S T O R Y M O N I C A PA R PA L S TO C K B R I D G E
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P H OT O M A R T H A W I R T H
PARTY POSITIVE Amber Handby wants people to “party positive” — to have memorable social experiences through dance and music but without drugs or alcohol. “Intoxicants create an unnecessary filter between people,” said Handby, a 2012 graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver and one of the University Alumni Association’s 10 Under 10 award winners for 2021. The award recognizes graduates from the past 10 years who are doing exceptional work in their communities. For Handby and her husband, Mike, that includes producing Sundown Colorado, the state’s first “detox” music festival, which took place Sept. 11 at the RiNo Festival Grounds in Denver. The drug- and alcohol-free event had all the elements of a great party, while also focusing on healing, mindfulness and connection. The festival is the latest accomplishment for Amber Handby, a marketing professional and singer, and her husband, a DJ and music producer. Since 2013, the two have formed the DJ duo DoubleCrush and co-created Secret Dance Addiction to host virtual and in-person dance parties. Mike Handby also owns Ignight Entertainment, which provides services for weddings and private parties. Amber Handby attributes much of her success to the Marketing degree she earned from MSU Denver. “I was already working at that point,” she said, so the combination of online classes and on-campus activities was “really empowering because I was able to self-direct.” Today, she owns Bang Marketing and manages all of the marketing campaigns for Secret Dance Addiction and Ignight Entertainment. The couple’s multifaceted talents have culminated in Sundown Colorado, where festivalgoers enjoyed main-stage acts Autograf and Yolanda Be Cool, as well as a silent disco, a meditation tent and a sober bar. The festival has been described as an event for the “sober-curious,” a movement that encourages a sober lifestyle and, said Amber Handby, redefines what it means to be alive. “I’m doing what I love, and I want to see more people doing what they love,” she said. “So when you’re sober-curious, I think you’re waking up to your infinite potential.”
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RED MAGAZINE | W I NT E R 2021
