Chief Kanim students channel 1950s at dance
December 23, 2009
By Laura Geggel
Tough guys (from left) Henrik Thompson, Brian Spratt and Jacob Baccetti show their moves and their leather jackets at the Chief Kanim Middle School Sock Hop dance. Photo by Laura Geggel
If “Grease” was the word, 1950s-style poodle skirts and leather jackets were the fashion statement at Chief Kanim Middle School’s Sock Hop dance Dec. 17.Boys whirled girls around and students stamped their feet in sync as they did the hand jive, slow danced a two-step and performed the most complicated and exciting dance of all: the jitterbug.
Chief Kanim physical education teacher Joyce Kjorsvik and several other teachers taught all 334 middle school students the dances in a two-week workshop. Some older boys were hesitant to get into the dancing spirit, but “by the time we were done, everyone was having a good time,” Kjorsvik said.
She even gave them insight into 1950s fashion, encouraging girls to wear poodle skirts and long hair ribbons and boys to find white T-shirts and leather or letterman jackets with blue jeans, cuffs rolled up to reveal white socks, of course.
“This is my dad’s motorcycle jacket,” seventh-grader Josh Mosher said as he squared his shoulders to show off his black leather garb. As for the rest of his outfit, “I just rolled up my jeans, wore a white shirt and put on my dress shoes.”
Some students found inspiration not only for clothing styles but also dance moves after watching parts of “Grease” and “Swing Kids.”
Surrounded by costumes and dances galore, eighth-grade yearbook photographer Wil Sanctis’ camera lit up the room with its rapid flashes.
“Last year people were just standing around in a lot of the yearbook pictures,” Sanctis said. “We wanted some action shots, so this is really good because it has people moving.”
Energized by the nearness of winter vacation, most students’ feet barely touched the ground as they danced to “Jailhouse Rock,” “Johnny Be Good” and “Santa Baby.”
Several students walked away with Jamba Juice gift cards after winning best-dressed and dancing contests.
Others impatiently waited in line to use the photo booth and share their black-and-white mug shots with their friends.
Eighth-graders Olivia Roy and Kylee Kirchmeyer danced the jitterbug together in their matching black skirts.
Across the commons, sixth-graders Hannah Curd and Natalie Esteb wore pink ladies jackets, black neck scarves and pink sunglasses.
Esteb said she liked dancing the jitterbug best.
“It’s so different from what we do now,” she said.
Dancing was fun, Curd said, but admitted its fluidity depended on the dance partner.
“It kind of depends on the boy you’re dancing with,” Curd said.
Surely some boys were good at dancing?
“Most of them, no,” seventh-grader Jessica Brady said. “Occasionally, you’ll come across one. You say, ‘oh good, I don’t have to lead this time.”
Whether or not boys embraced the electric slide or the one step, many said dancing had permeated the school.
“Sometimes in math we just break out and do the hand jive,” Brady said.
Health teacher Theresa Frank said students practiced dancing before and after school as well as during lunch.
In the end, students Brielle Barrett and Troy Chriest, won the jitterbug contest as their classmates clapped their accolades.
“I like to watch people dance,” eighth-grader Chloe Kraft said. “That was the best part.”
Laura Geggel: 392-6434 ext. 221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
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Thanks so much for the article. I think everyone had a great time. I know it was fun to teach them all the dances.
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