As we all know, school dances are literally the peak of your high school experience. They’re potentially even the peak of your entire life. They’re fun-filled and it’s definitely not too hot in the gym, the music is really good, and everyone’s dancing is off the chain. This is probably the ideal picture we all have had in our heads after years of TV shows about very realistic high school experiences. Yet the actual “culture” around these dances has barely anything to do with dancing.
On the heels of the homecoming, the school dance experience is fresh on the minds of BHS students. Many regarded school dances positively while many strongly disliked them. After conducting interviews, the positive and negative reviews seem to split among the underclassmen and upperclassmen. One freshman, Leo (‘27), said “I thought it was really fun,” and that the music was, “good dancing music.”
Another underclassman, Sophia (‘26) leaned in favor of the dance, with only a few critiques around the mosh pit, “It’s fun until you almost die in the mosh pit… I think people need to chill out about it.” This is understandable considering the dancing, or realistically, jumping up and down in the middle of the gym often seems a little violent and uncoordinated. Only the bravest of students dare enter the pit, and if you do, make sure you don’t fall over because there’s a good chance that no one will help you up. Other than the safety concerns at the dance, the underclassmen still seemed pretty amped about it.
However, when it comes to the upperclassmen, there is a stark difference in attitude. The upperclassmen at BHS have been around the block a few times and have seen horrors that a person can only see at a public high school dance. For this reason, Holden Buckley (‘25) didn’t even go to homecoming this year, “I did not go to it because I had a feeling it was gonna be the exact same as the year prior, and I did go to that one and it was mid.” Upperclassmen also seem to have similar critiques as underclassmen but to the extremes. Buckley also mentioned the ‘dancing’ that happens at our school dances, “The moshing? No, I’m not a big fan.” Buckley also voiced his distaste for the pungent atmosphere of school dances, “It’s kind of just a bunch of really stinky people jumping around in a circle,” was his description of the ‘mosh’ pit.
But this isn’t just one upperclassmen’s opinion, Senior Cici Georgitis (‘24) also mentioned the noxious quality that came out of homecoming, “It’s not really dancing, it’s like jumping around in the pit. I think it’s kind of gross.” This brings attention to one big distinction that I think should be made around the school dances, that they will never be like an actual dance. A lot of the people that go are practicing how they plan to rave and party once they get to college, by getting sweaty to bad rap music. The moshing that occurs is hardly actual moshing just like how the music is often hardly music.
With that being said, school dances aren’t necessarily beyond enjoyment. The right way to attend a school event is to go with friends you love, dress confidently, and have fun in the ways you can. Santiago Benitez-Fernandez (‘24) perfectly encapsulates this sentiment, “I had a blast at homecoming, but it wasn’t because of homecoming itself, it’s because I was with good friends.” There’s more than going into the pit to have fun at homecoming, being with friends, dancing to the music you like, and creating your own space is a surefire way to have fun.
