Editor’s note: This article is by Lisa McCormack of The Stowe Reporter.
Stowe High School students won’t be doing any dirty dancing this year.
Principal Jeff Maher last week canceled all school dances for the remainder of the year with the exception of senior prom next spring. Maher said he made the decision after fielding numerous complaints from parents, staff and students about the dance known as “grinding,” in which two or more dancers rub or bump their lower bodies against one another suggestively.
The dance has been a problem at Stowe High School in the past, and recent attempts to discourage the behavior have been unsuccessful, Maher said.
“It’s part of this awful, vulgar culture they inhabit,” Maher said. “We got to the point where it just didn’t reflect the values we condone.”
Maher announced his decision in a blog post on the school’s website on Oct. 22.
Stowe High School traditionally has held four dances each year, plus the senior prom (which will go on as scheduled).
A cultural problem
High schools across the country are dealing with the issue of inappropriate dancing, said Maher. Montpelier High School canceled its homecoming dance a few years ago in part because of concerns about grinding, he said.
Maher met with Stowe’s Student Leadership Team Friday to discuss the announcement. “I’m challenging them to put together a proposal on how they can put together dances more responsibly,” Maher said.
“It pushes the envelope,” Maher said. “Kids just don’t get that this type of dancing is inappropriate. The popular culture says it’s OK. You have to take a stand and say, ‘It’s not all right. We can’t condone it.’”
Teenage dance crazes have caused controversy since Elvis Presley shook his hips on the Ed Sullivan show in 1956. And popular culture has been exploring the phenomenon ever since.
The 1984 movie “Footloose,” for instance, is about a city teenager who moves to a small town where rock music and dancing are banned.
More recently, former Disney star Miley Cyrus caused a stir by using another suggestive dancing style — “twerking” — during her MTV Video Music Awards performance.
Reactions mixed
Parent Amena Smith believes drastic actions are sometimes needed when lesser measures don’t work.
“Sometimes we have to, as adults, take a serious stand about things that are inappropriate to get a message across,” Smith said.
Mike Priestly, the father of a senior at the high school and a daughter who graduated a few years ago, believes the decision was a bit harsh.
“The school should work with kids to work out differences and continue the dances,” Priestly said. “They’re kids. They need monitors to watch for risqué or provocative behavior, but I don’t think that’s a reason to cancel dances.”
His son, Dylan, agrees.
“I can see where Mr. Maher is coming from, but we’ve always had dances and this is a disappointment,” Dylan Priestly said. “I wish that the dances were still going on.”
