So You Say You Can't Dance?!

Everyone can dance. It's a basic fact. Our bodies were made for it (otherwise, we wouldn't have these appendages so long). So stop thinking, "Crap! It's Prom! I can't dance!" Because you can. It's like Ratatouille - anyone can cook if they have the confidence to give it a shot.

Still, some seem more natural than others. Why is that? What makes the difference between a good freestyle prom dancer (freestyle = unrehearsed or unchoreographed dancing) and just another bouncin' kid? Are there any tips for unlocking the dancer in you? Plus, what makes a good dancing song?

Freestyle Prom Dancing

You're going to hate me when you read this but it's completely true. To succeed in dancing, you have to dance from your heart and follow it through the steps. Dancing is really not a brain centered activity. Seriously - sit down and watch Dancing with the Stars on a Monday night. The stars that analyze and try to do it "the brain way" typically fail miserably in some manner (it's very sad :'( ). The best advice I can give is that you find something that really inspires you and dance to honor that. Focus on 'feeling' the music (some call this becoming a second antenna for the radio waves... I think that comes off kind of sketchy but I suppose it makes the point). Dance because it's important to you - your passion or the dancing itself. The moment you think about what everyone else may or may not be thinking, you're going to start losing it. That's also when things get awkward for you. The sad reality is no one else is watching you. Literally, everyone else is busy panicking about dancing in front of other people, too. So just start focusing on yourself - dance like no one is watching because no one is.

Small Note: Dancing with Someone Else/In a Group

Well, it's awesome for starters BUT if you don't 'listen' to your partner's actions and react, then it's going to be weird. Pay attention! It's about you and that one other person (or your group if you're in a group). Forget the rest of the world - just let it fall away (if it doesn't do so effortlessly). Make it about your partner/group and having fun together. If you know who your partner might be ahead of time (for example, s/he is your date), get together a head of time. Dance around to iTunes music in a parking lot or a yard or a friend's living room. Get comfortable with dancing together. You can even be a little flirty while you practice. Remember: It's ok to be embarrassed but at the end of the day... well, this little light of mine - I'm sure as Sam-Heck going to let it shine!!

Top Tips

1. Join the music committee or the prom committee so you know what songs are going to be played (or at least some of them)
2. Practice to iTunes
3. Break in shoes in advance (really - nothing screws up prom night quite like blisters exploding on your date at post prom -- believe me!)
4. (really a corollary to #3....) Wear socks while you break in your shoes. THICK SOCKS.
5. Practice in your shoes - get used to them. Ladies: walk around the house in your shoes. When you buy them, dance a bit in the shoes store - better to look stupid for 2 minutes than find out that your new shoes are too high or too tight or fall off when you twirl when you get home or worse - at prom.
6. Eat something! Before you leave your house - eat a slice of bread. Eat at dinner. Sure, follow the swimming rule and wait 15 minutes before you hit the floor (you don't want to puke) - it's worth it. Maybe worse than throwing up is passing out on the dance floor. Seriously - chaperones will come running and cart you off so some EMT can take your blood pressure twenty times.
7. IF YOU'RE WEARING A LONG DRESS: Get used to the length. Especially if it has any kind of train on it.

So You're Selecting the Songs, or Some of Them anyway

What makes a great dancing song?

One that magnetically pulls you to your feet, obviously. But where does that come from? A great song can ignite a passion in you - the best songs can do it for many people. If you're building a playlist for anything, consider all the different kinds of people who may be attending your event and put a little something for everyone. Balance your energies: if everything you play is bubbly pop music, people will get bored and maybe somebody's eyes will make a magnificent exit from her/his face. On the other hand, if all you play is slow, break up songs - well, it's your party but don't say I didn't warn you. Vary your beats and melodies, too. Bored people aren't any fun. Think about the most popular radio station and how it plays a little bit of everything. You can learn a lot if you listen to the radio for an afternoon.

Alternatively, if you're working with a DJ, give him or her a list of a few songs you want to hear or you know most people definitely want played. Let the DJ do his/her job and figure out the rest. A word of caution: be careful with requests. They can really overrun everything and upset the delicate balance. Try setting up a fish bowl with a pen and slips of paper next to it. If someone wants a particular song played, then s/he can write the song and artist down on a slip of paper and drop it in the fish bowl. Every now and then, your DJ can pull one or two out.

the prom chair

Our Math Teacher Stole the Prom Money?

Laurie Halse Anderson's Prom is about a school in Philadelphia called Carcaras High School. When the prom advisor/math teacher embezzles the students' money for prom a week before the Big Night, the prom committee, including Ashley Hannigan's best friend Natalia (incidentally, the Chair), must scramble to reorganize and recreate the whole event.

While all of Ashley's friends may be addicted to the prom madness, Ashley sees the event the way several cynical pundits do: a lot of money on an out-of-date evening from which the take-away is a bunch of awkward memories anyone can live without. Natalia, however, is obsessed. She always has the latest prom magazine in hand and she's the Prom Chair (which I can tell you takes effort). When the funds are stolen, Natalia begs Ashley to help. Ashley concedes to her friend but never anticipates that she might become the de facto chair. Low and behold, Natalia breaks her leg tripping down the stairs trying to break in her prom heels and gets stuck in a wheelchair -- the reigns pass to Ashley.

When I read this book, I was entertained by the parallels between Natalia's pink notebook and my computer to do lists and spreadsheets. Ashley inherits this notebook and cannot believe the to do lists Natalia had developed. She describes how it was overstimulating and overwhelming and scary. Anderson's portrayal of the responsibilities of the prom chair were impressively accurate. She really nailed it!

As far as prom advisors stealing the money and having to re-plan the prom within a week, well, that's a whole additional senior project. Natalia wandered through the halls essentially aimlessly and stunned for the first several hours after she found out. I'd probably come off like someone had hit me in the with a frying pan, too.

the prom chair

Citation: "Anderson, Laurie Halse. Prom. [New York]: Viking, 2005. Print."

Prom as a Cultural Right

Many have heard about Constance McMillen, the student from Fulton, MI who was denied her right to attend prom by her school board because she wished to go with her girlfriend. To that end, most bloggers have explored the unfairness and down right discrimination against homosexual couples in high school settings. Since there's a lot out there on the subject, I'd like to look at this from a different angle.

Do students have the right to prom? Or just the privilege? Sure, administrations make revoke a student's opportunity to participate in prom night in serious disciplinary situations but I propose that these extreme punishments do not obstruct the cultural mindset that every American student should have the opportunity to participate in this hallowed high school benchmark night.

As a society, Americans have been promoting prom as an institution since the 1950s. Today, the average American teenager spends $600 on the night (Katie's Project, TheSunNews.com). Money tends to show how seriously our culture takes something. $600 is a quite a bit. The perfect date, the perfect hair, the perfect dress -- most girls I know have dreamed about prom since they watched Cinderella for the first. Prom is our night to be princes and princesses - and our society takes that very seriously.

The 1980s heralded the cinema era for Prom. Hollywood commemorates the event in the vast majority of its teen movies, or it substitutes by concluding with some other large, prom-style dance. Pretty in Pink starring Molly Ringwald serves as a primer for preteens. More recently, Disney's High School Musical 3: Senior Year highlights society's value of prom. Troy drives 1000 miles from Albuquerque to Stanford in northern California to "bring prom" to his girlfriend Gabriella. He declares that there is no prom for him without her. He even brings a corsage, the flower traditionally worn on a girl's wrist at prom (usually given to her by her date), and slips it onto her wrist.

Given the media deluge and the amount of money spent on prom each year, it is evident that Prom is an ingrained American tradition - a cultural right as much as fireworks on the Fourth of July. To deny anyone this right for any reason other than severe disciplinary cases is plainly despicable.

Costs of Prom:

YouthNoise Factiods

TheSunNews.com

Troy and Gabriella Prom (YouTube Video)

the prom chair

April 14th Update:

Constance McMillen will be grand marshall of the gay pride parade in New York City this year on June 27. Sadly, her prom night was stolen from her but some good has resulted from her story. Constance, you got the word out there and raised awareness. We are all created equal. You fought for your rights as an American. When you march, you truly deserve that march so congratulations.

New York Times - Unwelcome at Prom, but Leading Pride Parade

the prom chair

40 Things to Find Out about Prom

More questions that I'll try and address with this blog. Feel free to send your own to nchspromcommittee2010@gmail.com :)

Girls can ask Boys to Prom. How has this changed over time? Do girls generally ask boys to prom? Who pays in this case?

How do you ask someone to prom?

What’s it like to go with a group of girls/boys/friends?

What’s it like to go with your crush who you’ve never talked to?

What’s it like to go with your just-a-friend?

How do people shop for a prom dress?

How do you ask the boy nicely to match your dress without giving away what your dress looks like?

How do you make a prom dress?

How have dress styles changed over time?

How have tux styles changed over time?

What are the different styles of dresses? Do they transmit different messages/have different purposes? What are those?

What are the different styles of tuxedoes? Do they transmit different messages/have different purposes? What are those?

What is the most popular colour for prom dress?

What is the origin of the cummerbund?

What’s the purpose of a cummerbund?

How do people celebrate post prom?

What goes into a pre-prom party?

What is the purpose of a pre-prom party?

What other forms of transportation are there to prom?

Who is invited to a pre-prom party?

How do you keep your flower after prom without it rotting away?

How do you make a boutonniere? Corsage?

What do different flowers mean?

What is a corsage/boutonniere?

What is the origin of the corsage/boutonnière exchange tradition?

How has Prom changed over time?

How much money does prom generate in the USA each year?

What made it the ‘night to remember’?

What was the original purpose of prom?

When and where was the first prom?

How many police officers/chaperones must you have per individual in attendance?

What happens with the police regarding curfew for both Senior and Junior Prom?

How does the media drive prom? Or is it the other way around?

There are many negative aspects/pressures presented related to Prom by the media. How many of those actually take place?

What are the common ‘rituals’ in preparation for Prom a week+ in advance? Diets, exercise class?

What are the common ‘rituals’ in preparation for Prom the day of? Do people skip class to get their hair done? mani-pedis? What do boys do?

How is the theme incorporated into Prom? Do people actually remember the theme and care about it?

What are the most common prom themes? Why?

How do people usually get to prom? not everyone can rent a limo

Why take a limo to prom?

the prom chair