Armin van Buuren dives into the psychology of the [UNVRS] dancefloor in new documentary

Armin van Buuren has launched a new mini documentary exploring the psychological experience felt by crowds on the dancefloor, utilising his five-hour residency launch at Ibiza's [UNVRS] as a case study. Filmed during the opening night of his five-week 25 years of A State of Trance residency at the White Isle superclub, which continues every Monday until October 5, the Dutch DJ, producer and label head collaborated with psychotherapist and self-confessed "raver" Rachel Giddings to work out how the crowd would feel during the synth-laden odyssey that lay ahead.

Spanning ten minutes, the film - which is available to watch via Armin van Buuren's YouTube channel - follows Giddings as she goes through an hour-by-hour breakdown of the crowd's emotions. Hour one marks a "separation from identity" that clubgoers shed at the door, alongside the "butterflies and nervousness of the big experience ahead". Hour three sees a common feeling of coalescence and becoming one with others, while hour five sees a feeling of "reintegration" as the night comes to an end.

The concept of 25 Years of A State of Trance, which features five-hour sets from Armin van Buuren across five consecutive Mondays at [UNVRS], feeds into theories of human collectivity put forth by 19th-century French academics Arnold van Gennep and Émile Durkheim, and more contemporary research into social gatherings and music by anthropologists Robin Dunbar, Victor Turner and Mihaly Csikszentmihaly.

The film also features interviews with van Buuren about his pre, during and post-show rituals and feelings, and why he's decided to create this unique concept to mark a quarter-of-a-century of A State of Trance, a journey that has taken the brand from weekly broadcasts on ID&T Radio to reaching 44 million listeners worldwide, with over 100 events across five continents.

"It has been fascinating to look at the dancefloor through a psychological lens during my five-hour show," says van Buuren. "We often talk about what music does to us, but rarely about what actually happens to us when we experience it together."

"Why do we feel connected to strangers? Why can a moment on the dancefloor move us so deeply? And why can music make us feel like we’re part of something bigger? The DJ is often at the centre of attention, but the real magic happens on the dancefloor," he continues. "This documentary is about the people who experience it; their emotions, their connections, and the profound effect that music and collective experience can have on us."

After its launch earlier in September, 25 Years of A State of Trance at [UNVRS] has already featured guest performances from Eli Brown, Hannah Laing, Argy, Laura Van Dam and Ruben de Ronde, with more planned for its final two parties on September 28 and October 5.

Find more information and tickets for 25 Years of A State of Trance at [UNVRS] here , and check out The Psychology of the Dancefloor: An A State of Trance Documentary in full, below.