It is 7:30 pm. The gym is empty, but intricately decorated to look like the snow globe that is sitting on your grandma’s mantle in her living room. The bass is booming, the lights are strobing, and Mrs. Blessing and her fellow chaperones are making their rounds around the gym, complimenting girls and their dates on their choices of semi-formal attire.
It is now 8:30 p.m. The doors are closed and the gym is packed to the brim. Heels are kicked off and socks are a
foot because Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock” just started playing after a mashup of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and EDM beats came on. The dance circle is starting to form and there are two girls in the circle who usually get the crowd going. Saanai Jones ‘24 and Riley Fitzpatrick ‘24 are making their way around the circle before the beat drops and suddenly the whole room has broken into a frenzy of “hips” , the Gen Z dance move that has taken TikTok and the art form of dance by storm.
“Watching you and Riley do “Just Wanna Rock” compels everyone. It’s a must at every school dance but it’s a moment that I think the crowd understands is only meant for you two”, said Grace Scharnikow ‘24. You may not have noticed, but because of the formation off this dance circle, a form of Mount bonding has just been born.
Dance circles are not a new thing, however, they did not always start out as a circle. The first form of a dance circle that you may or may not know about was a dance line. This line could be a Conga line, petticoat-clad women doing the Can-Can dance, or groovy cats of the 70s participating in what was called “The Stroll” which was essentially, a Soul Train Line that began on the dance show, Soul Train, that aired on WCIU-TV every Saturday morning in the 70s. The commonality of these is one thing, unity. People come together to show off their best moves, and for one moment, no one is worried about how silly they look, if their outfit is right, or any of their responsibilities.
“Everyone just goes out there and has a minute of fame with love and no judgment”, said Ava McDonald ‘25. The only thing that matters is if you are ready to recognize the dance for the next song. “I was afraid to be out there as an underclassman, but as a junior, when I first jumped in, I thought it wasn’t as bad. Then, as a senior, it was more fun and I was being me, able to be myself, and not worry about what others thought. The circle is all about hyping people up and getting people excited”, said Riley Fitzpatrick ‘24.
Dance circles are IMPERATIVE at Mount as they are a way for Mounties to connect with each other and no one is left out or left behind. When the circle is being formed, everyone gathers in one huge circle and it doesn’t matter who you are standing next to as long as you get a good spot so you can see in the middle. As one person goes in the circle, it is custom for that person to try to bring others in the circle and suddenly there are 10 people in the circle, including dates from different schools like Lasalle and Prep boys who love to spice it up.
The cycle continues usually until a song that does not require a circle comes on, for example, “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, which is usually more of a song to scream-sing to. In the circle, people are collaborating together trying to coordinate a dance routine or different dance moves, people are having fun, new groups of people are communicating with each other, and you may dance with someone you have never met before or seen in the halls.
Songs that may require a dance circle are “Hit the Quan” by iLoveMemphis, “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame feat. Roscoe Dash & Wale, and “Crank That” by Soulja Boy. As soon as those songs come on, students are running around looking for their dance partners as they rush to the middle to get the crowd going.
A frequent dance partner of mine is MaryFrances Poterjoy, a fellow senior and professional dancer. “I like being in the dance circle because it gives you a lot of confidence and out of the dance circle, I like to hype other people up and let them know that they’re killing it”, said MaryFrances. Phones are out, the flash is on, and everyone is in an uproar of clapping and screaming as they support the stars of the show.
“I think dance circles are great! They allow you to show off your moves while also expressing your creativity with those around you. Some of my favorite memories at the Mount include the dances at Founders’ Day and prom. Boy did I show off my skills. You get to dance with different people that you usually don’t talk to. Plus, a little friendly dance battle never killed anyone!”, said Jill Marcolina ‘25
Jill is another face that you would see in a dance circle and her words go to show that a great benefit of dance circles is that they are always so memorable. As you look back on these Mount events and your time at Mount as a whole, you will always remember busting a move with your best girls.
