Of all the midlife betrayals for women—ageist algorithms, hot flashes, chin hairs—perhaps the worst is the myth that we’re no longer fun. And that we don’t deserve a night out with friends—just maybe at a more reasonable hour.
Laura Baginski, 49, a former magazine editor in Chicago, felt the same.
“I was going to a lot of live shows after the pandemic,” she said. “It brought out this need to have this communal experience with music. I loved especially the smaller shows and feeling like part of this cathartic dancing, scream-singing kind of experience. But I would get home late and I didn’t like getting home late. I’m too old to get home late.”
Baginski wanted to replicate the experience but at an earlier time. One with her girlfriends, but without the “late-night drama, judgment or creeps.” Enter the Earlybirds Club, a series of dance nights dedicated to women, trans and non-binary individuals, but welcoming to people of all backgrounds and identities, that runs from 6pm to 10pm.
“Who decided that having a good time meant that it had to start at 10 or midnight?” said Baginski. “That’s just crazy. It’s so rude and it’s unnecessary. Sleep is really good. I think we all know how good it is for you now. Like, even Gen Z, they fucking get it.”
After discussing it casually with friends, Baginski became more energized by the idea in a way she never had by any other enterprise before. So in 2023 she brought it to Susie Lee, 49, a former makeup artist and skincare line founder, after their 30th high school reunion. Baginski knew Lee as a person who gets things done. Lee loved the idea.
“I don’t think I could have done it without her,” said Baginski. “She’s the one who pushed me to execute it. She came up with the name. She got us the first venue. She found our DJ [Helean, 40, Lee’s cousin]. She did a lot of the groundwork that I wouldn’t have known how to do. And so we were a really good pair in that way, where I had the discipline to work at it every single day.”
The pair’s vision and discipline paid off. Earlybirds Club nights quickly expanded to other cities, like Brooklyn, Seattle and Berkeley, often selling out within minutes. Themes like ‘90s Prom or ‘80s New Wave or ‘00s Boy Bands are especially popular. Women of a certain age, it turns out, love to dress up in costume. Think glitter, ruffles, fake prom corsages, and a sea of joyful people scream-singing The Go-Go’s “Vacation.”
“Obviously it’s not to impress the opposite sex, it’s not about getting noticed,” said Baginski. “It’s just about having fun and being silly with your friends.”
The nights can also be surprisingly emotional. Many mid-aged women haven’t been out dancing in a long time. The movement feels different in an older body—not in a good or bad way, just different. “And you haven’t moved like that in a while, with freedom and not giving any fucks at all about how you look,” said Baginksi.
“We play music that’s nostalgic on purpose to remind you of the person you used to be and the person you are now,” Baginski added, “and how those two things can come together in one evening and you can like, scream-sing the lyrics of songs that maybe you haven’t heard in 20 years but the lyrics are all in the back of your brain. It’s kind of a magical feeling.”
For some, the nights are a profound experience. An attendee recently said to Baginski, “If this were a cult, I would join.” And that’s not anything Baginski and Lee were expecting or aiming to do. They simply wanted to dance to great music with their friends. But Earlybirds turned out to be something bigger.
“There’s so much more to it than just a night dancing,” said Baginski. It’s part of a movement of reclaiming what midlife is supposed to look like. And prioritizing yourself and prioritizing joy, which so many of us have kind of deprioritized, because of career or kids or whatever.”
Sadly, Baginski recently started hosting these nights without Lee, who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and wasn’t feeling well enough to participate. Lee passed away Aug. 3.
“She’s the heart of the whole thing,” said Baginski. “She really wants to bring joy to people, that’s her whole mission in life. That spirit still lives on with everything we do. I always talk about her because I think it’s a good reminder for people to be present, which is such a cliche, but how lucky are we to be in this moment right now where we’re dancing with our friends to great music, just being a bunch of ding-dongs, at this age. We don’t get to do that enough.
“We’ve got so much happening, so much real shit’s happened in our lives where it’s easy to get mired in the drudgery of it and the tough stuff. But these are the moments that we are lucky to have. This is why we’re here.”
Tickets on sale now for EarlyBirds Club for Friday, Oct. 24 at Mystic Theatre, 23 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma; 10% of ticket sales benefit The Living Room Center in Sonoma. For the latest events, follow on Instagram: @earlybirds_club.
