By: Megan Colburn
A lot of people showed up to the Homecoming Dance on October 13 th . It was held in the Double Tree Inn, in Rohnert Park. Quite a few people were upset at the time it took to get down there, and especially the outrageous price for a ticket, but they excused these horrific atrocities in hopes of how good the dance would be. Everyone was breathalized, and the girls lost a few inches of height when they checked in their shoes.
And there was a lot of dancing, and it was good, in most opinions. The gourmet food they served entertained most of the people, featuring cream puffs, specially made drinks, cookies, and chocolate-covered strawberries. A beautiful ice sculpture stood in the middle of the table, attracting flashes from various disposable cameras. But there were several people not even getting on the dance floor, just because of the music being played. Most of the songs were rap and hip-hop, with a few memorable Brittany Spears and Michael Jackson songs mixed in. Which was fine, but as one senior from last year commented, "How are you supposed to dance to that kind of music, if not freak dancing?"
Which was, of course, the main issue. The worry that it would get out of hand carried over from last year's dances, which led to more chaperones signing up. Was it the fault of the music being played? It has to be admitted, when I was finally dragged onto the dance floor, there was mostly freak dancing- although I had to agree, this music would have been difficult to slow dance to. When I interviewed her, Mrs. Law blamed the media. "Students dance to what they see, what they're used to... We cut out the hyphy music, and we're trying to work with students and put some responsibility on them... You as students need to regulate yourselves."
But it could be said that people overall, are overreacting to the issue. "The freak dancing I don't think is a problem- apparently it is," said Austin Sandoval with a shrug. "It is... a lot of people dancing, but I don't see anything that makes me think there is an issue," added Smithson, one of the many chaperones. "It's not like it's a bad thing," said another student. In general, most of the people attending acknowledged the freak dancing was happening, but didn't think much of it.
"We thought it [the dance] was a huge success, " commented Mrs. Grant, leader of the leadership class. "But the dance contracts weren't well done." I'm sure everyone remembers the rush on the last day to buy tickets- the dance contracts were the main source of mass panic. But Mrs. Grant assured me that the problem would be worked on before the next dance, possibly by computer- the ultimate fixer of any problem.
Overall, it seemed to me, as I was talking to people after the dance, that the school is evenly divided on whether the dance was good or bad. Many people didn't like the music being played or the freak dancing, whether it was good or bad, it was disliked by a lot of people. With people saying that "The dance floor was too small." or "Awesome music." It's hard to determine whether it was good or bad.
Personally...? Well, the cream puffs were delicious. |
