Dances have always been a pivotal part of high school culture. The dance on Feb. 11, being just a mere couple of weeks away, has generated a significant amount of buzz around it. This will be the first winter dance in three years. There also is a distinct theme, which is exciting for many students as it gives attendees a secure sense of what to wear while also leaving the need to purchase new formal clothes out of the equation. Lucia Heathcote ‘25 says, “I don’t think it’s going to attract more people because people like getting dressed up… I think it would be better if each grade had their own dress code, or each grade got to vote on it.” Even though some students would have preferred more formal attire for the dance, many think that a casual dance can potentially be an opportunity for differentiation in the type of dances hosted currently, like prom and homecoming, both formal. However, many students wish that the dance was announced sooner to figure out plans and previous conflicts.
Sophomore Dean and faculty leader on SIAC Maggie Bowman expressed that the dance was particularly harder to pull together and announce more efficiently because “SIAC approached us in early Dec. about the possibility of a dance and that timing is pretty late to start planning for an event.” Bowman also provides some perspective on why the Snow Daze dance has not been on Blake’s repertoire since Feb. 2020, explaining that “the dance did not happen in 2021 or 2022 because of COVID”, but also because in 2020 “it was not well attended.” Although reasonably split on how to elevate the dance, SIAC members stay hopeful, bringing in multiple methods to garner spirit and excitement for the dance. So far, attendance among students is high, however, some students are unable to attend because of previous commitments. The same weekend there is ACT testing in the morning and a debate tournament occurring. Uma Bastodkar ’25 who is a part of the debate team specifies that the scheduling conflict, “sucks because a lot of people have the same tournament on that same weekend so they won’t be able to go.”
