For decades, school dances seemed to define the high school experience. Nearly every classic high school rom com features a boy working up the courage to ask his crush to dance under twinkling lights in their high school gym.
Yet, today, the announcement that Winter Ball would be cancelled due to low ticket sales didn’t result in heartbreak. Instead, it was met with a few shrugs and a return to conversation about weekend plans. Our lack of interest in Winter Ball is a reflection of a broader shift in students’ attitudes toward school dances, one that should matter to us, and one that we have the power to change.
School dances have always been about coming together as a community. Sure, we can all hangout in our smaller groups every weekend, but when do we really get the opportunity to gather with the whole school in a non-classroom setting? Dances give us a chance to see our peers dressed up, laughing, and interacting beyond group projects and comparing test grades. There’s a reason classic movies like “10 Things I Hate About You” always take place at a Homecoming or a prom. Generations before us used to cherish those nights.
Still, I get it. With social media keeping us all connected 24/7, it feels like we see our peers all the time anyways, even if it’s simply through a screen. Plus, social media can make dances feel like a source of unwanted pressure. I’m always worried about finding the perfect dress or making sure I take enough pictures beforehand so that I can post, and I know that most of my friends feel the same way. Dances have become an obligation that some people have started to dread, getting ready just to stress about how our peers will perceive us on Instagram. This can also lead to financial worries, as dresses can be an expensive purchase, especially if we’re worried about finding the picture perfect one. Older generations didn’t have to worry about these issues as much as we do. Their nights weren’t preserved on social media indefinitely for others to judge.
That being said, these issues shouldn’t push us to discard dances altogether. As we evolve, dances may need to evolve with us, but simply getting rid of the tradition doesn’t have to be the solution.
So, what would the solution look like? It starts with lowering the pressure. Social media isn’t going away, and the pressures we face aren’t either. However, we have the power to change the dance narrative. Maybe we push to have photo booths at every school dance and make it “trendy” to post pictures we get from there. People wouldn’t have to worry so much about hours of picture taking before they get to the school if they could focus on taking fun pictures inside a booth at the dance instead. The pre-dance ritual doesn’t have to be so serious if we all come together and make it more fun. If we made posting more about goofy low-resolution pictures inside a booth instead of getting the
perfect picture beforehand, the night could become lighter.
As for the cost, many students have started selling their prom dresses for lower prices on Instagram. If we expanded this to ask former students to sell their previous Homecoming and Winter Ball dresses, these items could be a lot more affordable. Trading old dresses with friends is also something my friend group started doing last year, and it became a fun way for all of us to avoid buying a new, expensive dress we may never wear again.
People have also complained about DJ’s in the past, but if we commit to fixes the Senate has proposed such as sending in song recommendations before the dance, that issue could be fixed as well.
The real change has to be our willingness to participate in pushing for the dances we want. We’ve all recognized the issues we see with our dances, now it’s time for us to start making the changes we want to see to preserve our traditions.
Dances have traditionally been a meaningful part of the high school experience. They’ve been something students look forward to, nights where we can all forget about all of our obligations and come together as a school community. Yes, society has evolved and our priorities have shifted. As we evolve, it makes sense to expect dances to evolve a bit with us, but getting rid of them is not the solution.
Many of my friends were upset that Winter Ball was cancelled even if they hadn’t bought tickets yet, and I’m sure many of you felt the same way. Many students were waiting to buy tickets even if they wanted to go because they weren’t sure if anyone else was going. That alone shows that people still care, but we all have to commit to making changes if we don’t want to risk losing dances entirely. If we commit to making dances feel less like a night of pressure and expectations and more like a night to make memories and connections with our peers, we can change this trend in declining attendance and allow future students to inherit a high school experience like the ones in the movies.