Tracy Press - October 16, 2007 - Danielle MacMurchy
The Dance Is On For West Students
Looks like West High School students will get a dance, after all.
Jeremiah North, a 2002 West High graduate, will put on a private dance Saturday with the help of about 10 West High parents, in place of the school's canceled homecoming dance.
The dance was first postponed and then canceled after the school administrators didn't have enough time to enforce new dance rules, such as pre-sales for tickets and a 16-hour limit on how much Saturday school time students can have to attend.
The rules were set by parents, administrators and students in the leadership class after 40 students were kicked out of a dance about three weeks ago for what administrators called "freak dancing."
North's company, Kid Red Entertainment out of Ripon, named the Las Vegas-themed event "The Homecoming Dance."
"We're not doing it to make money," North said. "We're doing it because kids deserve to have a dance- it's homecoming."
The dance will unofficially cap off the students' week of Las Vegas-themed events, like tonight's rally and Friday's parade and football game against the Stagg High School Delta Kings.
Lanette Ferguson, parent of a West High senior', joined the team of parents to help give students a safe place to dance. She is one of 10 parents and five security officers recruited by North to monitor dancers.
"As chaperones, we'll have some level of discretionary oversight, but it's definitely not going to be a lockdown event like they have at the school," Ferguson said. "Hopefully, this dance will be a little bit more fun for the kids."
Chaperones will enforce a semi-formal dress code, which means no hats, baggy clothes, sportswear or flip-flops. A nightclub disc jockey from Citrus Heights will spin music for the night, and refreshments will be provided.
"When we put the call out for help, it was overwhelming," North said. "We're going to let the kids dance and have a good time without it getting out of line."
The 24-year old started Kid Red Entertainment at age 12. As a young disc jockey, he played at parties, weddings and school dances.
The company may host more local dances for young people if Saturday is a success.
"We go through this every generation," North said. "This generation loves music and loves to dance."
