Lemoore (CA) school decides to fight dirty (dancing)
By Tim Bragg / The Fresno Bee
(Updated Monday, January 10, 2005, 5:45 AM)
LEMOORE — Dirty dancing by some Lemoore Union High School students has led the principal to cancel all school dances until students stop bumping and grinding.
Principal Jim Bennett blames an upsurge in the number of students freaking — a form of sexually suggestive dancing popular in nightclubs that involves grinding the hips and pelvic area — for his decision to cancel the rest of this year's school dances, including the Sadie Hawkins dance in February and the junior and senior proms in the spring.
Bennett said that at the winter formal dance last month, he warned students several times over the public address system to either quit the dirty dancing or face the possibility of cancellation of all of the dances.
He said the students made their choice when they continued freak dancing despite his warnings. He left open the possibility of rescheduling the dances but said it will be up to students to modify their behavior.
"It's really up to the kids at this point. They have to take some responsibility," Bennett said. But some students and parents say it's not fair to punish all students, including those who were not doing anything wrong. They say the number of students dancing out of bounds was small.
"All it would take is kicking out someone from the dance," said Kayde Naylon, an 18-year-old Lemoore High senior who is on the organizing committee for the Sadie Hawkins dance. "I've never seen anyone get kicked out of dance for that."
The Sadie Hawkins dance is a fund-raiser for the school's Future Farmers of America. Naylon said it usually raises about $1,500 to help send FFA students to conventions and competitions.
Naylon and the other dance organizers are working with Bennett to come up with a series of regulations they hope will allow the Sadie Hawkins dance to go on.
Ideas include having the students sign a form when they purchase their tickets indicating they understand they'll be kicked out if they engage in any inappropriate dancing.
Naylon and others hope similar regulations also could lead to the reinstatement of other dances, especially the prom.
"Some students save up all year to buy a dress or rent a tuxedo and buy flowers for the prom," said student body president Zohra Lakhani, a 17-year-old senior. "To crush everyone's dreams … it's not fair."
Bennett said trying to enforce a ban on freak dancing is difficult because school officials cannot monitor everyone: "Then you have the parents calling up and saying, 'Hey, my kid wasn't the only one doing it. Why are you punishing him?'"
As evidence of his conviction to cancel the dances until changes are made, Bennett pointed to his decision to cancel the popular "night rally" celebrations before the homecoming football game after they got out of hand.
The principal said the school has not held a night rally in four years.
One problem with the dances, Bennett said, is a lack of parental chaperones to keep an eye on students during the dances.
"I'm not required to hold school dances," Bennett said. "If they want to get parent chaperones or teacher chaperones or security to help, it's up to them."
Administrators at other local school districts say that while they're dealing with the issue of students freak dancing, they've never threatened to cancel all student dances.
"With most students, they usually stop it when we ask them, 'Would you like me to call your mother or father and tell them how you're dancing?'" said John Leal, assistant principal at Roosevelt High School in Fresno.
He said administrators closely monitor the dances and try to alternate between fast and slow songs to cut down on freaking.
Other school officials say part of the problem is that freaking is the common form of dancing in nightclubs that appeal to young people, and it's regularly shown on television.
"I think the kids are getting mixed messages," said Nick Miller, a teacher at Redwood High School in Visalia who serves as the student activities director.
Students are not the only ones smarting over the dance cancellation in Lemoore.
Business owners say the move could be costly if the prom is among the canceled dances. And some wonder what the fuss is all about.
"When my generation was young, our parents said rock 'n' roll would rot our minds," said Titta Champ, owner of Special Touch Tuxedo Rentals and Wedding Chapel in Hanford. "They said doing things like the Twist was bad. Sure, some of us turned out bad, but for the most part, I think we're OK. I think most of these kids are OK."
The reporter can be reached at tbragg@fresnobee.com or (559) 622-2417.
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