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By Quinn Blair-Heim
It’s common knowledge around Kenmore West that the school dance craze of the past few years is floundering, on its way out, and it can’t play even one more song. It danced its last Cotton Eyed Joe, and we didn’t even know it. It is a confusing problem. Teachers and students alike are wondering, “Whatever happened to those school dance things?” In all seriousness, school dances at Kenmore West haven’t been doing well recently. We all know it, and many of us are asking how this happened. Why aren’t people going to dances anymore?
Well, after asking multiple students, I may have some answers. As many people know, the Glow Dance was cancelled recently due to a lack of sales. Out of 61 students, 75% said that they never intended to go to the dance, and only about 25% planned to attend. Clearly, students are not going to dances, and there are a few key reasons why.
Out of all the reasons listed for why someone doesn’t want to attend, money was the most mentioned. Students think that dances are too expensive. Yes, they understand that high ticket prices are often the only reason that the grades selling tickets can raise money, but it’s also important to remember that if prices are too high, tickets won’t sell. Many recommend that lowered prices would incentivize them to go to dances more often, leading to more ticket sales overall and dances that actually happen.
People also get bored. There usually aren’t many activities to do and the music played is pretty repetitive, not to mention that the DJs usually won’t take requests, playing songs that students either don’t know or don’t want to hear for the fourth dance in a row. Some dances and songs are fun to do over and over again, but an option to make recommendations and change things up (appropriately, of course) would bring a lot more interest for a lot of people. Also, other than Homecoming and Prom (and sometimes Tinsel), most of the dances are pretty much the same. Many respondents mentioned, like I have, the lack of activities to participate in, and even made recommendations for what to add. Freshman Willow Czerwinski, suggested “Quality over quantity; I think we (try to) have dances quite often, maybe too often? If they happened less, people may be more inclined to attend since it is more of an 'uncommon occurrence'. I remember from the 8th Grade Mixer last school year that there were other activities (like the Mega Jenga,) in the cafeteria. Those things cater towards those who might not be as big of a fan of dancing, the loud music, or just socializing with people they don't know very well.” Speaking of too many dances, that was the third most common problem brought up. Students talked about the simple and seemingly unhelpful explanations for many dances, as well as the fact that so many are held throughout the year that it gets repetitive. 8th grader Annabelle Cotterman makes a great point, saying, “Some dances aren't selling simply because there is no need for them (Glow Dance), due to the amount of dances that we have already (and how pricey dresses/outfits can be) or lack of pre-announcement or getting word out of dress code. (What were we supposed to wear to the Glow dance anyway? All black and put on glow sticks? Neon to look like glow sticks? Glow-in-the-dark makeup? Regular clothes? I need a heads up because I don't want to buy something I can't or wouldn't fit in wearing).”
Suffice it to say, people are tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. That is not a criticism of the dance organizers or the class officers, as many classes hold votes on the dances’ themes, leaving the responsibility of picking these events mostly in the hands of the students. What can be tiring, though, is not knowing about a dance until a few days before it happens. There were dozens of complaints about a lack of advertising for the dances until it was too late. Many students do not have the luxury to be able to simply come back to school after hours with only a few days' notice, let alone get the money to buy a ticket. This does not even take into account the other things you may need to buy for a bigger dance, like Homecoming or Tinsel.
The students had quite a few ideas about how to make dances more appealing to them and their peers. “Make a school Instagram account just for dances because so many teens have the app and would be more likely to see it rather than a poster on the school's walls or on the announcements! The school should also provide a survey for the teens where they enter the name of a song (1 per student) that they want played at the dance. Then a poll is posted with the most repeated song or artist names and we can vote for the top ones. Sometimes the DJ doesn't get around to answering everyone's song requests, so this way it is fair because majority rules. Also, if the gym were decorated more, I think it would feel more festive and more places to take cute pictures with friends,” replied sophomore Olivia Mock. Annabelle Cotterman also had an idea, recommending that we could, “make them more known, maybe make a schedule of all the dances that are planned for the year with the theme and outfits/dress wear recommended so people don't have to worry about what to buy and know what to expect. Other than that, I think other ways should just be done for fundraising so it doesn't just seem like there's a dance for every other month.” Carmelo Cicero offered, “I think they should actually listen to what students want. Let people help pick the music, switch up the themes, and plan it better so it doesn’t feel thrown together last minute. Maybe add fun stuff like games, food trucks, or raffles to make it more than just standing around awkwardly in a gym with bad music.”
In conclusion, our school dances have potential! There are plenty of things that can be done to bring up more engagement, things that are proven to work well. And, as a reminder to anyone reading, if you want to help make not just the dances, but anything in the school better, especially if you don’t see others talking about it, do something! Run for class office, or just join it if being a class officer isn’t your thing. Join Student Council and talk to your class advisors with ideas and suggestions. The best way to make change is to take action.
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