NYE YSA Dance, or How Some Things Never Change

I'm pretty sure I haven't been to a church-sponsored dance since I was in high school. Although dance parties in Provo are filled with LDS YSAs, they're a completely different experience. Courtney and I went to the Portland area YSA dance for NYE and it was spectaular. We ended up at the dance how we always have: hoping for a better option to arise but reluctantly going to the dance because like everyone else we wanted to attend a fun party but did not want to throw one. So at 10:00 we threw on something sparkly and headed to some high school in Vancouver.

It ended up being quite fun, and I was comforted by the fact that nothing about them has changed since I was in high school, including the music selection. Within the first ten minutes we had (1) a lame, instructional dance song (cue: Electric Slide), (2) a slow song, and (3) a swing song. Basically, everything that should be avoided at a good dance party. Only one current song was played. Just one. One nice change was that most boys my age are confident enough to ask girls to dance on the slow songs, unlike their former high school selves. While everyone still whines when a slow song comes on, now they man up and ask their girl friends to dance. Only once was I chatting with a guy when a slow song came on and instead of asking me to dance he said, "Do you want to go sit down and talk or something?" Interesting choice. This boy was a bit awkward, obviously. We sat on some chairs lining the walls and he briefed me on the new Church hand book because I told him I had not yet read over it. When a fast song came back on he kept talking and I started to panic, feeling trapped. Luckily Courtney came right over and said "Aren't you two going to come back and dance?" giving me the perfect excuse to jump up and run back to the dance floor. Good lookin' out, sis.

If I have a big complaint about the dance, and I do, it is that it cost $15 to get in. The money did not go toward a professional DJ for the NYE dance, but went towards refreshments and renting bouncy house type equipment. In order to feel I got my $15 worth, I tried the blow up obstacle course. It wasn't the most fun option, but it had the shortest line. After a two round tournament we decided we'd had enough so we went on to the refreshments. I wasn't hungry for food as we had gone out to a delicious dinner beforehand (and the sandwiches didn't look particualrly appetizing), so I grabbed a cup of the fluorescent yellow beverage. After one sip I switched to a glass of water. Accepting that we weren't going to make up the $15 we'd paid, we returned to the dance floor.

At 11:59 the music cut out and the DJ lead us in a 10 second countdown. A little anticlimactic, but at least the moment was marked. We had a closing prayer then got 30 more minutes to dance. Courtney and I headed out a little early "to avoid a long line at the coat check." Then there was the after party: food, talking, and games at someone's parents' house. It was fun enough. The only thing worth noting was a comment from a guy from the ward we grew up in: "Are you guys twins? I can't remember--you're way older than me." I promise you that some day 26 won't seem quite as old as it once did.

Like with almost any event I attend I came up with a couple things I would have done differently had I been in charge: (1) use the entire food budget to buy plastic champagne glasses and Martinellis so everyone can have a proper toast at midnight, (2) instead of spending the money to rent bouncy house equipment, hire a real DJ, or use the same crappy DJ and let everyone into the dance for free, and (3) if you don't have the money for a cool venue, just hold the dance at a church gym (a high school gym does not count as a cool venue).

But then again, perhaps I wouldn't change a thing about the dance. Starting off 2011 almost exactly the same way I started of 2001 is a good reminder that even though I'll have many huge changes thrust upon me this year, I'm really not so far from where I was back then.