The school disco experience 🪩
Dance routines, Panda Pops, Butterfly Clips, and that awkward slow dance at the end of the evening
Much like a bag of pre-made bag of pic ‘n’ mix, a school disco could be wildly exciting, full of fizzy cola bottles and gummy bears or wildly disappointing, full of pink mushrooms and foamy bananas. You never knew what you would get or how the night might unfold. You would arrive in your best outfit, full of anticipation, but the rest was down to the disco gods. The evening could range from the best night of your life, dancing along to Rollercoaster by B*Witched with your pals, to the worst as you ran to the toilets to avoid the slow dance and My Heart Will Go On.
So in the spirit of a trip down memory lane and a large dollop of nostalgia, I’ve decided to explore some aspects of the school disco experience, from dance routines, outfits, hairstyles, and the excitement of being at school ‘after dark’. So grab your deeley boppers, and your glitter eyeshadow and join me on this school disco deep dive.
Dance Routines and Songs
A major part of my school disco experience was to learn and practice the dance routines to the most popular songs, ready to showcase them on disco night. I can remember practicing the routines beforehand in my parents living room, listening to CDs and working out the moves from the music videos that were played on Top of the Pops.
My friends and I were sticklers for getting the moves right, and when we attended any school disco we would pull out the heavily practiced routines as soon as the songs dropped. During my era, the most popular songs that were being played were Saturday Night by Whigfield, The Grease Megamix, the Macarena, The Time Warp and Stop by the Spice Girls. Playing one of these during the night lifted the mood and dialled the excitement up to a ten. These songs bring back so many memories and the nostalgia that they create is overwhelming. Some of these routines are so firmly entrenched in the deep recesses of my mind that even today I could teach you the routine to 5,6,7,8 by Steps and have you up and dancing in no time.
Outfits
Another vitally important part of the pre-disco ritual was discussing and sorting out what outfit you were going to wear. The discussions held at school during the day then carried onto MSN Messenger at night, and talk ranged from what style of outfit to wear and how much glitter and sparkle was acceptable.
I feel I based a lot of my outfits on Groovy Chick, she was the cool girl next door created by bang on the door, whose early 2000s tween fashion influenced my teenage hair and disco outfits. A lot of velvet, leopard print and floaty flower print tops from Tammy Girl were worn, followed by a liberal spraying of Impulse or So? Perfume. Borrowed jelly shoes and glitter sandals graced my feet, as my friends and I used to swap shoes after consulting each other on what combinations looked better together.
Food and Drink
During a school disco, members of the PTA would stand out in the corridor with bulk brought drinks and snacks that you could buy if you felt parched or hungry. You could venture out with your 50p and pick up a bottle of Panda Pops (my favourite was cherry) a pre-made pic ‘n’ mix sweet bag and a packet of non-branded crisps. Taking time out to buy your snacks was another highlight of the evening, as it was a chance to catch up with what drama was unfolding and catch your breath if you had just completed the full dance routine to Tragedy.
The Slow Dance
There would always be an awkward part of the evening when the DJ would put on a song that not only signalled the end of the disco but also the slow dance. The dance floor would rapidly empty as the crowd split down the middle, boys would end up on one side and the girls on the other. A few couples would make their way sheepishly to the floor to slowly sway and shuffle to the song. Some would hope that the crush whose back of the head they had stared at all term would telepathically understand that this meant you wanted to dance with them now. Others, like me, would run out of the room to avoid the embarrassment of not being picked. The song that was played repeatedly at this moment and still haunts me to this day is My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion. I have no shade against Celine, but I just can’t listen to it without it bringing up my teenage angst-ridden will a boy dance with me memories.
Hairstyles
Another component that was key to the school disco aesthetic was what hairstyle you were going to wear. Crimped, plaited, striped with blue or red hair mascara, zig-zag partings and ringlets were some of the styles that were executed. All fixed with a generous spray of cheap hairspray which used to make your eyes water.
Another major player was butterfly clips, I had hundreds of these, ranging from brightly coloured, metallic and glitter ones. They always made an appearance at every school disco and became my staple go-to hair accessories.
Being at School after Dark
There was a certain level of thrill attached to being at school at night, it felt out of bounds and like you had entered a secret world you wouldn’t normally have access to. Running down the corridors and hiding with your friends in classrooms until a teacher or a parent volunteer found you. The normal order of things was upended, and you felt like you had freedom in a place where normally you were stuck in a rigid timetable, being told not to loiter in the corridors and get to class. The teachers were more relaxed and would sometimes join in, which would elicit giddy euphoria and open mouths as you saw your normally strict teacher bopping along to Picture Of You by Boyzone.
I hope you have enjoyed this dive as much as I enjoyed writing it. I feel like I could have written so much more, but I decided to stick to these six as they stood out to me the most. As a nostalgic millennial, it brought me a lot of joy. I played the songs as I wrote this (bar one, lol), and it made me grin from ear to ear the entire time. I’m secretly hoping you listened to the songs and that it brought back some memories of your experiences at school discos.
I would love to know what dance routines you remember, and what songs you loved to hear and dance to, and if you have any disco memories that you would like to share.