Home Base

More than hip hop at the hop?

Administrators, parents quick to halt 'booty' dancing
at school dances

When called on the carpet, however, most students respect school rules

On the dance floor, high school students may be grinding, gyrating and bumping real close to their partners to Juvenile's "Set If Off Right." But this form of dancing, called freak dancing, or more commonly in this area, booty dancing or dirty dancing, is usually quickly nipped in the bud by area Catholic high school administrators or parents chaperoning school dances. Some area Catholic high schools have policies forbidding that form of dancing as well slam dancing, moshing or mosh-pit dances done in a circle as a group.

Freak dancing originated on the east and west coasts over 20 years ago. Parents can probably remember "Dirty Dancing," a 1987 film with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. But that dancing was somewhat tame compared to some of the sexually explicit moves with dirty dancing today.

While some teens at local Catholic high schools may enjoy dirty or freak dancing mainly at local clubs, they'll try to do it at their local school dance -- if they get a chance. But if called on the carpet they'll usually respect the rules.

Three Messmer High School students: Ashley Burnett and Chue Yang both in the honors program and George Lasley, an honor roll student, recently talked with a Catholic Herald Parenting reporter about dance trends.

"We just like dancing around here," said Lasley, 18, a senior. He said what they call booty dancing at Messmer is "a form of liking another person. It can go (to) more than that (sex) if people want it to. But if you're mature about it, you can dance and then move on," he said.

Burnett, 15 a sophomore at Messmer agrees that it (dirty dancing) doesn't necessarily mean you're going to move if further.

But Chue Yang, 17, a junior at Messmer noted, "The problem is how people view it. You don't have to do dirty dancing. There are other forms of expression at a Catholic school."

While Burnett said she used to participate in dirty dancing, she added, "Personally, I wouldn't do it around my peers." She said if she participates in a prayer service at Messmer and then joins in bumping and intertwining limbs on the dance floor, she'd be a "hypocrite."

However, Lasley said he wanted to speak for his friends. "Who says you can't be prepared for Christ with the way you dance or talk. I dance this way," he said.

"How do you know if you're mature enough to move on? (and not engage in sex after the dance)," countered Yang, who is student council president.

Vice principal Donna Childs said the school won't promote a dance where kids get excited, where it could lead to something else.

Burnett said, "I think it's contradictory to our school beliefs if we dance that way."

Childs said the school now has only one dance a year -- homecoming -- plus prom which is considered a formal affair. "We don't condone it (dirty dancing) at all. Our principal Jeff Monday has gone through and separated couples (at a dance)."

Lasley admitted he's been asked to stop dirty dancing at Messmer's dance. "I didn't agree with it, but I stopped," he said.

Lasley, who is senior representative to the student council, knows that according to school rules, he'll first get a verbal warning, if he's dirty dancing at homecoming, and on his second attempt he'll be escorted out of the dance.

But Childs said students who came to homecoming -- this year it was Oct. 13 -- signed contracts saying they'd follow certain rules of etiquette and stay at the dance once they arrive, until it's over. "They know about the contract, but they may try it," she said of dirty dancing.

"Part of the reason we have only one dance a year is to head off problems," Childs said. For a time, she said, dances were canceled at Messmer, but two or three years ago, at the request of the student council, dances were started again.

"This is the first year we had it here -- usually it's at the National Guard Armory, said Yang of the homecoming dance.

"Our kids know what our school represents -- Christ -- so they behave appropriately. A few of them test it," said Childs. But then she said there are also students who say I'm not going to do that (dance dirty). "So they're bigger role models."

Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, Milwaukee, had its first experience with so-called dirty dancing in Fall 2000.

According to Dawn Gardner, a student council advisor, who plans three of the schools open dances, dirty dancing occurred at the welcome back dance. (Students from other schools may attend open dances, provided they have identification.) "At the time we didn't have guidelines and rules. But after (rules were put into place) it dwindled down to nothing," she said.

Last fall Gardner and another advisor recalled that dirty dancing was occurring with a tight bunch in the middle of the dance floor and sometimes a guy moving from girl to girl. Administrators would cut through the middle of the dance floor and break the group up.

Laurie Ellis, the other student council advisor, believes that more freshman and sophomores, and not upperclassmen, were involved in dirty dancing. Ellis said after that welcome back dance, staff did a lot of talking with the theology department on how to tell students dirty dancing was demeaning. "Maybe that brought the realization it's not appropriate," she said.

"At DS that kind of awareness helped stop it," said Anne Ferraro, 18 a senior at DSHA. "Also, being in an all girl atmosphere helped a lot."

Sophomore Jane Derdzinski, 15, said, "I think some kids thought the only way boys would like them is if they did dirty dancing." Derdzinski, a student council representative said, "I don't think girls realized how negative it was."

Ferraro, who is student body president, recalled as a freshman how she wanted to go out and have fun and meet boys. But now as a senior, even though she dates, boys are not a "priority," she said. Having close (girl) friends and college are high on her list of goals.

The rules in the DSHA handbook state if a student is stopped for inappropriate dancing his or her student identification will be taken by a chaperone as a first warning. If a student is stopped a second time, his or her parents will be called to pick them up. The rules state that besides dirty dancing, no grinding, slam dancing, body passing, stage driving or moshing are allowed.

At Catholic Central High School, Burlington, principal John Leoni, said, "We don't have rules (on dancing) per se. We have a minimum of four to eight chaperones at dances. Sure the kids would probably say, 'Oh, we wish we could do it.' But they're not going to try it with mom or dad standing there."

"Last year they tried a couple of times (to dirty dance) I went around the dance floor and broke it up," recalled Leoni. "I talked with kids last year. But they don't see any sexual innuendos involved with it -- at least they didn't express any," he said.

At St. Joseph High School, Kenosha, assistant principal Susan Meyer said the school's dance policy in its handbook was updated last year.

Meyer said, as with most area Catholic schools, they've had kids try to get away with dirty dancing. But she said St. Joseph is fortunate because administrators are "on the dance floor among the dancers to let them know we're following the policy.

The policy specifically states that "dirty dancing is strictly prohibited and dirty dancing shall be understood as any or all dance movements or practices that suggest or simulate sexual activity. The policy also bans slam dancing, body passing and mosh-pit activity or any dance that may impede the physical safety and create undue liability for St. Joseph High School.

The consequences, here, like at other Catholic high schools, are first a warning and, then, for second offense, parents are called to pick the student up from the dance.

Meyer noted if there are guests attending a St. Joseph dance, they must provide a photo identification and fill out a form listing the name and phone number of a parent or guardian. This number is verified before they enter the dance.

Victoria Bonesho, advisor to the student conclave at Marquette University High School and chair of the social studies department said, "Whenever you're dealing with high school students you have to realize they're going to try to get away with what they can get away with." There have been incidents in the past few years where students tried to dance inappropriately, said said. "But it's the duty of the school, whether it be teachers, Jesuit priests or parents to stop it." While there is no written policy in place for dirty or inappropriate dancing, Bonesho noted that any form of dancing "which an adult would not want their own children doing," is prohibited.

While she said some students may see us "stopping the dancing inappropriately, as hampering their self expression, I really believe kids want guidelines. The vast majority of kids are good and know what's appropriate," she said.