As we settle into the new year, UC High’s Associated Student Body (ASB) prepares for this year’s Winter Formal Dance, happening February 3 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the UC High Gym.
ASB Special Events Commission Leader Senior Eryn Medina spoke about the theme of the formal dance. Medina said, “The theme is Northern Aurora Lights Borealis Ball. It’s a theme that hasn’t been done really before so there is going to be a creative side to it. We’re going to explore more decorations and what we want the atmosphere of the dance to be, making it different and unique compared to the other dances we have done in the past.”
Medina believes that there are numerous reasons why people should be anticipating this dance in addition to the theme. She said, “Why wouldn’t you be excited for this dance! People overall can come and be able to hang out with friends and enjoy the music and the whole atmosphere of the dance. It’s a way to get out and get involved in something that the school is doing.”
“People should be excited because it’s a fun opportunity to hang out with your peers and not worry about academics.” said Junior Avery Phillips
Senior Farah Aswad added, “This dance is another opportunity to have fun on a Saturday night when you can be with your friends. Homecoming was really the beginning of the year and this dance is another opportunity to do that, but it’s more formal so people have the chance to dress more formally, and we’re going to be providing more services and activities. Overall, it’s gonna be a different energy and vibe, so it’ll be really fun and a good time.”
“People should be looking forward to the music and the dance floor. We have been working really hard on making a playlist that everyone will enjoy and finding a good DJ for this dance,” said Phillips.
Aswad said, “This dance is a little different from other dances because this year we decided to have a formal on campus so we can save up on different things rather than paying for a venue. We can get more decorations and more catering for the actual dance itself, so we can create a different atmosphere at school that you don’t normally see everyday, and we want to make it a bit more ‘extra’ compared to Homecoming.”
Phillips added, “We have been looking into decorations and working to transform the gym into the vibes of the Aurora Borealis Ball.”
Medina explained that these dances need extensive planning and careful execution. Medina said, “As a group in ASB, we work as a network and we take care of each individual thing we need to take off, and we try to plan as early as we can, making sure we use deadlines and meet our own timeline. We also use Pinterest boards and make a lot of contact with industries such as catering, Dj’s, rentals and all kinds of things that go into making the dance a better experience.”
“We prepare for the dance by getting opinions from people in ASB and people outside of ASB to decide on what we can improve upon from other previous dances to ensure that everybody has the best possible time they could,” said Phillips.
“Our main goal for the dance is for everybody to have fun and for it to be in a different environment than they would normally be in at school and have fun with their friends and enjoy the night,” said Aswad.
Tickets for the dance cost $35 with an ASB card and $40 without an ASB card. They will be sold from January 29 to February 2 outside of the ASB Student Store. Ticket purchase requirements include having no more than six unexcused absence hours, a 2.0 academic GPA or higher, and a 2.5 citizenship GPA or higher on the first semester report card.