VMF brings the beats to the ballroom

The Michael’s On East ballroom has never seen so many sweaty bodies — or so many glow sticks.

The Vinyl Music Festival kicked into high gear Friday night in a space typically reserved for buttoned-up fundraisers and ladies luncheons.

Organizers of the three-day DJ love-fest certainly didn’t slack off in the event’s third year.

A thumping late-night soundtrack spun by DJs from all over the world helped pack the dance floor (and the courtyard) with a sea of clubbers, some who wore nothing more than strategically placed body paint and stilettos and many who flashed VIP passes after receiving their wristbands at the door.

Spotted mingling among the crowd: VMF co-founder Rich Swier, actor-turned-Sarasota-Elf-turned-Art-Whisperer Joey Panek and filmmaker Shaun Greenspan, whose short film, “The Break Up,” premieres Friday at the Sarasota Film Festival.

Contact Heidi Kurpiela at [email protected]

BEHIND THE TURNTABLES
This year’s festival drew DJs from different corners of the globe. Here’s a look at from where some of the VMF artists hail.

Honorebel: Jamaica
Cosmo: Germany
Darude: Finland
Randy Boyer: Hartford, Conn.
Sin Diesel: Washington, D.C.
DJ Ductape: Columbus, Ohio
Jake Lysick: Morgantown, W.Va.