WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | "Quiet parties" start new trend in dating scene

"Quiet parties" start new trend in dating scene

(New York-NBC) Sept. 14, 2005 - If you're looking for love, but can't stand the loud noise and music of bars and clubs, the best solution is to quiet down.

Around the world, bars and clubs are hosting "quiet parties," providing an atmosphere where silence is golden.

A packed nightclub might seem like a great place to meet new people. That is, if you don't mind yelling! But at a new variety of dating event, no one says a word, on purpose.

Matchmaker Rita Roley says that it's part of the rules, "No one is allowed to talk."

For people who have "written off" the bar scene, "quiet parties" put dating on mute. No music, no cell phones. No talking at all.

Roley explains the idea, "The whole concept of the party is you have to communicate with body language or sign language and also using paper and pencil."

Why the silent treatment? Roley says, "This is something different, something cool, something fun. Something that's going to break the ice."

Besides breaking the ice, a fun note might stir up a conversation, you might even get in writing what people are looking for in a partner.

But some people find they're not cut out for this dating scene, "I spelled my name wrong twice today."

And it doesn't guarantee a love connection. One woman was looking for the an "confident, ambitious, sexy guy" but, "I didn't find one. Except for the camera man."

You may also hear quiet parties referred to as 'silent dating.' of course, with technology, even pen and paper are becoming obsolete. Some quiet parties bring in the use of text messages and emails.

Posted 4:35pm by Chantelle Janelle