It’s the event that all teachers dread. Their task? To supervise and manage the sweaty heap of students that are grotesquely bumping and grinding to the pulsating music. As raunchy as that is stated, this is the truth of high school dances.

When hundreds of teenagers are gathered into an outsized room together in the dark with strobe lights, fog machines, and ear-shattering loud music, it can be expected that they will conduct themselves with less than respectable and conservative behavior.

With the responsibility of constantly reminding the students to act somewhat civilized while covering their ears to shield themselves from the unnecessarily loud beats of hip hop and pop; it’s no wonder that teachers are left with a feeling of regret when their name was pulled by the luck of the draw.

The upcoming All District Dance that will be held in the Buena Gymnasium this Friday welcomes all students attending Foothill, Buena, Ventura or Pacific high school with the presence of a ticket.

No teenager can deny that these events are exciting, thrilling and overall really fun. Being surrounded by a mass of other teenagers and dancing in uniform with them is an experience like no other.

However, I do believe that high school dances have evolved into rather inappropriate behavior. Is there anything that can be done about this change in dancing etiquette?

Dancing has changed dramatically from the arm-distance apart dancing in the 60’s to the butt-to-crotch grinding that is the style choice for today’s generation.

Indecent behavior is forbidden in the day hours of school but once that clock strikes eight and the doors of the gymnasium open, then begins a time for students to temporarily let their inhibitions go and forget about the stress and pressure of school, as well as a time for teachers to bite their tongues and let the students have their fun.

Photo: Audrey Benelisha takes up the issue of inappropriate dancing at high school dances. Photo by Lauren Parrino of The Foothill Dragon Press.