“Guys, put him down!” Most students who attended this year’s homecoming would be able to understand this reference. This homecoming was one of the most disappointing dances of my high school experience.

     I was absolutely hyped entering the dance as I passed by the lights, paper bags of different fairy tales and the medieval archway to the entrance of the football field. The decorations were by far the best as compared to the past year’s themes.

     This was sadly contrasted with the rest of the dance. The music was arguably the worst, the DJ seemed like this was his first gig and the strobe lights made it almost impossible for anyone to see ahead of themselves. 

     Without a doubt, the first thirty minutes of the dance was by far the best time I have ever had at any high school dance. The music was amazing, the glow sticks were a fun addition, and everyone was having a genuinely good time. However, the following two and a half hours were painfully bad.

     Anytime someone was picked up and put on someone’s shoulders, the DJ would completely stop the music, telling them to “Put him down!” Although I agree that it is unsafe for students to be on top of others’ shoulders, the DJ would completely stop the music and momentum of the dance to make sure they would get off.

     The rest of the dance was a downward spiral. The music was definitely not music that people liked. At times, it seemed like people were forcing themselves to dance to the music, even if it was a song that was not meant to be danced to. 

     The songs produced almost zero momentum for the audience, and the hype was lost after the first 30 minutes. It almost felt like one of my middle school dances, which one can infer that they were not fun either.

     It was obvious that by the end of the dance, people were visibly annoyed at how bad the music was, except for the girls who still listen to 2000s pop. Don’t get me wrong, 2000s music is awesome, just not to the extent of how much it was played at the dance.

     Of course, the occasional domino effect of people falling on top of each other made its return this year as well. This was also followed by the occasional person fainting due to dehydration.

     I completely understand that the budget that student government had was less than the past years, but the quality of the dance definitely showed. Most of the students that actually enjoyed the dance had never made an effort to enjoy their past dances, or this was their first time attending one.

     Maybe it was the fact that I had terrible pizza before the dance or that I was running on four hours of sleep that night, but I don’t think I needed to be very coherent to make the assertion that this dance was very disappointing.

     Perhaps I could have DJed the dance myself, learned how to use a mix board five minutes in advance and done a better job. Maybe I, unlike the DJ at homecoming, would have actually played good music, or at least not run out of music to play halfway through the dance. For the people who didn’t go to the dance, yes, the DJ literally ran out of music halfway through the dance, which I didn’t know was even possible.

     However, I can say that the DJ did do something right. When it was time for the dance to end, he told us to leave by the foyer exit, and then proceeded to play “Old Town Road.” That is definitely one way to clear an audience. 

     Nonetheless, I am extremely thankful for even being able to have a homecoming this year after not having any extracurricular events for the whole of last year. I am appreciative of the work that the student government put into making this dance possible. However, this year’s homecoming simply does not compare to my past homecoming experiences.