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VARIOUS DANCES ARE PERFORMED EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT AT HERRICK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Modern Manners & Timeless Moves

Etiquette and dance classes are back for eighth graders in District 58

Friday nights around town this winter may have seemed a bit quieter than usual, at least at some typical teen hangouts. That’s because many eighth graders headed back to campus for a series of five or six dance and etiquette classes at Herrick and O’Neill Middle Schools respectively.

Organized by the school PTAs, the programs are long-standing traditions within District 58. Having run annually for decades, these middle school rites of passage were paused last year due to COVID-19. However, the etiquette and dance classes were back in the swing of things this winter – often quite literally.

At the weekly classes, students learned various dances such as the Waltz, Tango, Charleston, Merengue and Salsa. Taught by professional instructors, eighth graders would watch the steps modeled,

BY VALERIE HARDY PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLINA MENAPACE

then partner up to practice the dances themselves.

Few participants had two left feet, and social media may be to thank. Jacynda Kruk, Committee Co-Chair for the Eighth Grade Etiquette Dance Class at O’Neill, advised students to “pretend you’re watching TikTok, and copy the instructor.”

While TikTok may have primed this generation to pick up the dances fairly easily, if certain steps were challenging, instructors called upon student volunteers to help demonstrate. They also offered verbal tips. O’Neill’s dance instructor, Christine Keyes from Dancing with Class, helped the students finesse their form by telling them to show their “prettiest basketball shot ever” when describing correct hand placement for a choreography segment.

Naturally, some students were more adept dancers than others. However, even if a student had a partner step on their toes every now and again, there was little reason to fret. Within a minute or so, they would be on to the next partner. Students formed concentric circles; one ring of students would rotate while the other stayed stationary, each student dancing with numerous partners throughout the evening.

Today’s teens seem to have been spared the awkwardness of the stereotypical “junior high dance” of their parents’ adolescence. Boys on one side of the gym, girls on the other – a virtual standoff between the two sides, each waiting to see who would muster up the courage to cross over and ask someone to dance. Rather, the rotation method employed allowed all students to dance without the risk of a prospective partner responding to an invitation to dance with, “Sorry, my dance card is full.”

Dressed in their best (though not the sport coats and white gloves worn in earlier days of District 58’s etiquette and dance classes), eighth graders learned new moves along with manners. When shifting to a new dance partner, O’Neill students were to introduce themselves and offer their partner a genuine compliment – preferably not related to appearance. They also learned how to greet adults and offer them a firm handshake. Herrick used a new etiquette vendor this year: The Chameleon Academy of Communication and Civility. Instruction focused on “netiquette” (technology do’s and don’ts), manners within situations such as carpooling with other families, proper dining etiquette and appropriate cell phone use.

Speaking of cell phones, they were off limits during the classes. “It’s the only time you’ll see 100 eighth graders in one room, no phones, and having good old-fashioned fun,” Kruk said.

For some students, their phone has become a security blanket of sorts, and they may feel anxious when separated from it. New within Herrick’s programming was having the GRIT2 non-profit organization bring increased mental health awareness and a specific focus on managing social anxiety, explained Marcia Radja, Herrick’s Fortnightly Co-Chair.

Joy Myers, the Fortnightly’s Marketing Coordinator, explained another unique aspect of Herrick’s program: the final night featured a dinner dance. Catered by Gatto’s Italian Restaurant, the dinner afforded students an opportunity to practice the dining etiquette they learned during earlier sessions. O’Neill’s program, which took place closer to the surge of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, did not include a meal, but that did not interfere with students’ enjoyment.

O’Neill eighth grader Taylor Cicucci said, “It was so fun dressing up and dancing with my friends.” Her twin sister Mikayla agreed, noting that she liked the end of each session when everyone was just free dancing the best. Their classmate, Cooper Schoenike, added that both the dance and etiquette aspects were “very good ways to talk to new people.”

Herrick participants, despite not knowing quite what to expect from the classes, were equally impressed. “It was actually good!” Herrick eighth grader Grace Olson said. “No one made it awkward.”

In fact, for many students, the most stressful part was simply figuring out what to wear. Herrick participant Molly Brezina said, “It was hard to decide which dresses to buy, but once I got them, it was really exciting.” ■

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