The vibrations coming off the speakers rattled the entire building, with music blaring at incredible volumes throughout the dark gymnasium lit up only by the lasers that flew through the air. The entire room was decorated with circus-themed posters, festive balloons, and to top it off: a gigantic clown head whose mouth engulfs the DJ. A circus-themed homecoming on Oct. 6 was in the center ring.
“It was very fun, overall pretty good,” Jacob Watson said “I liked the overall idea. The acrobats, clowns and illusionists themes for the classes were especially great ideas.”
From the popular circus theme to new ideas like a balloon drop, students said the tone of the night was fun.
“The atmosphere of this dance was more upbeat than previous ones,” Noah Spahn said. “(It was) really just a good experience to be a part of.”
Karina Guiterrez said that she had a great time at the dance with her friends.
“I thought it was really fun, they had good music and everyone was having fun which made it even more fun,” Guiterrez said.
Attendee Morgan Budd said that while the dance itself was fun, the crowding in the gym became an issue as the night progressed.
“It was very hectic with all the people,” Budd said “Next time, I’d suggest using the entire gym instead of just half of it.”
Not only was it crowded on the dance floor, but earlier in the night the checkin process was crowded as well.
“The methods used to get people into the dance were pretty slow,” Kyle Curtis said, “They need more people working in the dress code and ticket lines. I suppose they had a good cause behind (the dress code lines), but it was still an annoyance.”
“I think they had a good idea trying to stop people from bringing certain things into the dance, but it failed,” Spahn said. “They need a different method; this one took too long.”
The wait was more of an issue for people who hadn’t purchased a ticket beforehand; although tickets were available in advance on multiple days from the student store — and with a lower price — some students waited until the dance to buy them and then waited an hour and a half before reaching the dance floor. But Watson said that the long lines were a non-issue for him, and that it was just another part of the homecoming experience.
“I was fine with it. I was with my friends the whole time, so I was still having fun,” Watson said, “It helped that I didn’t have to wait to buy tickets; I already had mine.”
Aside from the crowding, some students felt that the song selection was not created for a three hour dance, and people began to take notice near the end.
“The DJ could’ve done a better job,” Watson said, “It seemed like he was running out of songs by the end of the night.”
Spahn had similar feelings about the end of the dance, saying that the DJ’s scramble to find music that hadn’t already been played prompted many people to head out early.
“It kind of killed the mood near the end. A lot of people either went out to get fresh air or just left,” Spahn said.
But even though the dance may have had some minor flaws, Watson said that it was still far better than the dances at Rocklin High School.
“I went to Rocklin last year, and Whitney’s (dances) are better,” Watson said, “When compared, Rocklin’s dances were really annoying to go to. Teachers were always shining lights in your face, even if you weren’t doing anything wrong at all. Here they still use the flashlights, but they’re less obnoxious about it. From the mood to the decorations to the services, they’re just better (here) overall.”
By CARSEN VAN DER LINDEN AND ARIELLA APPLEBY
