As a hobby, we have a DJ business on the side. We really enjoy entertaining at schools, churches, and on occasion, weddings, anniversaries, and backyard parties. One of the dance events we do many times over is middle school dances.
It weirdly changes from age to age. The dances are usually during the school day. I usually get the fifth and sixth grade first and then seventh and eighth grade at the end of their day.
The fifth and sixth grade are full of energy. They don’t care who is watching them. They just enjoy the music and energy and dancing. I have so much fun with them it is contagious….and exhausting!
Then the seventh and eighth grades show up and the vibe is totally different. Everyone gets into their little groups and cliques. Girls are checking out the boys and the boys are checking out the girls. No one wants to be the first one on the dance floor even though they are all singing along to the songs. You will see one or two kiddos off on the side dancing because they do not want to be the center of attention.
The only way we can get a majority of the students to the dance floor is with line dances. Cupid Shuffle, Cha Cha Slide, Macarena, and the Wobble have never failed me as floor fillers at our dances. I love these because you don’t have to dance with anyone, there is no snickering from peers because a boy and girl are dancing together, and they are easy for even the most novice dancer.
Valentine’s day evening we did a dance for the seventh and eighth grade students. It was to be a 2-hour long dance and we were wondering if it was going to last that long.
All through the first hour, everyone is separated into their own cliques. I sprinkled in some slow songs too as a social experiment. I was surprised to see many different “pairings” during these songs.
By the second hour, things were starting to roll. The students were getting more comfortable and closer to our DJ stand. The energy was rising and a good time was had by all.
More Dance Classes
I have been a DJ for my school for the past seven years and I have seen a real need for this generation to have dance classes. I’m not talking about expensive classes and going to competition classes. The kind of dance class we need is for social dancing.
This younger generation has no idea how to dance. Sitting at home behind their screens has changed an entire generation of social dancing. Every once in a while you would get the occasional “Fortnite” dance move because that is all they have for skills. The boys try to compete with “big” moves instead of swagger.
It gets a little better at the high school. You can see the students who have parents who take them to dances and teach them how to two-step, jitterbug, and slow dance. We have a blast doing the high school dances.
If we can start teaching our students social dancing at the middle school level, it can only help them later in life in their 20’s, 30’s and beyond. Many couples who are married found their spouse on a dance floor (my husband and I included). Dancing is a fun, social event that will not be going away soon. Let’s prepare our students, sons, and daughters to be comfortable with social dancing so they can have fun and be a part of the dance instead of watching from the sideline.
What do you think? Should we be teaching social dancing in schools? Let me know in the comments.