February Halloween Dance
On the Dancefloor (Photo Credits to Fiona McKillop)
As the lights dimmed in the Craft Theater, students entered with their creative costumes and enthusiastic energy, and the music started pounding on the speakers. The atmosphere surrounding the dance floor of the the Craft Theater was ecstatic. The students occasionally formed one big circle to dance and show off their moves in while the outer edge cheered. Students were found on the ledge catching their breath, socializing, and crowding around the water-fountains to stay hydrated.
However, this dance was different than the other annual Halloween Dance; this dance was held in February rather than October.
Judith DeWoskin, Community High teacher and forum leader who has been hosting the Halloween dance with her forum for over 25-years, has explained this bizarre situation, “I put [the Halloween Dance] on Halloween, which was a Friday and the students knew that a lot of kids wouldn’t want to come and their parents wouldn’t want to chaperone,” DeWoskin said. “So we decided that we would just have a Valentine party.Then when it came time to have the Valentine Party, everybody said ‘no, if we had a Valentine Party, kids think that they have to bring a date’, and I said that is a problem.”
As the DeWoskin Forum brainstormed about different themes for their dance, they decided to maintain the theme that they have been hosting for over 25 years – Halloween.
With two days left until the Halloween Dance, the DeWoskin forum started selling their tickets. Tickets were $3 if sold ahead of time, $4 if they showed up with a costume and $5 if they showed up without a costume.
Judith DeWoskin mentions that this will be the last Halloween Dance in February. “I have been doing Halloween Dances for probably 25-28 years. This will be the last one because next year, Halloween will be on a Saturday; so if we have the dance on Friday, then everybody will be thrilled. Because then it will be like two nights in the row,” as she smiled in her Valentine costume.
