Have you ever been to a school dance? Did it reach your desired enjoyment? We all know the restrictions these dances have and sometimes the students are not so interested in following them, which stops them from going. Many students have their opinions on school dances. Simply, some like them and some don’t. If attendance equates to interest, then dances are actually getting less and less interesting to students. In 2018, a dance was canceled because of the lack of tickets purchased. That was not the first time in recent years. Students were not interested in the theme that was presented and decided not to attend it.
Ideally, dances are experiences for students to get together and spend time with friends and enjoy a fun time away from the stress-filled environment of school. It gives them the chance to meet others and have a fun night outside of normal school. It also supports the school with the number of tickets bought and gives the school more opportunities to do events.
“I love going to the dances because it’s one of the best ways to make memories with friends, but I do feel they should try and have some improvements towards the music and try to let other students put more of their input on what’s chosen to be played,” said Destinee Martinez, a senior who goes to James Logan High School.
One problem with the dances is the budget that is given. The school isn’t able to be very creative with dances in terms of the location, music, and food that is included. The school doesn’t have many fundraisers dedicated to making dances better or other events the school might plan. Sometimes the students aren’t interested in the music or the DJ, and they have actually walked out and waited for the song to be over, or they just sit down.
“I think the attendance rates could be better and the DJ’s are never good,” Bisma Khan, a senior, said when asked about her opinions on the dances. She also explained why the music doesn’t interest the students as much.
“We have to play appropriate music, which sucks because we are restricted, which does not interest us so much,” Khan said.
“I’m the activities commissioner, so I plan all the dances and try to make them happen,” Khan said. She explains that we should let the whole school give their input on the themes and music and try to work with the options and answers.
“We should try and find new advertising techniques, try out new DJs,” Bisma said.
Changing the music won’t be so easy. Not everyone can agree on the best ones, and also because of the small number of clean versions of songs. English teacher Quentin Fields, who has chaperoned dances and is a Link Crew adviser, thinks the dances can be improved.
“One way we could try and improve the music and still keep it at the expectations of the school is try another DJ that can find songs that still are appealing to the students without the excluded words, for example, one of our peers who knows which songs would be good. Plus it can maybe convince some kids to go to see their friend or classmate doing something like that,” Fields said.
The concerns that come from parents sometimes also stop students from attending this type of school event; however, it’s important to try and interest all the students so we can sell tickets and get people to come and have a good time with friends and others. It will help us have more events like these. Good memories could still be made with others around you.
