Dance in zero gravity? Now, 20 people can do so

A nightclub operator is throwing a party in a modified Airbus A310, which will take off on Feb 7 in Frankfurt and return to the airport after 90 minutes, with 25 minutes spent in zero gravity. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/WORLD CLUB DOME

NEW YORK (AFP) - A nightclub operator is throwing a party in zero gravity, with top DJs playing in an aircraft used to train astronauts.

The nightclub, billed as the first of its kind in conditions resembling space, will take off on Feb 7 in Frankfurt with 20 clubbers representing all continents.

The party, however, will be brief. The modified Airbus A310, which helps European astronauts adapt to weightlessness, will return to the airport after 90 minutes, with only 25 minutes spent in zero gravity.

The head of BigCityBeats, a Frankfurt company known for setting up nightclubs in unlikely places, said he pursued the idea because, well, it had not been done.

"Since we are doing a lot of things which are unique, everybody was asking me - when do you fly to the moon?" said Mr Bernd Breiter.

"That will take awhile, if it's possible. But we are coming a little bit closer," he added.

The artists on the mission, dubbed World Club Dome Zero Gravity, will include Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren, one of the top names in trance music, and Los Angeles-based Steve Aoki, a major producer and DJ of electronic dance music.

A total of 55 people will be on the flight including crew and two veterans of zero-gravity environments - European Space Agency astronauts Jean-Francois Clervoy of France and Pedro Duque of Spain.

Van Buuren said space travel has been "something I want to experience at least once" - although he acknowledged that he had jitters even with conventional flying.

The DJ, accustomed to seeing fancy footwork on the ground, said he would eagerly watch the dance possibilities in zero gravity.

"I think it will look really funny. You can make really unique dance moves, like twists in the air, that you wouldn't normally be able to do on a dance floor." .

Unlike actual space, which is silent, the plane will have oxygen - and therefore sound.

BigCityBeats selected the 20 clubbers who submitted videos on social media.

The trip will be free, including travel expenses to Frankfurt.

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