In the world of reality, high school dances of the past were nights to get together with friends, dress formally, and have fun dancing with a date or an interesting someone you have been eyeing all night. And thanks to classic high school movies, in the back of every teen’s mind is the inevitable slow dance.
It’s safe to say that most of us have been waiting to go to a high school dance such as homecoming or prom since we were middle schoolers, when the most exciting part of a “dance” involved a snack table and a bounce house. High school dances upped the ante. Formal dresses and high heels, dress pants and a tie, dim lights and the chance to dance close to a crush when the slow song comes on.
In recent years, however, it seems all of the excitement has faded away and going to dances just isn’t considered fun or cool anymore to many teenagers. One factor contributing to this boredom may be the music being played.
Hearing Miley Cyrus’s, “Party in The USA,” three times every dance isn’t exactly the most riveting experience for everyone. On the contrary, some genres of music make it difficult or awkward to dance to, such as rap. In a survey of 99 students, over half of them reported that they did not enjoy the music played at dances and would prefer another genre. Others commented that the music was too loud or just inappropriate.
A lot of students who do actually end up attending these events only stay for a short while anyways. They may spend money on a dress or suit and go out to dinner, but only stay for thirty minutes to an hour.
With how few dances are actually held by high schools nowadays, it would make sense for teenagers to make the most of their high school years and participate in the classic high school rituals like going to prom, for instance. However, this just isn’t the pattern anymore. In that same survey of 99 students, only 35 reported that they actually stay until the end of the dance.
It seems that the long-awaited tradition of “slow dances” has died down over the years. DJs tend to only play one “slow song” if any and it is usually the very last song of the night.
Growing up watching movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, Sixteen Candles, and Grease had made me one of those people who were longing for the idea of dancing with that one true love. Movies have always romanticised these kinds of picture perfect moments and I was yet another one of those expectant girls waiting for her own moment. I remember being a middle schooler and being so excited for the possibility to slow dance with someone, but disappointingly, even this year’s homecoming did not feature any slow songs.
In multiple responses to whether or not surveyors liked slow dances, many students answered that they thought they were boring, gross, or awkward. Over half of all surveyors said they did not even look forward to the idea of slow dances. This then poses the question of just how much certain traditions have changed.
There are definitely a handful of traditions that have changed over time and been modernized. For example, boys don’t necessarily have to be the ones to ask out their date and girls now have the more common opportunity to ask out guys first. Also, teens don’t have to have dates in order to go. Most people just go with a platonic date or with a group of friends and have just as much, if not more fun without a date.
But although some traditions have changed, the main event has seemed to lose its luster. There are plenty of suitable “slow dance songs” that DJ’s could play, but for some reason, choose not to. That also may be the reason that teenagers dislike slow dances. They may not have had a good experience, or no experience at all.
In some instances, DJ’s take song recommendations from students, which leaves the song genres up to them. Perhaps letting the DJ take full control would eliminate the problem of unwieldy songs, but eliminating the prospect of slow songs altogether would extract the true experience of dances from hopeful, excited students.
The high school ritual of dances has always been about being connected with friends or your significant other and having fun and having that special moment. If school dances are truly becoming a drab, that only means those connections will be lost and those special moments in the movies will be nothing more than fiction and fantasy.
