Dance after Dance: What Lawrentians Really Think

To mosh or not to mosh – a crucial question that Lawrentians ask themselves as they strategize how to spend their oh-so-precious Saturday nights. When thinking of a school dance, everyone knows what to expect: flashing lights, loud songs, and the long-held tradition of jumping up and down in a sweaty group of teenagers, commonly known as the great "mosh pit." 

Aside from occasional unforeseen crowd surfs, dances are predictable. While the  consistent expectations are part of their appeal, “dances can be fun, but they can also be very tedious or repetitive,” said Sarah Rodrigues ’25. Similarly, Ellie Turchetta ’25 agreed that "there's always the same music that can never fully encompass each individual's personal taste." Though they are classic, the crowd will never catch a break from ever-reappearing 2010s hits like “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame. While half the dance floor wants nothing more than to sing along to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,” the other half prefer to lunge for the skip button when the overplayed song begins.

The happy medium of attendance is also difficult to find. Crowded and cramped, Clark Music Hall was bursting at the seams during the Fall Term’s Homecoming dance but had a noticeable emptiness during the latest “Club One” dance. As one of the approximately “twelve people” to reportedly attend, Bridget Holden ’25 said “there was nobody there, so you walked in and it felt awkward and unexciting.” The turn-up at dances can both overwhelm and underwhelm, so when choosing to go to a dance, attendees hope to find the sweet spot between suffocating from lack of air space and drowning in the abundance of air. Most agree that dances are best when well attended and lively with just enough elbow room.

The mosh pit, a controversy of its own, is not every person’s friend. Some, like Rodrigues, do not enjoy the concept of being tossed around in a frenzy of jumping. Arya Sreedhar ’24, on the contrary, is the self-proclaimed "mosh pit beast," who loves the thrill of riding the wave of jumpers while cheering  those brave enough to enter the center of the dance circle. 

When it comes to House-organized dances, half the fun is House hype. In addition to the rush of the dance itself, one of Sreedhar's favorite parts of last February’s McLovin’ dance was the dance’s preparation. Coupled with the hard work of McClellan Social Representative, Natalie Moore ’24, the McClellan residents enjoyed laughs and House bonding while working hard to create the dance ambiance through the collaborative decorating process. Dances like McLovin’ or Club Stan are crowd-pleasers because they make Saturday nights about more than simply turning up—they also emphasize House pride. House dances allow each House to create an event as it sees fit whilst having fun with other Houses. 

In addition to these dance favorites, the Tropically Themed Stuco Dance dance at the beginning of the year was a major hit. This dance on Bunn Library’s patio was one of Turchetta's "favorite Saturday nights of this year," as it allowed space for strong-hearted moshers but also room to drift away and chat without the fear of being trampled. As the dreary and gray clouds of winter finally make way for the warm sunshine of spring, the weather creates more opportunities for more outdoor dances.

While not everyone chooses to mosh during their Saturday night dilemmas, Sreedhar says that "Saturday night events, like dances, create a big opportunity for us to bond with our community. People just have to be willing to take part in them, and be willing to have fun.” From one Lawrentian to another, I think that students judge dances too soon. Though they usually look the same, we students are the people who make the event. By reconsidering the stigma behind school dances and adjusting their structure, we can take advantage of this opportunity to make memories with friends. And besides, nothing says intense community bonding like a mosh pit.