Prom is a night everybody dreams of. Portrayed in countless movies and tv shows, prom is the pinnacle of the year. Full of glamorous dresses, freshly pressed tuxes, and perfect pictures, prom is the closest thing to the Met Gala for a teenager. As I pulled up to the Dallas Museum of Art, I can safely say expectations were high. After a subpar junior year prom at an isolated ranch, a change of venue and pace was just what the high school needed.
A long red carpet lined the front of the DMA with “paparazzi” and a faux background that resembled an entrance to the notorious charity gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, that’s where the similarities stopped.
Obviously an event as glamorous as the Met Gala cannot nearly be replicated on the budget of a small public high school. As you walk into the building, bright lights flood your senses and I found myself asking “Are we in the right place?” The answer to that question is yes, we were in the right place, however the bright lights in no way contributed to the ambience or environment associated with a dance. Most of the people around me had awkward expressions and body language as it can be hard to dance when the lights feel as if you are being watched by every single chaperone and peer in the building.
Although I only stayed for an hour, the music in that time was an inconsistent blend of hard-core rap, random EDM beats, and country. As the songs transitioned into the next, most students looked up in confusion and bewilderment. No one would have believed that a song like “Honey Bee” by Blake Shelton would immediately follow a rap song like “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar. The abrupt changes provided a choppy, inconsistent vibe to the event, and many students looked onto the dance floor afraid to join for fear of a random song nobody has heard of.
But the dance wasn’t all bad. If you had the opportunity to try the funnel cake fries, you would agree with me in saying they were amazing. There were several photo-taking amenities that allowed students to capture the night in several ways. Once such a machine was a viral tik-tok device that rotated around groups of four people creating a slow-mo video.
While I may not have had the best experience, that doesn’t mean I won’t remember this event fondly. Prom is a time full of memories and simply being able to dress up with my friends and travel to Dallas in a party bus was fun enough. We don’t get many excuses to break down on the dance floor and “promenade” around the city, and the school provides us with an opportunity to do so. Although school dances may not be the best time, I encourage every student to take advantage of the time they have in high school and to spend time with people you love whether it’s at school or at a Met Gala from Wish.
