FHE Dance Party '09

For tonight's FHE activity, our ward held a dance in the gym. The theme was "Black and White" dance, meaning that those who came were invited to wear black and/or white clothing. (A mime, for example, would have been right at home.) At the planning meeting, I lobbied for "Enchantment under the Sea" but was voted down.

If I need to explain that reference, I would invite you to rent Back to the Future and watch it again.

In this neck of the woods, we don't hold dances very often. It's just not something we do as frequently as YSA groups in other parts of the country and the rest of the world. I was worried that attendance would be quite sparse. Surprisingly, somewhere from 50 to 60 people attended, filling up our gym and contributing to an enjoyable evening for all who came.

When I mentioned that I was part of the planning meeting, that was not a fluke. I have not belonged to the FHE Committee for a few years now, but I was asked to help play music for the dance, as someone who has experience as a DJ - something I do once a month at ComedySportz down in Provo. Josh Ferrer and I took a tag-team approach to playing songs, and I think we were able to play a wide variety of Top 40, ballroom, swing, Latin, line dances, and such to keep the gang happy.

Even the members of the bishopric and their wives were out on the floor dancing alongside us. At one point, Bishop Jensen requested - and who was I to refuse to play it? - Billy Joel's "She's Always a Woman." Really.

Of course, you can't go to a dance in Utah without playing or dancing to the theme song to the movie Footloose. During that high-energy Kenny Loggins number that we all love, most of the group out on the floor formed a circle in the middle of the gym as individuals stepped into the middle to perform solo dance moves. The highlight for me may have been watching Dave Fallon doing "The Worm."

You can really learn a lot about people by observing their behavior at a dance, with the chance to see another side of them. Tonight was one of those times when I was truly proud to be a Millstreamer. My only regret is that I didn't bring my camera along to snap shots of my friends and me out on the dance floor.

After the dance ended, the feedback from those who attended was nothing but positive - especially from those who claimed initially to have gone to the dance not expecting to enjoy themselves too much. Sooner or later, most everyone was able to let loose and have a blast.

Dave Barry once wrote, "Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance." That was definitely the feeling at tonight's activity.