Aurora students weigh in on "Blackout 2k19"

Dances are a typical part of a high schooler’s life. Teens find the perfect outfit, take pictures with their friends, and dance the night away in their school’s gymnasium.

Typically, in the beginning of March, Aurora High hosts a spring dance for all high schoolers. Unlike the Homecoming dance, which is put on by Aurora’s Student Council, “Spring Fling” is put on by the After Prom committee in order to raise funds.

Spring Fling usually has some sort of theme. In recent years, the dance has had a St. Patrick’s Day theme and a Mardi Gras theme. This year, Spring Fling was completely rebranded as “Blackout 2k19” in order to try to boost attendance. Students were instructed to wear white or neon, and glow sticks and neon body paint were available for students to accessorize with.

The entertainment was provided by a local DJ--DJ Xtrav--who has been working at events in the Cleveland area for the past three years. The music played at the dance was not unlike past years, mostly consisting of rap, along with a few pop songs here and there.

One unique thing about DJ Xtrav was that he interacted with students. At times in the middle of a song he would instruct students to “jump”, or stopped the music to reprimand students for throwing glow sticks at the stage. He threatened several times to shut the music down completely if the actions continued.

In order to produce a ‘glow’ effect, two black lights were placed in the gym. Anything white or neon did glow as soon as you walked in--but the effect diminished as you got closer to the DJ stand and people dancing. The DJ had a light board behind him, and the two black lights were not enough to keep the glow effect going.

A new addition to the dance this year was a raffle. Each student got a ticket after they checked in, and had the chance to win prizes such as a Buffalo Wild Wings gift card, Prom and After Prom tickets, and corsages and boutonnieres from local florist The Country Owl.

Another addition to the dance came by way of refreshments--a cotton candy machine. Chaperones made individual cotton candy bags for students to take at their leisure. However, the machine was shut down and abandoned about halfway through the dance, leaving students no other options than chips if they wanted something to eat.

In a survey sent to students, 64.1% of the people who responded that attended the dance said they enjoyed themselves.

When asked why they did not attend, most commonly people replied they did not understand the “blackout” theme, or dress code of “dressy casual”. Many also responded they did not have much fun in past years, and didn’t want to waste the money.

On the other hand, plenty of people who responded said they liked the theme, especially the addition of neon body paint. Though 52.6% of respondents said they didn’t like the music selections, there were some responses saying the music was, in fact, better than the music played at the Homecoming dance.

The biggest change people would make is having a more specific dress code. There was much confusion with what the term “dressy casual” actually meant. In the words of one student, “When you say casual, actually mean casual. Otherwise, say formal next time.”

Another common change students wanted to see was to keep “Spring Fling” just that--a spring dance, with no new gimmicks or themes. However, many people (44.2% of respondents) wanted to see a Sadie Hawkins dance started instead.

Though the goal of the rebranding was to increase attendance, according to Aurora High School principal Paul Milcetich attendance for “Blackout 2k19” was equal to past spring dances, with attendance being somewhere between 300-350 people. It is still uncertain if the Blackout theme will continue in coming years.

All in all, opinions on Blackout 2k19 seem to be split. When it comes to the theme and music, there are plenty of people on either side of the aisle. If you like dances and enjoyed this one, there are plenty of others who agree with you. If you didn’t enjoy the dance, think of suggestions to make it better. Milcetich said he is interested in student feedback. After all, dances are supposed to be fun--whether you glow in the dark or not.