Blurs of colorful leotards, black leather jackets, and floral patterns fill the gymnasium as music from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s echoes throughout. Students crowd together on the bleachers, dressed in attire influenced by their grades’ assigned decades, to watch and cheer for the students performing in the Generations Dances.

Freshmen represented the ’50s, sophomores represented the ’60s, juniors represented the ’70s, and seniors represented the ’80s. Students choreographed routines and selected music that aligned with their respective decades, and practiced for months before Generations Day on Wednesday, March 13. 

Every year, while some students wait to see if their own grade can beat the other grades, others want to see how the other classes approach the generation they’re representing. Many students specifically look forward to participating in the seniors’ ’80s performance themselves. 

“I’ve been waiting for this for four years,” Generations Dance co-choreographer and dance senior Anna Sofia Machado said. “I can’t believe we made it to this moment. Right here. Right now. (It) doesn’t even feel real. It’s just so fun. I’m excited to kill it.”

The senior Generations Dance has a lot of tradition surrounding it — the neon outfits, the jazzercise and aerobics theme, and the upbeat songs. When it was the senior dancers’ turn to flood the gym floor, the seniors in the stands rose, jumped, and cheered. It was finally their turn to be the seniors performing the awaited ’80s dance — their last Generations Dance.

“I’m sad it’s our last, but I was so glad I was able to do it,” theatre senior Austin Bailly said. “It just feels so surreal because time flies so fast. It’s crazy to me that it’s already senior year and we’re already the ‘80s, but at the same time it’s really fun.”

Though many underclassmen anticipate the ’80s dance, the rest of the classes still put their all into competing against the seniors and each other to score higher in the rankings of the dances and win their class more Spirit Week points.

“I love them (the freshmen and sophomore’s dances),” Generations Dance co-choreographer and vocal senior Aileen Pereda said. “I think they’ve definitely upped their game. It’s going to be really really hard, but I think it’s just going to be some good old competition.”

The class of 2027’s ’50s dance had a large amount of preparation and student volunteers in comparison to last year, where there were only six students from the class of 2026 dancing in the ‘50s dance. 

“It was kind of intense, but it was cool and it was a good experience,” theatre freshman Richard Moore said. “I’m excited to see what we do (in the future) and what we come up with.”

Though being a senior and ending off the Generations Dances with the ’80s dance is an awaited moment for many students, finally joining the ranks of upperclassmen and being a junior during Spirit Week signifies the end of their high school careers.

“I don’t want to think about it (next year being his senior year). It’s scary,” Generations Dance co-choreographer and theatre junior Brody Marcus said. “It’s sad. I really enjoy dancing in front of everybody and doing this whole process, so it’s sad that there’s only one more go-around.”

Once ‘80s music stopped playing across the gym speakers, students finished cheering, and SGA co-presidents stopped announcing, seniors gathered on gym bleachers and on the field to take their Generations Day photos.

“It was so fun. You’ve been waiting for the senior dances,” digital media senior Coral Johnston said. “It was really awesome to finally get to perform as a senior.”