Just for the gram and not for the experience: The truth behind CCHS dances

BY SASHEEN JOSEPH

Another one bit the dust as the CCHS Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) announced on January 21 that the Winter Wonderland dance has been canceled. This seems to be the inevitable fate of many CCHS dances with the Aurora Ball and Sadie Hawkins dance also being canceled for the exact same reason: low ticket sales.

The Winter Wonderland dance was made in an attempt to replace the annual Stampede fundraiser held during the last two periods of the school day. The revenue made from Stampede was significantly responsible for many school amenities, such as providing planners for the freshman class and a scholarship for seniors. 

Despite three dances being canceled in the past two years, staple dances such as homecoming and prom are always nearly sold out at CCHS. Even though these dances are of high appreciation, many students leave the event within one hour of being there in order to attend other parties and events. So, it seems to be that no matter the dance, there is a lack of student interest across the board.

“I haven’t gone to any school dances because on the one hand, I just never had anyone to take and if I’m going to hang out with friends, a school setting isn’t going to do much for me,” junior Daniel Edelman said. “Especially if I’m spending money on it, I’d rather spend it somewhere else, where it’s a calm environment; I don’t really like dancing all that much.”

“I haven’t gone to any school dances because on the one hand, I just never had anyone to take and if I’m going to hang out with friends, a school setting isn’t going to do much for me.”

Junior Daniel Edelman

Hosting a successful dance requires an extensive amount of planning and budget to match. But at CCHS, there are certainly unique challenges to account for, with one being the venue. When asked about their thoughts on dances held in the cafeteria, many students expressed their lack of interest, since an event taking place in an area where they eat every day doesn’t seem very appealing. 

“I think it’s more worth it to go to a dance that isn’t in the cafeteria,” sophomore Kelly Nguene said. “Who’s going to pay money to go to a dance that’s in the cafeteria?”

However, the main reasoning behind the cafeteria setting is to keep ticket prices low for students. Venues such as Signature Grand typically cost $20,000 alone to reserve. Thus, an individual ticket for a dance taking place there would cost significantly more.  

“I hire a professional decorator to come in and provide the decorations and transform the space [the cafeteria] into something other than what you see every day,” Student Government Association (SGA) advisor Natalie Flaten said. “At the end of the day, it’s just a building and a room, so we cut costs with that.”

“At the end of the day, it’s just a building and a room, so we cut costs with that.”

Student Government Association (SGA) advisor Natalie Flaten

Another unique challenge for hosting dances at CCHS is persuading students to participate in a school event that has never been done before. This can be especially difficult since, according to a 2018-19 student survey credited by Dr. Carla Hozbin, only 37 percent of CCHS students are active participants in clubs or extracurricular activities. 

In light of this, if students are already reluctant to participate in school-based activities that require little to no monetary expectations, they’re going to approach participating in a dance in a similar manner. In this generation’s eyes, dances are no longer “cool,” and they are just an excuse to dress up and take pictures for Instagram.

“The sad thing is, [students] just wanted it to be Instagram post-worthy because they’re not expecting to have fun,” Flaten said. “Me? I can have fun in a paper bag because I’m going to it with the mentality of wanting to have a good time. You can make anything Instagram post-worthy if you’re creative enough.”

Photo by The Lariat Photography