Why Go to a Dance if You Don't Want to Dance?

Introduction

My history of school dances started out rocky with my 6th Grade dance, ending with a laptop soaked in lemonade (my friend knew who did it; just couldn't prove it). Such a shame, too — that one was 80s Neon themed, but the music and decor barely matched. The 7th Grade Fun in the Sun dance was one of the best ever, and the photo I got of me and my friends was likely one of the best I had up until that point. Since then, I've loved dancing at dances.. it's in the name, right?

But why then do I see so many occupied chairs at every dance? Crowds huddled around tables, scrolling on their phones? Last Friday was my school's Junior Prom, and even though the themed Derby After Dark decorations were mid (and there was an entire debacle behind the Prom Committee's voting, merger of ideas, and teacher dictatorship), still! I and my bestie/date even saw a dude on one of the inner rings of a hype circle — get this — watching a basketball game on his phone. Bro, you spent $75 to here! Why are you wasting that?

By no means am I saying you have to tear up the dance floor. Heck, you don't even have to dance for half of the night if you don't want to. It's just that I don't understand why there are people who show up and don't dance at all. Are you there for pictures? You can get better pictures somewhere of your choosing on your own time. Is it for the music? There are better ways to listen to party music than on head-ringing speakers. Is it for the vibe? Dude, it's just a big room with purple bulbs and some lasers on a stand. You could set that up yourself with dedication. I simply don't get it.

Please. If you're going to go to a dance, why not dance?