As Winter Formal season has officially come to an end with the dance taking place on Feb. 4, no other dance will take place until the last dance of the school year, the Prom. Furthermore, only juniors and seniors can attend this last dance, leaving current freshmen and sophomores to wait until next October for another dance.

This raises the question of whether there should be another dance at Aliso Niguel. Some popular choices of many high schools for a possible fourth dance include the Sadie Hawkins or the Mean Girls-inspired Spring Fling.

In most schools, the Winter Formal is a strictly formal event, but at Aliso Niguel, the dance seems to be a combination of the traditional Winter Formal and Sadie Hawkins’ standard of girls asking boys to the dance.

Additionally, the Spring Fling, originating from the movie “Mean Girls,” is typically student-organized and more casual in terms of style. It would take place closer to Prom than Winter Formal during the spring season, which would be after late February. Often a substitute for Prom, that would not be a popular decision since Prom is one of the most popular dances at Aliso Niguel.

Another dance could be hosted at either the school or another venue, considering that Homecoming already takes place at the school while Winter Formal often happens at an established venue, this year’s being at AV Irvine. Thus, a fourth dance could be either in or out of the school with no more boxes to check off.

With the complicated past that Aliso Niguel has with dances, the discussion for a new dance is likely to hit a sensitive spot and face some opposition. In 2006, dances were temporarily banned at the school due to “inappropriate dancing.”

As a purely hypothetical suggestion, the realistic addition of another dance to the already reasonably sized roster would not be particularly necessary.

Stephen LaRocca (11), offers an entirely different idea, suggesting, “Personally, I think a smaller scale dance would be better since I wouldn’t have to choose between Winter Formal and Prom.”

The idea of combining the two second-semester dances into one is certainly an option that many organizers would enjoy. A large number of students may disagree though, especially upperclassmen, as Winter Formal is a staple of most students’ experiences of all grade levels while Prom is essential to upperclassmen, specifically seniors.

The reason for creating another dance would be the increased school spirit and socialization opportunities for students. Furthermore, the school could even benefit from dance-related fundraising and the excitement surrounding a dance season.

Cindy Yang (11), somewhat supports the possibility of another dance, stating, “I think there should be another dance on a smaller scale. The tickets could be cheaper and the promotion less intense.”

One possible setback, however, is the increased costs and planning of four dances throughout the school year. Those forced to deal with the logistics of more dances and their ensuing pep rallies or spirit days would be opposed to this significant extra work.

Although the costs of adding a fourth dance would objectively outweigh the mostly inconsequential benefits, another dance would undoubtedly be an appealing idea, though possibly only in the distant future.