Suggestive dancing is "grinding" the gears of school administration.

It's a problem that high schools -- my former high school included -- have had a hard time combating. The style of dance known as "grinding" has lead Gorham High School administrators to not allow any dances this school year. The announcement was made in a letter sent to parents of students.

According to our Portland sister station Q97.9, part of the letter reads:

GHS administration, dance chaperones, some students, and some parents have struggled with the modern dance culture. It is by no means the students’ fault, but the dancing they have witnessed on MTV/VHS/movies involves primarily only sexually suggestive grinding.

Prom will still take place, and administrators are looking for other opportunities for social events.

Last year, Gorham High School students walked out of a dance because they weren't allowed to grind. They then gathered in the middle school parking lot to have their own dance. The gathering led to further complaints from parents, kids, teachers and nearby residents.

When I was in school, grinding upset administration. As a student and the DJ of all the dances, the blame fell on me. The principal (who shall remain nameless) started to ban particular songs that "encouraged provocative dancing." Those songs were of course huge hits at the time like "Yeah" and "Get Low," which led to lots of squabbling.

The point I made to administration was, yes, a there's a select few that turn grinding into "sex on the floor." Punish them. Other students in the crowd may be front-to-back dancing but not taking it to extremes. Don't group them into the mix of troublemakers, thus ruining it for everyone.

Banning tunes did nothing to stop the grinding and led to lower dance attendance. It frustrated me as a DJ hearing that my friends would rather attend a huge party in the woods than attend a dance I was spinning. One of those drunken parties would later claim the life of one of my friends.

Dances provide a safe environment for student socialization. As proven by Gorham High School, students will find a different location to socialize. Would the administration rather that location be a gravel pit with drugs and alcohol? My opinion is grinding (within reason) is the lesser of countless evils.

What are your thoughts?

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