Last year, the Aragon Winter Formal Dance made a memorable comeback. Junior Eavan Huth recalls, “It was hysterical that the floor dance floor was actually shaking from people jumping up and down!” There was such a great turnout, with 600 attendees compared to 400 in 2008, that the Leadership committee is bringing it back again.
Last year’s dance was a risk since it was the first winter ball in the past three years. It faced some logistical issues resulting to its absence from the years’ events. Leadership advisor Catherine Williamson says, “It was difficult to find a facility big enough to hold 500 to 600 students. In 2008 we had it at CSM and it was very inexpensive. We only spent $1,800 per room, while Hiller cost $8000, but CSM planned to redo their buildings, so we could not do it there anymore.”
Meanwhile, longing for a dance besides Homecoming, the student body requested the winter formal’s return. Leadership member and senior Allison Zober says, “Underclassmen do not get prom and many of them are pushing for a winter dance. It is also another opportunity for people to get dressed and have fun with friends.”
If the Hiller Aviation Museum’s space had not been available last year, the Winter Formal may have never returned. She says, “There was another high school that had shown interest in Hiller. The school did not get back right away, so I paid for the initial deposit.”
However, it is not just a matter of an available space; there are also other requirements and issues that need to be addressed to find the perfect place.
Williamson says, “Before Hiller, we looked at other places. The Pacific Athletic Club was very expensive and Sofitel Hotel in San Francisco gets booked right away. We also did not want it to be too far away since we have freshmen and sophomores who have to be driven by their parents.” She adds, “Other high schools are also competing against us [for space].”
Despite some issues with the location, the committee is confident in funding and resources. Williamson says, “We figure out a way for the dance to pay for itself. I look at how many students we have last year and lower that number. We start with a minimum price and make sure that we have enough [money] to pay for the expenses. The [saved] money that we have only serves as a cushion.” With this strategy and their reasonable prices, Leadership broke even and then made a small profit last year, promising more successful dances in the future.
However, last year’s dance prompted controversy due to its Sadie Hawkins theme, which encouraged girls to do the asking. Gay Straight Alliance President Sam Alavi says, “It promotes heteronormativity and ostracizes lesbian and gay couples. However, the reason why I chose not to fight it this year is because I feel like as a GSA and a community, we have bigger things to fight. It is important to pick and choose our battles.”
On the other hand, Huth says, “I personally didn’t think it was being exclusive towards anyone. These days Sadie Hawkins is really just a suggestion to flip the ‘normal’ gender roles pertaining to who asks who. I thought it was odd that it was perceived as an attack, since it doesn’t condemn guys asking guys or girls asking girls or even guys asking girls. From my perspective, it’s just supposed to be empowering to women, or whichever person in the relationship wouldn’t be expected to take responsibility for asking. I fully support the gay community.”
On Feb. 4, the Black and White Ball at the Marriott Hotel in San Mateo proved to be a success.
Freshman Elena Enioukova says, “I saw most of my friends, danced with them, and had a fun time. Some of my favorite songs came up, and in the beginning of the night when the high beat songs were playing, the crowd started jumping and I felt the floor shaking, which was fun.”
Hopefully the winter formal dance will continue to be an Aragon tradition in the coming years.
