The room is dark and filled with hundreds of teenage bodies writhing and bouncing to the blaring rhythm of a hip-hop beat. Scantily clad girls in camouflage booty shorts and short sailor shirts bend over as their male counterparts “go doo-doo dumb” and “shake them dreads” until they stumble flat on their faces. The air is heavy with sweat.
Months or years ago, this picture might have taken place at a public school dance. Yet on March 7th, this was the scene at the South Lake Union Army Building. The army-themed “G.I. Joes and Military Hoes” dance, hosted by Lakeside sophomore Cliff Sheckles, was the first in a proposed series of privately organized dances, which lately have been the hot topic for high school students in the Seattle area. Similar events are already lining up: Sheckles is tentatively planning a Victoria’s Secret-themed dance in April, as well as a Jungle-themed dance in May. And yet Sheckles isn’t alone. On May 24th is the “Sporty Dance,” hosted by Ari Cohen of The Northwest School and Arturo Ramirez of Ingraham.

The trend is occurring in the face of a new Seattle Public Schools policy which states that schools can only sponsor three dances per year. Although Sheckles did not host the dance primarily for the purpose of combating the policy, he admitted it may have been one reasons G.I. Joes was able to draw so many kids from public schools.

The dances seem to be a win-win situation, at least to the students and the host. For students, they are a way to make lemonade from the lemons that are the new district rules. “The new policy was a real disappointment,” said Garfield sophomore Kate Lemly. “People are definitely eager for more dances.” For the hosts, the monetary reward is significant. Both G.I. Joe’s and Sporty Dance cost $10 or $15 to get in, depending on whether they enter earlier or later. “I got $1,000 just for promoting the dance, without putting any money into it,” Sheckles said. Although he declined to say what the overall profit was, he did state that G.I. Joe’s grossed over $12,000.

Yet many students and parents are dissatisfied with the level of safety at the dances. At G.I. Joe’s, the security consisted of five private guards and two police officers for almost 1,100 attendees. Sheckles said that his event “went really well for a dance this big,” but admitted that there were still some significant issues. One guest had his car stolen after he dropped his jacket with his car keys inside on the ground, and two fights took place at the dance. “Well, the second one wasn’t really a fight,” Sheckles said. “There was one punch, and the kid’s windpipe collapsed and he was taken to the hospital.”

Security is not the only thing that sets private and public dances apart. While school-sponsored dances can still pretend to be innocent social gatherings, the Sporty Dance, with the Facebook tagline, “If you ain’t hyphy and You don’t Gigg then STAY THE F*** HOME YOU DIGG???” leaves nothing to the imagination. Furthermore, Lemly deemed the private dances to be less of an attraction. “It wasn’t like a really great night. It was just something to do,” she said. “Garfield dances are way more fun. You’re with your friends and there’s way less greazy people.”

The private dances are causing many to doubt whether the district policy is effective in its purpose, which supposedly is to improve school safety in the light of the recent high-profile, school-related violence. But if the alternative to a highly secure, closely regulated school dance is a chaotic, out-of-control private one, the policy is essentially worthless. In fact, the shootings that triggered the policy actually occurred not at school events, but at private parties. This suggests that curtailing school dances may actually spur violence by encouraging unofficial events. At Garfield dances, somebody may drink too much and throw a shoe at an administrator. But I’d much rather be hit by a shoe than a bullet.

Security, alcohol, drugs, parents, sex and fun all come into play when students decide whether or not to attend a dance. Yet when I asked one girl if she will be present at Sporty Dance, she boiled it down to a single point. “Probably not,” she said. “I don’t really like the theme.”