Though Benet’s dance traditions are well-known to current students, our school’s dances are constantly evolving. Significant differences and similarities can be identified between modern dances and those hosted decades ago. During the 1960s-1980s, Benet had anywhere from 3-5 dances a semester. Mixers, as they were called, were about as informal as it could get with students wearing casual clothes and all coming in groups or going stag. Some were themed such as the 1950s or Halloween where you came dressed in costumes and danced to themed music, and others were just people meeting up at the dance and going out for pizza afterwards. They were far from the formalities we have now with Homecoming, Turnabout, and Prom. Back during the times of mixers (think 1960s-1980s), there wasn’t such a focus on asking someone, decorations, or picking the perfect outfit. “Going stag was the norm, and people usually asked each other to dance once at the dance. If there was a couple then they’d go as a couple, no one was forced to ask someone for fear of sticking out.” Mr. Chuck Schumacher pointed out, “It was a big part of the Mixers.” As the dances evolved, so did the idea of who ‘could go’ to them. Between the years of 1990 and 2000, the dances seemed to be for the more social people and couples; they seemed really selective. Since around 2005, going stag has become more acceptable, though many students still go as couples.

One Benet tradition that has remained somewhat constant is the elaborate decorations developed in the days leading up to dances. Decorations for Homecoming and Prom have always been a principle focus in this regard. For many years, the school was not decorated at the beginning of the week for Homecoming. Instead, an all-nighter was pulled on the eve of the dance (10pm-8am) to decorate the gym, not the halls. Mixers were not decorated excessively but were sometimes given themes.

Mixers have fallen from Benet’s dance rotation for an interesting reason. “Back when Mixers were popular, there were only 5 sports- all for the boys,” explained Mr. Schumacher, “But now, there’s a huge demand for gym space even though we have two gyms to work with. Finding time to set up a mixer or dance is nearly impossible, especially considering that most sports can’t practice in the gyms on certain days since they’re usually booked to capacity.” When more sports were added, four main dances were established: Homecoming, Christmas Dance, Turnabout, and Prom. A few years later, the three dances we have now became the routine.

Everyone’s favorite tradition, the end song to each dance – Billy Joel’s Piano Man – has not been in use for as long as one might think. “Piano Man was definitely a tradition when I went to my Homecoming, Prom, and Christmas Masquerade Dance,” Mr. Matt Wash pointed out when asked about the tradition. But it turns out that Piano Man wasn’t always the go to song when it came to the end of a Benet dance. Exactly when it was started is unsure, but it certainly wasn’t used when Mr. Schumacher was a student here and didn’t come to be used until many years later. Though this and other traditions change over time, each dance provides the same benefit to students and faculty alike – important memories to last a lifetime.