Dance to good karma - the story behind the Karma Club

Published: 04.04.2023

by: Christina Hazelden

Photo: Karma club

After I moved to Aarhus a little over four years ago, at the age of 48 I had to build a new social circle. I didn't know anyone in Aarhus and as a person who loves to be social, I quickly started looking for girlfriends that I could go out and have fun with. One of the first places I came across was the Karma Club.

I remember it clearly when I walked in the door. The party was already in full swing and the dance floor was full of smiling guests swinging each other around to the music from the DJ, while others stood at the bar chatting. I immediately felt welcome and it wasn't long before I was on the dance floor for most of the evening.

Since that night, I have been to several parties in Karmakluben and every time I have felt like part of a big, energetic family. So when the opportunity presented itself where I could have a chat with Lone Rasmussen, author and the woman behind the Karma Club, I was very excited to hear more about Lone and her personal journey that has been the last 15 years with the Karma Club.

Lone, the woman behind the Karma club

I had the pleasure of meeting Lone over a cup of tea in her hotel room in Aarhus, and I was instantly captured by her positive energy and happy smile. Her radiance which just embraced me with such great warmth that I immediately felt welcome in her company. And it is undoubtedly the same positive and happy energy that is also reflected in the Karma Club.

During our conversation, Lone talked about the many experiences she has had with the Karma Club over the years. She also shared some of her personal experiences and challenges that she has overcome.

A place with positive energy and people who like to dance

Karmaklubben is more than just a disco – it's a place where you can feel like part of a big, happy family. It's a place where you can dance and have fun with others, regardless of your age or background. The club is not permanently located, but instead rents out to restaurateurs and hotels that have space for a party with a few hundred guests.
In Århus, Karmaklubben was previously located in Train and now in the Radisson Red hotel on Frederiksgade. The club is for everyone regardless of age and has a regular monthly Karmafest where you can dance to happy pop music and spread positive energy. Here at the beginning of 2023, Karmaklubben has 10 permanent cities, where they hold parties once a month and some pop-up parties around the country.

Lone told me how more than a decade ago she started Karmaklubben with a vision to create a place where people could dance, party and create good memories together. With her love for music and dance since she was very small and a strong will to create a space for community and positive energy, the Karma Club has grown into what it is today.

Lone Rasmussen, author and the woman behind the Karma Club

A smart idea turns into a revolution in nightlife

With what exactly was it that made her start a party for people who love to dance back in 2008. "It was a very specific experience that I still remember very clearly and that started the idea for the Karma Club. 15 years ago I was in the city in Copenhagen. It was 2 in the morning and I was at the opening of a new disco. The dance floor was gapingly empty, even though the place was full of people. So I went up to the DJ and tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he could play some pop hit that would get people on the dance floor. But he just looked at me and said that the music he plays is the cool music. Then I just have to educate people a bit. Then I turned on my heel and cycled home and thought, now I'm making my own party”.

When Lone had come home on her bicycle that Saturday night 15 years ago, she made a cup of tea and sat down at the desk. She thought of the book she had bought for some reason "how to build your own website in Front page". She had never made websites before, but thought how difficult it could be, and so she got down to business, while Martin Thorborg's inspirational videos played in the background.

From small beginnings to great success

Now the name was in place and Lone just needed a dance floor and, at least as important, to spread the word. I was quite excited to hear how it had gone back in 2008. "I had a friend who had a disco inside Copenhagen and I was allowed to borrow the first floor. When she heard that I wanted to start the party already at 20 she smiled and said, 'Lone girl, there is no one who goes into town at 20 in Copenhagen'. But I had no doubts about the time, so I sent an SMS to everyone I knew and wrote that I was having a dance party, which started at 20. And even though only 17 of my friends came, we had great fun and the next month they brought some of their friends with them and eventually we could fill a whole dance floor with Karma-happy guests.

But how do you come up with the name Karmaklubben? "It was important to me that it should just be the opposite of what I had just experienced. And because I'm an A person myself and actually didn't mind going out into the city until the early hours of the morning, it had to be a party where you start early and end at midnight. It was important that there should be a sense of community and then there should be happy pop music that could be danced to. Karma is what you give out and what you get back, and if you start a good action, you also feel better as a person. A good party doesn't necessarily solve the challenges you're dealing with, but it can make you feel a little better and if you're happy and feeling good, things always look a little brighter. So that's why it came to be called the Karma Club."

A name that makes sense

But karma, isn't it something like yoga and dancing around in bare feet and drinking organic carrot juice? So an obvious question was whether Lone had at some point considered that it should be called something else. Here the answer came very promptly: "no, never, not even though there are many who have pushed". Lone smiled a little and continued, "I actually had someone who once wrote to me and asked if she could join the Karma Club, because she was the kind of person who swore. The name has been important right from the start. The Karma Club is a party that you go to because you get to lift your energy and give the best you have and just leave as a happy person.”

The disco, which creates a feeling of a family party

What makes Karmaklubben different from other discotheques? Yes, here you get the feeling of being part of a big family party, where the purpose is to dance and have fun together. Everyone loves to be at weddings and birthdays, where the live band plays and the dance floor fills up. This feeling of joy and community also creates the Karma Club, regardless of whether you are 18 or 62 years old.

Some of the guests at the Karma Club come to party for a few hours before they have to report to their night shift or after a long day at work. But no matter how busy people have been, there is always a good atmosphere and a desire to dance and have fun. The guests are also good at talking to each other, and if there should be a clash on the dance floor, it's no problem – people say sorry and keep dancing.

The Karma Club welcomes you

At Karmaklubben, everyone is welcome, regardless of whether you come alone, with your partner or your friends. Even if your plans with others have to be cancelled, you can still come alone because you will be welcomed by one of the volunteers as soon as you walk in the door. The warm welcome that guests receive at the door is carried onto the dance floor and creates a positive atmosphere.

The timing of the Karmafest is not completely coincidental either. The doors open at 20 and the party ends at 24. Which is absolutely perfect so you can still be reasonably fresh for the next morning. It is especially popular with those who have smaller children. Lone recommends that you remember to go out, even if there are smaller children in the home, "hold each other's arms and go out and have a good time together and remember each other when you met."

There is room for everyone here. And yet, the Karma Club is not for everyone. Because it is important that you bring the happy energy and joy to joint parties. Smart in a hurry and if you're only in town to score, it just doesn't fit into the concept. "I'm not at all interested in people having to pay entrance fees to be somewhere they don't want to be." Then I would rather give them the money back so they can spend the 4 hours somewhere else and have a good evening.”

A special experience that changed a guest's view of karma

In particular, there is a very special experience with a guest that Lone remembers and I can feel that she is completely moved as she talks about it. "We were in Haderslev and one of the guests was somewhat dissatisfied and stood like that with his arms crossed. That caught my attention and I asked him why he wasn't enjoying himself. He told me that his mate had forced him to come along and he wasn't interested in that karma thing at all. I talked to him a bit and said that if after an hour he still doesn't think it's anything special, he'll get his money back. I went to some of the other guests and when I looked for the man an hour later, he was standing out on the dance floor completely engrossed in the music and dancing. As he left, he asked when the next Karmafest was. If that's not meaningful, I don't know what is.” Lone continued with a huge smile, "a few months later I saw him at Karmafest in Copenhagen with 3 friends. They had driven all the way from Sønderborg to get to Karmafest.”

Why copying the concept fails

With now 10 locations around the country, Lone cannot be everywhere at once and therefore the concept also depends on volunteers. They stand at the door and welcome you to the evening's Karmafest and then they can also be found out on the dance floor, where they contribute to the good atmosphere.

The many Karmafests are incredibly popular and this has also led to attempts to copy the concept. I asked Lone if she was worried when others tried something similar. "I'm not worried even though others have tried and the reason I think it won't work is because we make parties for people who like to dance and our parties have a very special Karma DNA. It's not a singles party or an eighties or nineties party. Our entire core value is that we hold a party for those who love to dance and we give people a setting where they can come and get some good energy that they can take with them into their everyday lives.”

The future of the Karma Club

And what is the future for the Karma Club? Because after 15 years, the baby has become a teenager and well on its way to becoming an adult. "I have a mission that all Danes must have the opportunity to come to a karma party that is no further away than max. 45 minutes in a car. Now that the Karma Club is so well established, I want to go back to doing what I did before the Karma Club started. Namely writing books and lecturing on good karma in companies. We have a lot of talented volunteers, who I trust that they can easily carry the Karma Club forward in the same spirit, and I will also always be part of the Karma Club, even if I am not so much present at the parties.”

The Karma Club is not a club that rests on its laurels. On the contrary, new karma clubs are still being opened around Denmark, and Lone is always open to fun and different collaborators. Sometimes it is guests who make suggestions, and other times she is contacted by companies or places that want to hold a Karmafest.

After 15 years, the Karma Club has taken a place in our hearts, and the joy of going and spending positive energy on happy dance music is here to stay. And fortunately for their many loyal guests, the Karma Club is still in constant development and adaptation. They listen to guests' wishes and needs and try to create new and exciting initiatives to ensure that guests have the best possible experience on the dance floor. Because the Karma Club is more than just a club – it is a community that creates positive memories and happy moments.