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Sydney and her dad get their nerd on.

On Saturday evening, students want to fill the night with as much fun as possible to reward ourselves for making it through a long week of school. Having a family dinner at a favorite restaurant or watching a movie with a best friend are all common choices. However, on April 16, there was a group of SMCHS students who chose to spend their Saturday evening at school.

This group of students spent the night on the gym dance floor with their fathers. Each duo bonded as a team by dressing up, dancing, listening to music, taking pictures and winning prizes.

Father Daughter Dance is hosted by SMCHS once a year. There is a different theme each year; every father and daughter duo need to dress up according to the theme and participate in fun dances. Dance battle competition is also held during the dance; finalists compete each other and the winner will receive a prize. “Custom” is this year’s theme.

“The Father Daughter Dance is always one of the most poppin’ nights of the year,” said junior Sydney Fredette. “The good vibes and supportive atmosphere makes it so fun to let loose and not care what people think of you.”

In order to provide the best experience, the girls and their dads coordinate their outfits, choreograph special dance moves, take photos of their team pose and have a group dinner with other dancers before the start of the dance.

“It is a long process of planning, but I love being able to have these fun moments with my dad,” said junior Bridget Sjoberg.

During the dance, the DJ played throwback music that the dads knew and new music that the girls knew so everyone can participate. The songs “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey received full participation by all.

“Having the chance to dance with your dad to old songs is a fun and memorable experience,” said junior Carolyn Nilsen. “It’s not every day when you get to dance with your dad while you have a lot of fun with your friends.”

The dance battle competition was the highlight of the evening. Fredette and her dad were chosen as finalists for the competition. Her dad’s finesse on the dance floor and their last minute addition of the splits during their performance led them to win first place in the competition. Senior Alexis O’Rourke and her dad dressed up as band Kiss and won the second place.

“I am so happy that we won the competition because all of our hours of practicing paid off,” Fredette said. “I felt so much support from my friends and it was definitely one of the best moments at SMCHS.”

This dance allows students to interact with their dads in a way that they do not usually get to. It also provides the chance for girls to spend more time with their dads by making memories together and growing closer.

“We should all take advantage of the time we have right now, because in a few years, we will be looking back on the memories we’ve made with our family and the friends we’ve had, and we’ll miss them.” Fredette said.