s/o—your first slow dance

[abs]

We talked about it in the randoms a little bit but do you remember your first slow dance? How old were you and what was the song?

My DD is going to her first dance tonight so it’s definitely bringing back memories!

[abs]

Mine was in 1989 at the 6th grade dance with a boy named Travis. We danced to Milli Vanilli’s Girl I’m Gonna Miss You. We never talked to each other again but had crushes on each other the rest of the year. Lol. It’s a fun memory though!

[acr]

I just listened to a Decoder Ring podcast this week talking about how the slow dance isn't really a thing anymore at school dances - and it breaks the hearts of millenials and genx. 

[TR]

Mine was at an 8th grade dance, to Kiss by a Rose by Seal. His name was Nick <3 And at first we were doing the fingertips on shoulders/hips and a girl (shoutout to Megan!) came by and shoved us together so we were in more of the swaying hug thing. Sigh. I was SUPER awkward in 6th and 7th grade so this felt like a really big deal for me.

[rosiebear]

I don’t remember which specific song, but I’m pretty sure it was something by Air Supply. It was awkward and terrible - a boy asked me to Homecoming the first week of freshman year but by the time the dance rolled around, I didn’t like him but I didn’t feel I could back out. So instead I was passive-aggressively rude and disinterested all night and I could feel his boner when we danced and I was horrified.

I feel sorry for both of us, looking back.

[bex1973]

I posted in Randoms but mine was in 7th grade and the song was Broken Wings by Mr Mister. I still remember his name was Bobby and he lived down the road from me so he road my bus and it was all so very awkward LOL

[pixy0stix]

Not a clue, and I don't remember who it was with. I think (??) it was during a friends birthday party that was held in a quonset, because I distinctly remember getting in trouble for climbing on the combine. This was the first dance I attended.

[nicolewi]

I don't remember, but I know it was at a middle school dance and not with anyone I particularly liked. But I LOVE these stories! The songs; the horrifying boner incidents. Milli Vanilli! So great.

[litskispeciality]

Oh man that makes me sad to hear slow dances aren't really a thing anymore. One of my best friends (big, burly teddy bear) and I have a joke about "8th grade dances" where the super confident boy would try to touch your butt at the end of the song, and if successful his friends would cheer in the corner.

In theory my first slow dance was with this boy I absolutely LOVED in 6th - 8th grade before he moved away ::sobs::, however I missed the boat and didn't physically touch him, we just sort of swayed back and forth standing apart. I may still have regertz, lol.

My first physical touch was "I Swear" by All 4 One in 7th grade. This was a big deal because the guy was a known player where you "went out" for about a month, then he moved on. He wore an Indiana Pacers jersey and then I became a fan, lol. I also missed the boat there that he tried to kiss me at the end of the dance, but I'm ok with that since my first kiss going in to 9th grade was magical <3

*These are the things I remember. Have I bought GS cookies from my cousin who needs the order...no, lol.

[Jalapeñomel]

I have no idea, but I'm guessing 7th grade.

[scm1011]

I remember it vividly. It was at the 8th grade formal and it was All My Life by KC and JoJo lol. I was not super popular, but I was alphabetically next to the most popular boy in our grade so we were buddies from sitting next to each other in most classes. I think he noticed no one had asked me to dance and did me a solid, which meant so much to me at the time (and clearly I never forgot it, ha).

[cereal K]

I don't remember there being school dances in middle school, BUT, there was this country/line dancing bar that had family and all-ages nights on weekends. We would convince our parents to drop us off there (omg how?!). Pretty sure my "first dance" was to Neon Moon by Brooks & Dunn.

[pinkdutchtulips]

Jr HS maybe .. can't remember who or what song 

[shauni27]

I do not remember, but our middle school dances always ended with the dj (our school custodian, lol) playing stairway to heaven. It was the last song of the night and if I hear it today it is still so nostalgic, lol.

[litskispeciality]

Mar 1, 2024 12:56:21 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

I do not remember, but our middle school dances always ended with the dj (our school custodian, lol) playing stairway to heaven. It was the last song of the night and if I hear it today it is still so nostalgic, lol.

My first "boyfriend" and I danced to Stairway at the end of the band danceathon. It was the only time we spent together as he spent the day with his friends*. I didn't know the song, just remembered the flute so I asked my dad about it and he was like "ugh Stairway's making a comeback?"

I may have become obsessed with the song/album, even if it didn't work out with the boy haha.

And now I need to insert Wayne's World "No Stairway, no way!" gif.

[wildrice]

The first one I remember is actually kind of funny - the summer after my jr year of HS I went to a theater festival in Nebraska (lol) for a few days with our drama teacher and a couple of other students. On the last night there, there was a dance and I slow danced with a guy who I think may have been named Kenny and I want to say he was from Colorado. We ended up kissing through the entire "American Pie" song, which was such a long song to do that to lol! He was only my second kiss ever. It was very out of character for me to do something like that at that point in my life (not so much in college -ha). He got my number and called me a few times, but I was not really into him and didn't see the point.

I may have slow danced with someone at some point before that but it wasn't memorable if so.

[brooke77]

6th grade graduation. For us, 6th grade was the end of elementary school, so it was a big deal. We had a dance and at the end was a slow song. I was slow dancing with my “boyfriend” Danny LOLFOREVER. It was Boyz II Men “End of the Road” and he kissed me at the end. I thought it was the most romantic moment of my life until I realized that our moms were standing at the gym door watching us 🤣

[waverly]

I have no idea. I know I went to middle school dances, but I am not sure if I danced with boys then or what song. I know I definitely did slow dances at high school dances, and still don't remember who or what song. I guess my memory is worse than I thought.

[beerlover]

Mar 1, 2024 12:09:35 GMT -5 rosiebear said:

I don’t remember which specific song, but I’m pretty sure it was something by Air Supply. It was awkward and terrible - a boy asked me to Homecoming the first week of freshman year but by the time the dance rolled around, I didn’t like him but I didn’t feel I could back out. So instead I was passive-aggressively rude and disinterested all night and I could feel his boner when we danced and I was horrified.

I feel sorry for both of us, looking back.

I have a very similar situation from 7th grade. His name was Joe. And I felt the boner and got it was so awkward.

I've chaperoned a number of HS proms while my H was a principal and they definitely don't do as many slow songs as they used to.

[loira]

Grade 6. I asked poor Greg to dance so many times they had to make a new rule where you could refuse someone if you'd already danced with them 3 times.

The song that sticks out in my memory is Hero by Mariah Carey.

[underwaterrhymes]

I was deeply awkward and while I went to dances in the 7th and 8th grades, I didn’t dance with anyone. I didn’t go to any dances in high school. Between my parents’ alcoholism and bullying at school, my adolescence and teen years were traumatic.

I think my first slow dance was at my mom’s wedding to my stepdad when I was 17 with my best friend’s boyfriend. 😂

[gummybear]

I am floored you guys remember this stuff in such great detail! In a good way..I’m a little jealous.

It couldn’t have been that remarkable bc I really have no clue although Right Here Waiting For You is sticking out to me which tracks as I was in 6-7th grade that year. I couldn’t tell you who if my life depended on it.

[shinyhappy]

OMG yes! 7th grade to the song “How Do You Talk To An Angel” by Jamie Walters (Ray Pruitt 😂) with an adorable boy named Teddy that I had a huge crush on. I was wearing red plaid pants as one did to a dance in 1993.

I also remember being so excited/nervous that my legs were shaking when the song was over.

[glw]

End of the Road by Boyz II Men. 4th & 5th grade dance at the YMCA. His name was Justin and his palms were so.sweaty. lol

[litskispeciality]

wildrice, that story is amazing. I vaguely remember my middle and even high school dance chaperons breaking up kissing and/or grinding when that became a thing, so I'm jealous of your long mac session, lol. I guess camp is a whole different thing though. I only did overnight GS camp one summer, only for a couple of nights, but I've heard sleep away camp love is like a whole new level of young teenage love.

The show Home Economics actually had a whole episode about the male character loving this woman from camp, only to find out his sister was also in love with the same girl, and then they bumped in to each other as adults. It was hillarious.

[picksthemusic]

Oh boy. I can't remember the person or the song (some Boyz II Men slow jam, I'm sure), but it was in 7th grade (so I was roughly 13/it was 1993).

ETA: I went to high school in an area with a lot of Mormon families, and I was friends with a friend group of Mormons, and their stake would always hold dances like once a month for the teens. They were fun-ish. We of course had to dress modestly (long skirts and tees that covered our shoulders mostly) and they were heavily chaperoned, which is why my mom probably felt comfortable with me going to so many of them. I was never in danger of being converted, so it was just a fun way to hang out with my friends and meet boys from other schools (got a couple of boyfriends that way). They always played the 'adult contemporary' music so lots of Chicago, Journey, Richard Marx, etc. Not a lot of R&B or any of that since they probably deemed it too risky. LOL I did, however, learn to swing dance at those dances, and that was fun.

[glw]

Mar 1, 2024 14:30:08 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

 I've heard sleep away camp love is like a whole new level of young teenage love.

Oh, it so is. Pour one out for Mike M., from whom I learned that stubble-burn is a thing after hours of making out behind a canoe shed.

[picksthemusic]

Mar 1, 2024 14:35:10 GMT -5 glw said:

Mar 1, 2024 14:30:08 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

 I've heard sleep away camp love is like a whole new level of young teenage love.

Oh, it so is. Pour one out for Mike M., from whom I learned that stubble-burn is a thing after hours of making out behind a canoe shed.

Oh man, church camp and retreats were SO BAD for that kind of thing. Youth group lock-ins (ours were always coed lol) where couples just disappeared for an hour and then came back all red faced.

[liverandonions]

OMG it was the worst. I was in 7th grade, and an 8th grader asked me to dance to NOVEMBER RAIN



I made us stop when the speed changed...It was too much. 

[RoxMonster]

I don't remember the song but I remember it was at a Valentine's Day Dance in 7th grade.