High school is a whirlwind of new experiences, and school dances definitely top the list. From movies to whispered rumors, everyone has a picture in their head of what these dances are like. Well, I recently plunged into my first Homecoming, or “Hoco Dancing” experience as some call it, and I’m here to spill all the details – the good, the slightly awkward, and everything in between. This is my personal take on my first hoco dance, and what I honestly thought about it all.
My friends and I made our entrance around 7:45 p.m., meeting up right outside the cafeteria bathrooms (classic, right?). Of course, the first thing on the agenda was capturing the moment with bathroom selfies once everyone arrived. The dance floor wasn’t exactly packed when we first got there, so we mostly hung out, chatting and soaking in the atmosphere. Soon enough, the lure of shaved ice from the Kona Ice stand became irresistible. We spent the next part of the evening alternating between chilling outside and dipping into the area next to the auditorium. Eventually, we ventured into the cafeteria and actually started dancing a bit – they played some seriously catchy tunes! Before we knew it, we were off to the designated photo booth to grab some more pictures. The rest of the night was a mix of posing for photos, catching up with friends, and just generally vibing to the music. Throughout my first hoco dancing experience, a few things really stood out to me, both good and areas that could be even better.
One major highlight was definitely the decorations. The school went all out, both in the lead-up to Homecoming and for the dance itself. Leading up to hoco, each hallway was decked out as part of a hallway decoration competition. B-hall, where the art classrooms are, totally stole the show for me! They had these amazing paper lanterns in our school colors hanging all along the ceiling leading to the cafeteria. And for the actual hoco dancing space, which was in the back part of the school, they continued the theme beautifully.
Alt text: Vibrant paper lanterns in school colors illuminate the hallway decorations for the high school homecoming dance, enhancing the festive atmosphere for hoco dancing.
The theme was “Walk Through Memory Lane,” and they really embraced it. As you walked in, the walls were lined with photos from the school’s past 20 years. It was hilarious spotting younger versions of our teachers in those old pictures! To the right of the auditorium doors, they set up a yearbook display with yearbooks from past years, along with themed decorations like a ticket with the “Walk Through Memory Lane” theme, a menu poster, and a cool black backdrop with gold streamers. Even outside, golden fairy lights twinkled from the trees near the shaved ice stands. Seriously, the Student Council deserves a round of applause – they nailed the theme, and the decorations were genuinely impressive and made the hoco dancing experience feel special.
Another big win was the music. They had a DJ set up in the cafeteria pumping out the tunes. I recognized tons of songs from TikTok and even some older songs I used to listen to. Okay, not every single song was a dance floor banger, and maybe some just weren’t my personal taste. There were a couple with questionable lyrics, but for the most part, they were all edited for a school dance, which was good.
Alt text: Energetic high school students enjoy hoco dancing in the decorated cafeteria, illuminated by colorful DJ lights and upbeat music during the homecoming event.
Of course, there are always things you think of afterwards that could have made it even better. For example, while the shaved ice was delicious and kept us going for a while, it would have been awesome if they had offered some other snack options too. Just some basic party food like chips or pretzels would have been perfect. Also, I kind of wished there were a few more activities besides just dancing. Hanging out with my friends is always fun, but even hoco dancing can get a bit repetitive after a while. The only real options were getting shaved ice, dancing, taking photos, or just chatting. I even saw a couple of people playing cards, but they must have brought their own deck.
Alt text: Smiling high school friends strike a pose at the homecoming dance photo booth, capturing fun memories during their hoco dancing experience with themed backdrops.
But overall, my first hoco dancing experience was definitely a positive one – no regrets about going at all! I’m already thinking about going again next year because it was honestly a lot of fun. Even though there were a couple of minor things I was a little disappointed by, they didn’t really take away from the overall enjoyment of Homecoming. The “Walk Through Memory Lane” theme was super creative and gave a cool nostalgic vibe. It was a really nice way to celebrate the school’s 20th anniversary, especially with that photo gallery near the auditorium.
