At the prom: Dirty dancing or a generation gap?

Enlarge

As long as there have been school dances, there have been parents and teachers who have been a little uncomfortable.

This year is no different, as evidenced by reports that administrators at Licking Valley High School in central Ohio are so tired of raunchy, dirty dancing that they're not allowing "grinding" at prom this year, a reference to the sexually suggestive style where the female often has her back to the male.

Local teens are no strangers to the dance craze at the center of this controversy.

"That's how people dance," said Kristen Gerbeck, a junior at Rogers High School in West Toledo.

Matt Wilson, a senior, estimated that 99 percent of his peers dance that way.

"It's not meant to be extremely dirty. It's just all in good fun," he said.

It's still a headache for school officials concerned about students who take things too far.

"What I see I'm somewhat uncomfortable with," said Jeff Dever, principal at Bowling Green High School. "I see kids dancing front-to-back. ... Sometimes I see a whole line of that. ... It's not anything that I danced like when I was in high school."

Even with chaperones on patrol looking for dresses hiked up too high or hands where they shouldn't be, it can be hard to see through the dim lighting and mass of students. Any crackdown also requires a tough balancing act for someone who wants the kids to have a good time and worries that too many restrictions could lead to decreased attendance.

"Frankly, what I'd really like to do is I'd like to have parents come to the dances and have them see how their kids dance," Mr. Dever said.

At Sylvania Southview High School, administrators are working with a group of parents to address the issue of provocative dancing, one that faces schools everywhere according to Nancy Crandell, communications director for the district.

"It's just one of the styles of dance that kids are doing right now. ... Kids get, sometimes, a little too close for comfort," she said. "I think kids tend to push the envelope."

Different schools have tried different tactics. At Springfield High School, a section in the handbook addresses dance styles. It prohibits freaking, bumping, grinding, and other sexually suggestive dancing.

"They're just closer and making more contact than they ever have before," said principal Steve Gwin. "We try to monitor that and separate that, but as soon as you get out of sight, it goes back the same way. It's always an uphill battle. It's been that way for generations."

Elberta Smith, assistant principal of activities at Rogers, said chaperones will intervene with a tap on the shoulder if they see the potential of a behavior that may cross the line, but they haven't had any concerns at prom, perhaps because it is the school's most formal event.

"When the kids are dressed formally, it sets a tone for them to act appropriately," she said.

Bryon Borgelt, associate principal at St. John's Jesuit High School, said one answer is to flood the dance floor with as many chaperones as possible. He said students generally have been cooperative.

Allie Smith, vice president of the junior class at Bowling Green, said most of the time it's much ado about nothing.

"I think students just like to have fun, dancing however they want, expressing themselves however they want," she said.

She said the dancing reflects what's on modern music videos and television.

Class president Hannah Wirt said the style is a natural outgrowth of the heavy beats of rap and other popular music. She added, though, that if someone takes it too far it can make her feel uncomfortable because it almost looks like the dancers are having sex.

The battle between youth culture and adult anxiety is not new, explained prom trend expert Montana Miller of Bowling Green State University.

"It seems that every spring, as the flowers bloom so does the paranoia of the adults about the way that their children are dancing," she said.

The assistant professor of popular culture continued by saying that the dancing style, which has been en vogue for the last decade, does not translate to actual sexual behavior by teens, although some do take it too far at times.

"I've heard of grinding getting to the point where people are actually lying on the floor, and it does kind of look like they're pantomiming sexual activity," she said.

Her colleague at BGSU, Jeremy Wallach, said that the current debate has deep roots.

"Moral panics over dance crazes have swept the mass media since the 16th century, probably before that," said the associate professor in pop culture who specializes in popular music.

It's an old worry that always seems to emerge with new rhythms — whether it's jazz, rock and roll, disco, or hip hop — and always seems to be overstated. Mr. Wallach doesn't expect that to change.

"The only thing we can say for sure is there will be the next thing," he said. "The people bumping and grinding on the dance floor are doing to grow up and have kids of their own and be upset at what their kids are doing."

Contact Ryan E. Smith at:

ryansmith@theblade.com

or 419-724-6103