Laser lights flashed and swirled through a filmy haze as a smoke machine belched out a huge gray cloud that drifted across the crowded gym floor. Images of the DJs, their turntables, and other futuristic computer-generated pictures floated across two large screens that were set up on either side of the DJ booth. Music pulsated from large speakers located on one side of the gym, compelling hundreds of glowing party kids to twirl, twist, skip and sway to the mechanical beats. The room throbbed with energy that exuded from the kids as they danced around the floor. The stench of sweat, old perfume, and the acrid smell of the smog oozing from the smoke machine filled the huge gym.

Party kids decked out in pacifiers, phat pants, tank tops (sometimes they would just wear their bras to cool off from the heat), T-shirts and candy beads lay in huge groups on the wet floor. Some were talking and laughing with each other. Some were listening to the music that the DJ spun out from the turntables. Some were receiving massages from friends.

About 20 feet from the door of the gym, through a sea of bodies, I ventured into another room, which could only be described as a cafeteria, shaking with the force of merriment. Here the kids cheered and hollered when their favorite local played the song that touched their soul and moved their bodies. The crowd pulsed like one big heartbeat. In this room, kids lined the walls and let those who wanted to groove have the middle of the floor. They also crowded the water line at the back of the room to receive juice and water to hydrate their tiring bodies.

Forcibly separating myself from the hundreds of party kids that vibrated to the music here, about another 10 feet away from that scene I found another stage full of local talent. The kids partied here, too, twisting and dancing in a smaller hallway, though some just lay on the sides of the hall and recuperated. There was also a massage table where the weary could find some solace in the mystical touch of another person's hands. The kids relaxed in a room free of music and noise, lying on the ground together and talking. Some slept, for the long night of dancing and cavorting had just begun.

I was not in an abandoned barn miles from civilization or a broken-down warehouse in a crime-ridden part of Denver. I was at Rampart High School, Colorado Springs.

"This is Colorado Springs. We have the Air Force Academy here. People are not real proud of having this in their district." This was the declaration of Norman Ridder, the interim superintendent of Academy School District 20, in the aftermath of the party, which took place last Saturday, March 25. The day after the rave, parents called local media outlets to complain about the fact that a rave took place at a public high school. The reaction of the district was swift and severe. An official investigation was launched into the booking of the party, which was made by Rampart's vice-principle, Dave Smith, with Liquid Soul Productions, a Colorado-based rave promoter operated by Ben G. and Jason Graves.

"They said that they would enforce the rules, but there is no accountability," said Ridder. "The promoter's level of tolerance must be up in the sky if he thinks they enforced the rules."

According to Liquid Soul, the rules were enforced to the best of their ability. Ben claims that everything was under control at all times, and that any accusations of extreme drug use (i.e. smoking marijuana) within the party are hearsay. He said that two custodians were there the entire night, and were instructed by Smith to page him if there was any vandalism or criminal mischief. Smith left the rave at 11:30 PM and was not paged all night.

"They looked like they were doing a good job," said Falcon Division Officer Colby Doolittle, who was at the party. "[Security] was patting people down and making them give up their cigarettes, and no drinks were allowed inside."

He also said that a few officers did a walk around inside the party and thought that everything looked all right. In fact, according to Jason, the only thing that shocked police officers is that the school allowed them to throw the party in a drug-free zone because, even with the high-level of security, drugs were bound to be there.

As Lieutenant Skip Arms of the Colorado Springs police departments says, "Raves do not make an impact on the overall crime statistics of the area." Since the only arrest that night was for an outstanding warrant unconnected with the rave, it would seem that this rave was no exception. "A rave is not going to be enough to skew arrest activity. At raves they can get reports of sexual assaults, stabbings, fights or drug-related activity...but we have all that every weekend in Colorado Springs anyway."

The real problem, Arms said, is "a moral issue of blending kids 15-26. It's a volatile situation."

Colorado Springs is a curfew city. According to sources close to Liquid Soul, they were in fact carding after midnight to ensure that the curfew laws were enforced. It is more difficult to assess whether they also cleared underage ravers out before curfew, but unless the younger kids were allowed out all night by their parents, it appears that Liquid Soul did their best to keep that "volatile" mix to a minimum.

Many party kids liked the venue. Bob Jones*, a veteran of the rave scene, said, "I don't like being in an unhealthy place. [The school] had running water, no lines for the bathroom and it was clean."

Ridder admitted that some parents called to support the function happening at the school. "Some have said that they would rather their kid was at the school than somewhere else. It is by far the best place their kid could be on a Saturday night."

Liquid Soul, who stayed after to contribute and pay for clean up, seemingly had it made. The school suffered no permanent damage. They put money into the district that would be directed to programs for the kids, according to Nanette Anderson, a spokesperson for Academy District 20. No arrests were made and no one was injured. The facts say that the Candyland Rave could be the start of a meaningful effort between rave promoters and school officials to throw drug-free raves in safe, up-to-code buildings.

So will there be another rave at Academy School District 20? "If I had any say in the matter," said Ridder, "then the answer would be no, not in our school. Period. Not with the reputation raves have. They may say they've cleaned up but I don't think they've cleaned up a bit. According to the police everything was fine but that's not what I am finding."

Ridder claims that a mother called and said her kid went to the dance because he thought it was a regular school function. When he was inside, he was encouraged to try some ecstasy and he refused. "They kept asking him but he was strong enough to say no and finally he called his mom to come pick him up," said Ridder.

When I received the call that the party for that evening was going to be at Rampart High School, my first reaction was disbelief. Who would have a rave at a high school? But after thinking about it as I drove down the highway to the Springs, it made perfect sense.

Here is a place that meets all fire codes, has air conditioning, running water, clean floors, and a plethora of other frivolities that most normal, dance club attending people take for granted. Kids feel safer in a school and would probably respect it a little more than, say, a dirty warehouse. Plus it is equipped to handle hundreds of bodies.

With a vague sense of curiosity, we arrived at the scene. Walking up to the door, there was no line and only a smattering of party kids hanging around digging in their pockets. At the door stood a couple of foreboding security guards in bright yellow shirts that read "CANDYLAND STAFF." Next to them was perched a bulging trash bag.

"Got a ticket?" one of them asked as he motioned for us to raise our arms. He roughly grabbed for pockets, then slid his hands down each leg. Wrapping his arms around to my back, he smoothed the shirt down and said, "Have a good time."

The soft pounding of the music that was heard as we walked up the sidewalk suddenly exploded into a rush of sound that was nearly deafening. Brightly colored streamers and balloons lined the walls as we journeyed to the stairway that led to the raging party. As we stood at the top of the stairs, a large mass of party kids swarmed below us. I grabbed on to both of my friends, and hoped that we would not be swept away in a sea of candy beads. The girl next to me shouted to her friend, "Hey, grab my pants, but try not to give me a wedgie!"

The scene was reminiscent of an anthill after a child smashes it with rocks. There were party kids trying to enter the gym, where the main stage was located. They were trying to get to the bathroom, and, hopefully, they finally made it. They were standing in line to get the slushies that were provided for them to buy. There were security guards shouting for kids to keep moving. There were a few people who were frustrated, myself included, but everyone had a pretty good attitude about being smashed together into such a small area.

When we finally exited the area, we went to the third stage, which was located in the main hallway. It was surprisingly free of many people, but as I said before people were everywhere. The kids who occupied this area were dancing and lying or sitting on the floor...or practicing positions that one could find in the kama sutra, as demonstrated by two lip-locked people to the side of the stage, and for quite some time.

After a quick hello to those familiars, it was time to venture into the rest of the party. It was not as crowded getting into the second stage area, but one could assume that the small blob of kids that was currently on the floor could easily spread across the hallway and become a problem. Once inside the cafeteria, a quick look around determined that the place was not as crowded as it was first assumed to be.

One dancer twirled his red and green glow sticks on the ends of some very long strings. One used white gloves that glowed underneath the black light, to accentuate the movements of his hands. Most all of them had pacifiers, glitter, visors, and brightly colored "candy beads" that also glowed in the darkness. Colored lights flashed and swirled around the dancers. The girl to the left of me covered her face with one hand and started vomiting.

After about ten minutes at the bottom of the stairwell, we finally arrived in the main room. I was confronted by the sweetly acrid smell of the smoke from a smoke machine and the stench of sweat. A wave of humidity nearly overwhelmed us as we walked into the gym. To the right was the stage, where two video screens played whatever the programmer wanted, from images of the DJs that were spinning to the party kids that were swirling across the floor.

In the gym, the floor was slick from the beaded water that built up on the ceiling to drip down on the ecstatic crowd. Spilt water bottles and other liquids that the party kids purchased -- to quench either an undying thirst or to restore the used energy from their frolicking on the dance floor -- added to the wet. It was only 10 PM. There was still a good seven or eight hours worth of partying left.

It was hard not to get involved in the spirit of the rave. In a throng of happy party kids, one can literally feel the energy roll off of their bodies. It surrounds the space that they walk through, touching every one of their senses. The excitement and mystique of the party sweeps them up and animates them to become one with the family that encompasses them. They are one, yet They are unique. It cannot be described. Only felt.

At this time I found out why it was so important to have a companion always present with you at a party. One crazed spiky-haired figure in a visor and phat pants, pretty much nothing else, separated from the hazy gloom and approached me. He told me that I had very nice breasts and proceeded to touch them. I noted the glassy look to his eye that could only be produced by some mind-altering substance, and so he posed no real threat. That still did not stop me from going back to my safe group of friends.

We decided to attempt to purchase one of the delicious-looking slushies that everyone seemed to be carrying around. Joining the thirsty mob that surrounded the tiny yellow trimmed booth, we waited. And waited. One girl shouted to her friend, "I don't have any money for one!" The guy next to me rolled his eyes and replied, "Like it really matters." After a few minutes of standing in the same place, we left the determined people in the slushie line and I joined the mass of sweaty bodies on the floor, lying my tired bones down to rest while my friends partied on.

Raves started as a very secret party in the tail end of the 80s, where one would have to travel to at least five different locations before finally receiving the actual party spot. Then there would be dancing and heavy drug use until the wee hours of the morning. From those humble beginnings, an entire culture of people has spread across the globe. From the United States to Japan, raves happen all over the world. The same principle that started them still exists today.

Raves give ‘kids,' a generic term for the party goers, a place to gather, be with friends, and enjoy a bond that has brought humans together for centuries: Music. In a world full of people who hurt each other with guns, who slaughter the innocent conformers to make a place for their own differences, one would think that the majority would embrace the rave. Instead, the media and the population at large focus on what has become a minor problem, drugs, and create a dark cloud that has surrounded a good party that keeps kids off the streets.

In fact, raves have gotten such a bad reputation in the past few years that the kids have stopped titling them ‘raves' and have started calling them ‘parties.' This attempt to preserve a sub-culture in the face of mass media scrutiny is partly what got Liquid Soul in trouble.

An unnamed associate of Liquid Soul told Ben and Jason he had "secured" a location only to be turned down because of the way he handled the owners before. He then took the $3,500 Liquid Soul and ColoradoRave.com put up, threw his own party, and took off with the profits.

With a huge number of pre-sold tickets and no venue, Ben and Jason had a brainstorm and approached vice-principle Dave Smith about using Rampart High School. Ben said that his exact words were that Liquid Soul would rent the school for "an all-night dance party with techno music." He did not use the word ‘rave' because of the negative connotations that go along with it.

"The community has no understanding of what a rave is," said Ben. He explained that most people think a rave is some kind of drug festival where kids beat each other up. While drug use has unfortunately become a problem at raves, the spirit of the event has nothing to do with drugs or violence.

So, to avoid the stigma of a ‘rave,' the word ‘party' was used instead.

"In my opinion," said Ridder, "they did not give the school all of the facts. I would say they were manipulated. My findings are that the agreement was for a dance. There would be 1,000 to 1,500 people and it would last until 5 AM. They would follow the same rules as any school dance -- security, no smoking, no drugs."

According to the official contract, the school was actually rented from noon on Saturday until 6 AM Sunday morning. There was no mention of attendance estimates on any documents, but Liquid Soul pre-sold at least 1,600 tickets, and claim they wouldn't have pitched a figure under 2,000 with that many tickets already sold. Estimates of actual attendance range from 2,500 to 5,000, but most sources agree the real number was about 3,000. The occupancy load of the gym is about 2,500, and the cafeteria and hallway could easily hold the remainder. Smokers were immediately kicked out by undercover security officers, no drug use was found by any of the promoters, security or police who patrolled the party.

Liquid Soul also allowed access for parents. "Any parent that showed up, we let them in," said Ben. All of the few that did show up were looking for their children. Jason said that he saw a parent looking for her daughter in the second room.

"There were apparently as many as 60 adults inside," said Ridder, "but I can't say how responsible those adults were." Ridder apparently wouldn't count anyone between the ages of 18-25 an adult, since that age group made up nearly half the attendance.

Of the accusations that Liquid Soul manipulated the district, Ben said, "I understand the school's reasons for saying what it has to. I'm not mad about it. I apologize because I didn't know [the media coverage] would get so out of hand." For better or worse, raves are labeled in the media as drug festivals, and any attempt to hold a drug-free rave will be scoffed at.

"It's admirable that they want to create a drug-free, smoke-free environment," said Ridder, "but they didn't succeed. They need to create that first and then try to bring it back to a school-type environment." In other words, if raves are to go clean, they'll have to do so without the help of the public school system.

DJ Wazee, a DJ who's spun at many raves, said that everything is starting to get too commercial. Prices for the parties have gone up and you can now find any kind of drug you want on the Internet.

And as far as the drug use goes, most party goers say that as long as it is done responsibly, there does not seem to be a problem. DJ Lampshade said that there is nothing more unattractive than a twisted party kid who can't control himself. "But if it's done responsibly, there's not a problem," he said. He compared the drug usage at parties to the alcohol usage at dance clubs.

"You do get people who come to parties to use drugs, but you also get people who go to clubs to get drunk," he said.

One side effect of the media concentrating on the drug aspect of raves is that younger party kids, or "candy ravers," think they are expected to get messed up at a rave. In a way, the focus on the drugs has perpetuated the problem. Long-time ravers have, for the most part, abandoned the drugs to more fully embrace the culture.

Another local rave DJ who has been around the block was sober at a party in Washington DC. As he looked out to the crowd, he saw they were all swaying in unison. The feelings from that party could not be duplicated or even explained. It had to be felt by each individual there, and heavy drug use only dulls that feeling.

Is the rave scene going to die out and move on? "No," said Jones. "It's not a theory, it's a culture of people and you can't ruin a culture by media. No matter how hard you try."

He says that rave culture has affected clothing (i.e. visors, phat pants, T-shirts, etc.), music (you now hear techno in movies, TV commercials, etc.) and techno is played at most major dance clubs in any city you go to in the world. Not only that but there are thousands of Web sites devoted to raves and techno from every country on the planet.

Jones said that those that are against raves are not against the music, but they are against the bad aspects that come out of that culture. He listed those aspects as people who damage themselves, are disrespectful of other people and property, and use drugs heavily.

But most party kids agree that those are becoming myths. "Raves are simply about respect, meeting a whole bunch of people and respecting a lot of different views in one place," Jones said.

A statement on ColoradoRave.com about the Candyland Rave and fallout ran as follows: "The word 'rave' is sorely misunderstood by the community. We do not throw raves. We throw all-night dance parties with electronic music. Electronic Music is not music of the devil! Remember when people used to preach that about hard rock music? It's ridiculous. Raves are about the music, the vibe, and the people. Raves are not about drugs, not about smoking, and not about drinking. We are sick and tired of people saying this. Yes, these elements may exist at 'raves,' but no more than they exist in any other party of American society, from the wealthiest neighborhoods to public schools, to the Church, to Capitol Hill in Washington. These negative elements are everywhere. It's time for people to stop focusing on sensationalism in the newspapers and media, and maybe turn their focus inwards, and realize that fixing some of America's problems has to start at home with the individual. The rave scene is getting blasted by the media and by special interest groups who have not even the slightest clue of what the electronic music scene is. All they want to do is rile people up or sell newspapers."

Anderson said that the Candyland Rave "has been a real awareness-raiser for the parents. They were surprised that something like this goes on in Colorado Springs."

Something like this:

On a final tour of the gym, I could see the party kids tiring. Through the smoke that still drifted across the floor, there were kids lying here and there. The bodies were strewn about, faces glued in mutual, happy exhaustion. I was also spent, ready to head home after an exhilarating night among thousands of friends. Some of the stragglers were still receiving massages and some were making a vain attempt to sleep, but there were still the hard-core dancers that crowded the dance floor...the ones that never say die until someone finally pulls the plug.

* Indicates a fake name. Additional reporting by Bryce Edmonds.