What is your opinion on dirty dancing at school dances?

I’m not really the “target audience” for sexy dancing, but I always found it inappropriate at school events.

I don’t know how you’d punish someone for doing such a thing. Kick them out of the dance? Give a detention?

Pffff. That kind of nonsense went down at my middle school. It’s like a sleazy mating ritual. I think that kids who participate in it should be paraded down the street in Lady Gaga boob-triangles and publically shamed.

Well at the catholic girls boarding school I was remanded to in the early 60’s, the rule was that there had to be enough space between you and your partner that an NYC phone book could easily pass through.

I hate to think what might have happened if anyone’s pelvis would have moved in a suggestive fashion!!!

This reminds me of Ned Flanders when he calls Rev. Lovejoy complaining of a problem: “I was at a party doing a dance called the Bump but my hip slipped and my buttocks accidentally came into contact with the buttocks of another man!” and Lovejoy’s like “I…see…”

I just don’t think it’s a big deal. Just another way of people denying that teenagers have sexualities and repressing their sexual urges, which are going to be expressed anyway somehow. I bring this up because my Catholic vegetarian non-TV-watching neighbor was angry when her son got in trouble for freaking thinking he shouldn’t have and that surprised me.

And it’s not like it needs to be done at schools. In junior and senior year I went to plenty of private parties where there were dances and plenty of opportunities for dirty dancing.

My issue I guess is opposition to it as a whole. I can see how people would not think it belongs at a school.

But still; my school was always very lenient about it. No one ever got in trouble for it. I think there may have been a rule at one point; but it was one of those things never enforced.

@DominicX LOLOLOLOL I love Flanders!

My opinion is they should just let it go…in my experience the girls just wanted to do it not only to feel sexy but b/c it was ‘wrong’ or ‘not allowed’. Like if you would make it a rule not to chew gum, people will chew gum to feel like a rebel

I don’t go to school dances, so I don’t see them. But the next day I hear all about it.
”You should have seen how Vanessa was dancing all over him! She looked like a total slut!”
I see it at parties sometimes and I just laugh cause it is just hilarious.

It is a part of life. If they have reached that age and can’t be trusted then it is too late. We all did it it (most of us) yet we decry our children walking down the same path. It is a part of their life learning experience – they all have to go through it. We can’t isolate them and then one day throw a switch and say “You are now adult!”

@DarkScribe I agree.

I’d just warn my kids to be wary of cameras because a picture or 2 of them caught in the act might end up on Facebook…

And of course I’m not speaking from personal experience, silly, hehe…how could that ever happen to me? ;)

@DarkScribe !! GA! The same thing happens when they don’t let us have a boy/girlfriend, they had one too at our age and they don’t let us.

@DominicX – okay now you have me curious, where is the pic on facebook, I want to see!

It’s just dancing… I don’t think it’s a big deal. It isn’t becoming of a young person at all, but I also doubt that dirty dancing is going to convince someone to have sex at an earlier age than they would have decided anyway.

@rooeytoo
lol…seriously? It’ll scar you for life! (Not really). Here are the scandalous photos: http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff293/Onnajanai/25.jpg http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff293/Onnajanai/26.jpg

This was freshman year when I was 14. There was no alcohol or anything involved; it was just wholesome innocent fun. :P (I’m the small blond one with the bowl cut. Glad I grew out of that haircut). My friend deleted them at my request because I was embarrassed when they were posted, but they’re not that bad.

I also agree, @BBSDTfamily that I don’t think it’ll encourage anyone to have sex at an earlier age; it’s a totally different thing. For me and some other people, it was definitely experimentation and it was enjoyable. It’s not like anyone was forced to do it.

I don’t see the big deal, kids having fun at a dance, I think we should leave it alone and let them have their fun and learning. People are way too prude

I was guilty of it back in my high school years.. but it really is just dancing.. plus, most of the time we would just do it among friends.. now I’ve grown out of it and relate more to salsa dancing.. its sexy but classy at the same time.. I think dancing is just a form of expression.. if you think about it grinding is done mostly by teenagers and then later grow out of it.. it’s not a big deal.

@DominicX – you look like you are in danger of being squished but not hating the experience!!! nice pic and you do look a lot more grown up with your new haircut! Thanks for sharing.

@rooeytoo haha…no problem. Ah, 2005…so long ago…

@DominicX Oh geez, i’m class of ‘01!! Thanks for making me feel old!!! j/k :-)

@kheredia And thank you for making me feel young! (Turning 18 this year got me feelin’ old). :P

@DominicX Oh geez, i’m class of ‘01!! Thanks for making me feel old!!! j/k :-)

If I was to tell you that I am class of seventy-four – would that make you feel young again?

I’m a teen and I say grown ups should let it go b/c they kno they did the same thing when they were a teen too so we should be able to have fun as well as make our own mistakes

I see no point in school’s making any rule against it. That usually has the oposite effect and paints the administration in a ridiculous light.

Were I running the school, I’d officially not make an issue of it. It’s only dancing and should be (at least) somewhat expressive.

On the other hand, if I were a chaperone at said dance and saw a couple of students explicitly grinding each other with their tongues down each other’s throat, I’d probably make a point of standing next to them and clearing my throat (or tap them on the shoulder, suggesting they come up for air). But I wouldn’t report them or remove them from the dance.

Ah yes, I totally did it and so what…that all ended when high school ended and we all realized there was so much more to life than who danced between whom in what sort of sandwich

I don’t have an opinion, but it makes me chuckle at the absurdity – been there, done that.

We got down on the dance floor, yo. Ahh, sweet nostalgia.

I don’t think it should be allowed at all. After all, we had to dance 12 inches apart (and they checked with a ruler) so why should this younger generation get all the fun?

@Darwin Why do you have to be such a hard ass? It is just kids having fun, lighten up man

@Darwin – Apparently your tongue in cheekness was not overt enough to be apparent to all. But I got it, I wonder if we went to the same school?!

@rooeytoo – Probably not the same school, but maybe the same generation.

@justus2 – I suspect you aren’t old enough to have ever witnessed the ruler-brandishing teacher at every school dance. In fact, I would strongly suspect that you are still in your mid-teens. I have two things to say to you:

1) You are taking things waaaayy too seriously.

2) I am not a man.

Yeah, c’mon. Darwin is obviously a dog.

who cares, I mean what are you really accomplishing by prohibiting it? kids don’t listen to you about small issues like that, and telling them it’s bad is just going to make them want to do it more, parents need to relax on the subject.

@Sarcasm – Yes, and a female dog at that. Make of this statement what you will. My son has called me much worse.

@Darwin Your name sounds like a man. Also I am a grown adult, and I don’t see what the big deal is with dirty dancing and whoever thinks it shouldn’t be allowed I think needs to lighten up.

Dirty dancing is the sort of thing that should be reserved for private dances, not out in the middle of a school gym. What it leads to is raging hormones that can overtake common sense and a profound sense of discomfiture in those who came innocently to attend a school function.

Why should folks be allowed to in essence simulate sex acts in a public school when strip bars have to have special licenses to do so? Why should I have to watch someone pretend to have sex on the dance floor if I go to a school dance, and not an adults-only establishment?

You may be an adult, but you aren’t a very mature one.

Or to quote Mrs. Patrick Campbell, who was an actress during a time when actresses were considered “loose women,”“It doesn’t make any difference what you do in the bedroom as long as you don’t do it in the street and frighten the horses.”

“Your name sounds like a man”

There you go, making unwarranted assumptions! Actually Darwin is a town in Australia and a British last name, so it is neither male nor female. Your name sounds like neither male nor female so I am not going tom make assumptions as to who or what you are based on it. Kindly do me the courtesy of returning the favor.

@Darwin

I can tell you that the people who attend these dances are not as “innocent” as you think. Furthermore, it’s almost always dark and crowded, so that chances of you being forced to look at it are slim.

(I went to every single major school dance since 7th grade except for one).

I have been to these dances, and so has my daughter. While some people at the dance may not be “innocent,” others are or would like to have a pleasant time. Or as my daughter said of the homecoming dance this past weekend, “Thank God no one got really drunk. It’s gross when that happens!” Not everyone wants to go to “R” rated events, especially when they are supposed to be PG.

@Darwin

Actually, it’s probably more PG-13. Keep in mind I’m referring to high school dances, not middle school dances. And how does wanting to participate in some more “sexy” dancing mean you don’t want to have a “pleasant time”? I always wanted to have a pleasant time at every dance I went to and I did. And you don’t have to be drunk to participate in freak dancing, as evidenced by the example I posted of myself during freshman. No one was on any alcohol, people were just having fun.

Obviously you and my daughter go to different schools.

And what started as a sarcastic remark has now been taken waaayyyy too seriously by waaayyyy too many young people.

@Darwin

Yes, obviously. But people still taped alcohol to their legs like in the olden days, danced dirty, and of course, there were plenty who didn’t participate in any of that. It’s your own choice what you want to do at those dances (of course alcohol wasn’t allowed and we even had breathalyzer tests at some dances).

I knew your original mark was sarcastic, but I wasn’t referring to it. I was referring to what you said about the dances and immaturity and how people who freak dance ruin it for other people.

I have a right not to agree with you; I’m just voicing my opinion based on my experiences. Everyone’s experiences are different.

Trust me, school dances today are a lot more R-rated than you think and than they used to be.

@Darwin

Is that “today” as in 2009 vs. 2008 or “today” as in 2009 vs. 1973? I know for a fact that dances are more R-rated than they were decades ago. My mom had never even heard of “freaking” and said that no one really did stuff like that back in her day. And believe me, I’ve seen some pretty explicit things at dances (girl on the floor…use your imagination), but that went way beyond a few seconds of freaking, which is what this question was meant to be about.

And like I said, it doesn’t have to be done at schools. Plenty of time for it at private parties.

“today” as in 2009 vs. 1973 through 1989, of course. It built up gradually so young folks didn’t really notice how much headway in the direction of sleaze they were actually making. However, it is noticeable if you compare decades.

Well, I would say a lot of that is due to the fact that sex isn’t as taboo as it has been in past decades. It’s a completely different social situation.

Believe me, I’m the one who wants to have a 17th century-themed dance with 17th century music. But no one likes my ideas… :(

@Darwin With all do respect but I have to disagree with you. I think you are over exaggerating and I don’t believe teenagers are not having a pleasant time at their dances because they saw somebody dirty dancing. They’re not taking their clothes off or touching each other inappropriately. It’s just dancing. Most teenagers will do it at one point in their life and that doesn’t mean that they are bad or dirty. It’s just a different generation now and it’s not looked at as such a horrible thing. Even if schools where to prohibit it, it doesn’t mean its not going to happen. I remember my high school tried to keep it under control but we still did it anyway and it was fun. I don’t remember anybody complaining about the dancing. At least not the students.

I really think you’re being a little to harsh on this topic and I know it’s your own personal opinion but I just don’t see where the real harm is in dancing in this particular way.

@DominicX a lot of that is due to the fact that sex isn’t as taboo as it has been in past decades.

You have to be kidding. It was far less taboo in the sixties and seventies. You had to work hard not to get laid then. Once AIDS raised its ugly head in the early eighties things started sliding backwards. In the late sixties I would see people meeting and making out in semi-public places all the time. Girls were bra-less, knickerless and eager to out-do men in sexual aggressiveness. Even Germaine Greer used to make out in public in those days. If I wasn’t married I would miss those days – free love and no nasty diseases rampant.

If a school doesn’t like the way kids dance, they shouldn’t have dances

Sure- leave the Attitudes at the door!