The Glow Dance has finally made its return. Last year, due to COVID-19 protocol, Longhorn Council (LoCo) could not host a winter formal for the student body. However, with restrictions slowly lifting, the Glow Dance will be on Friday, March 11. The doors will open at 7:30 p.m., and the main gym will be filled with black lights and students in neon clothes.
“We were planning on having the winter dance inside, but, with COVID-19, we couldn’t have that many people [in that space]. So we had to wait until the end of January, and then we had to wait until the end of February,” senior and Longhorn Council Student Body President Caroline Bergh said.
LoCo decided against doing a winter dance, like King of Hearts (KOH), since Prom will occur on April 30. However, unlike other school dances, no dresses or suits are required at the Glow Dance, and there is no expectation of dinner and photos.
“You can wear any clothes you want, although it is most popular to wear either white or neon clothes since the lights will be off and there will be blacklights. So It’ll be like glow in the dark,” Bergh said. “You can come in shorts and a tank top. It’s very informal.”
This week, LoCo is hosting a spirit week, and there will be a pep rally replacing Academic Lab on Friday. Freshmen like Sally Peters have yet to experience an indoor school dance or pep rally, as homecoming and its festivities were held outside this past fall. Additionally, the dance will be mask optional since there are less than eight active COVID cases among students.
“Homecoming this year was kind of a big deal. You had to go. You had to take pictures. You had to buy a dress. I like the Glow Dance being more casual because it’s something you can just go to after school. You don’t have to get ready or spend money on [a] dress,” Peters said.
Since 2020, the Glow Dance will offer a new experience to freshmen and sophomores as the first indoor dance. It will also allow seniors to re-experience a high school tradition from freshmen year.
“I’m excited to have an actual dance again. I didn’t go to homecoming this year because it was outdoors which seemed kind of seemed weird. So, since quarantine, it has been a while,” senior Sreemanyu Mandhapati said. “It’s weird to have my last winter dance as a senior, but there’s a last for everything. I’m looking at this as just for fun.”
Students can purchase tickets for $12 through the athletics tab on the Parkway West homepage.
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