Freak Dancing
McKeown, Molley E. “Freak Dancing,” S. Hamilton, MA: Center for Youth Studies.
Dirty dancing, bumping, grinding, slamming, spanking, humping, or commonly known as “freak dancing” have taken the place of the pony, mashed potatoes, the jerk and many others. There was a time where dances used to be innocent. But the days of the fifty’s sock hop are over. Today many school dances are no longer for the sake of building community and providing a fun, healthy extra-curricular activity. Some students take such occasions as opportunities to be as sexually explicit as they can in public.
What is “freak dancing?” Well, as Marshall Peterson, principal of OakMillsHigh School in Columbia, Maryland, told The Washington Post, “If they didn’t have their clothes on, you would swear they were having sex.” The dancing, which involves at least two people gyrating suggestively, often with arms or legs wrapped around each other, simulates sex to some students and is just friends "acting weird" to others. Most students agreed, however, the dancing is sexually suggestive and points to a heightened casualness about sex and sexuality among teenagers. Still, these students protest saying that, “it is just the way people dance these days.”
Freak dancing is a relatively new phenomenon, showing up within the last decade. It has become the dominant style of dancing in many places. Other schools not going along with this trend are quietly taking a stand against this explicit style of dance. In California, Palo Alto High School principal Sandra Pearson banned freak dancing at her high school last year because she said it "is like pornography ... there are instances when a girl will be on the floor and there will be guys on top of her,'' gyrating in sync to the song. Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, bars students from “grinding, bumping, fondling, humping, licking, booty dancing, rolling, kicking, mashing, shoving, wallowing, disrobing, sexual kissing, freaking, jacking and whatever else a chaperone deems improper or indecent.”
A great percentage of music today is geared toward a sexual theme. From Brittany Spears to 50 Cent, the music over today’s air waves are certainly full of racy lyrics encouraging casual sex. If X-rated popular music is intended to spark its listeners to X-rated action, it certainly gets results in freak dancing. This music is part of popular culture and is being listened to by teens constantly. There is no question that America's children have been sexualized to a greater extent than ever before and there has been little social outcry from the media. The reason, I believe, is that the media panders to youth. Magazines and television feed young people a steady diet of salacious images because they sell. Childhood is disappearing from our culture. In its place we have lewd behavior.
Meanwhile, as parents remain either unaware of the trend, or find it cute, teachers are finding themselves backed into a corner on dress and behavior issues. Educators who accept the challenge and try to fill gaps in their student’s parenting have come under fire.
Such dancing is inappropriate and disgusting behavior for most adults. Freak dancing seems to reflect the attitude that sex is not about love or caring for someone else, but rather about hormonal impulses and vulgarity.
Leaders need to be aware of the new trends that are taking root with in our youth’s schools. Times are changing and have changed drastically since they were in school dances. Freak dancing encourages an unhealthy form of sexuality in teens that needs to be addressed by youth workers of today.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
1. Do you agree that teenage dancing can be a good thing? Why or why not?
2. What guide lines would you establish for school dances?
3. What do you think of the people who freak dance at your school?
4. Do you consider Freak Dancing just another adolescent phase that should be ignored by everybody?
5. What damage could possibly come from freak dancing?
IMPLICATIONS
Freaking may just be a stage that culture is going through right now, but the fact is for this moment it is here to stay and there is not much that can be done about it. However it cannot go unnoticed. It must be talked about. Sex is a touchy subject that scares many people to talk about with youth. But if all youth know of sex is what they see on MTV or what they hear in music they are receiving only half of the story. Somewhere along the line someone must talk to them about good sex and normally that job is the parents but often it gets put onto the youth leader. Freaking is not going to disappear. Dances can be shut down from coast to coast but unless the true issue, why there is even a desire to freak, is addressed freaking will continue to rule the dance floors of Americas schools.
Molly E. McKeown c. CYS
Tags:
Recommended Content
Recommended Volunteer Opportunities
| Title | Organization Name | City, State/Country |
|---|---|---|
| Intern for at-risk Youth Program | Clubs In The City |
Raleigh, NC United States
|
Post new comment