborated on a “silent disco” in the middle of German Park. A silent disco is a dance in which participants wear wireless headphones tuned to the same channel. Everyone wearing the headphones can hear the same music streamed, but anyone without the headphones will not be bothered by the noise.

Lori Mathiowetz of The Wellness Collective provided the headphones for participants. The headphones were equipped with three different channels. This allowed participants to choose between three different song lists and dance to their own tune.

The three music streaming channels were curated by Lori Mathiowetz, Danielle Deopere and Lily Mathiowetz.

Lori Mathiowetz’s playlist consisted of country music. Deopere’s playlist featured an eclectic mixture of ’80s and ’90s popular music. Lily Mathiowetz played the alternative hits from the ’90s. All three DJs were willing to take requests

Lori Mathiowetz said the idea behind the event was to get everyone outside and moving. She said with three different options for music, there was something everyone could dance to, regardless of age or ability.

Since everyone was wearing headphones, selecting sound levels was up to the individual. This made it easy to engage in conversations during the dance party. Everyone else using the park did not need worry about the music being too loud.