Dating Trend: Eye Gazing Parties

May 2, 2006 by NML

There’s a new way to speed date and it’s Eye Gazing Parties where instead of asking a battery of questions for three minutes, you maintain silence and gaze into each other’s eyes instead. The owner Michael Ellsberg started hosting these events in NYC (isn’t that where all the cool things start?) as he got bored with the usual questions and wanted a different, connected experience. Apparently the key is not to stare but to gaze as it’s less hostile and go with a neutral expression. After the gazing sessions, everybody chats and you can exchange contact details. How do you go to one of these events? - These are free parties with a smaller crowd and people tend to find out about them via word of mouth or can email the site with their details and hope to be invited.
I have to say, to my own ears, whilst this is different, it does sound like just another fad and I’m not ultra convinced that this will take off as a mainstream way to meet potential partners. However, for a night of fun and something a little unusual, it sounds like it’s worth a shot. You just never know where you may meet somebody!