The Convent of the Sacred Heart gym was transformed into a roaring 20s gala worthy of Gatsby for the annual father daughter dance October 5. Glistening blue, gold and silver streamers hung gracefully from the ceiling as girls and their fathers resembled characters from the Great Gatsby movie.
The tables were draped with gold tablecloths and topped with large silver vases, adding to the Great Gatsby theme. Silver streamer chandeliers dangled from the ceiling over the dance floor, and cardboard cutouts of 1920s style men and women surrounded the gym. The students and their fathers quickly emptied the pink lemonade pitchers scattered across every table. Linen napkins wrapped with a 1920s headband were placed in front of each seat.
“I loved the decorations at the father daughter dance, I felt like I was in the 1920s. They followed the theme so well,” sophomore Emma Flynn said.
Fathers and daughters had the opportunity to take pictures together in the front hall starting at 6:00 pm. Refreshments were available in the cafeteria before the dance began at 7:30 pm.
After dinner was served, the Dadrigals, a singing group composed of Sacred Heart seniors’ fathers, displayed their annual video and performance. They presented a lip syncing video to the popular song “When I’m Gone” written by A.P. Carter, but popularized by American actress Anna Kendrick in the film Pitch Perfect. They also sang and danced to their own original songs written about their daughters.
“The Dadrigals was a wonderful way to meet new dads and spend time with old friends, work together with a bit of apprehension and see all of our hard work pay off in the faces of our beautiful daughters,” Mr. James Thomas, father of senior Jacqueline Thomas and sophomore Cynthia Thomas, said.
The Fathers League is a group of Sacred Heart fathers that plans events in which other Sacred Heart fathers can partake. It was formed for the same purpose as the Dadrigals, to bring Sacred Heart dads together. At the father’s league event last April, 80 fathers gathered for a meal prepared by Chef Anthony while Dan Hicks, a NBC sportscaster, gave a speech.
Following the Dadrigal’s humorous and heartfelt performance, the DJ played a variety of music, ranging from older songs, such as “Twist and Shout” by The Isley Brothers, for the dads to more recent songs for the daughters.
“My first high school father daughter dance was so much fun and such a different experience than the middle school father daughter dance,” freshmen Katie Farrell said.
-Katie Nail, Staff Writer