When Invisible Children announced that its “Word for the Unheard” dance was to be postponed to Feb. 11, members of the MAP program were disappointed to hear that their plans to organize a dance of their own were thwarted.

This year, Homecoming week was abuzz with excitement, whether it was for the skits, the game or the decorations. But discussion about one important aspect, the dance, was conspicuously missing. Instead, talk about the dance would usually resemble this exchange:

“Are you going to the dance this weekend?” one friend would say.

The response: “No, it’s way too expensive.”

Come on, it’s 15 bucks. In perspective, $15 would buy only one T-shirt, one movie (without many snacks) or maybe two 4-quart tubs of ice cream.

Homecoming 2011 was not a storybook ending for everybody—who will ever forget the sophomores' unfortunate disqualification—but most students said the school's biggest week of celebration was worth all the effort.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, as assistant principal Karen Hyde likes to say, Homecoming was a week for alumni to return and show support for their school. Now that idea seems peculiar and out of place. Over the years, Homecoming has developed into an event full of pride and spirit meant for the current students, not directed toward the mostly forgotten alumnus who was crowned Homecoming queen in the class of ‘94.

Although the turnout for the April 2 Sadie Hawkins dance was low, the estimated 150 students who went were able to make the most of it.

“I think there weren’t a lot of people because the dance happened right after Decades Dance and right before junior prom,” junior Kylie Tseng said.

As a freshman, ASB president David Mandell planned Spring Swing back in 2008, hoping to spread his appreciation for old music with his peers. Now as a senior, Mandell hopes to do it all once again through this year’s “Decades Dance.”

Brightly colored clothing and loud traditional Indian music filled the Redwood Middle School gym as dozens of members of Saratoga’s Indian community gathered to participate in a traditional dance called Dandiya on Oct. 15.

In the midst of college applications and the everyday school load, seniors Lauren Mather and Shir Nehama both manage to spend their evenings doing one thing, dancing.

More than 500 students partied it up at the school's kick-off dance in the quad on Sept. 4, marking an unusually high attendance rate for the first dance.

This year, the "California Love"-themed dance was held on a Saturday rather than the traditional Friday. The large turnout can be attributed to the change of date, according to assistant principal Karen Hyde.

“There is one dancer in this room whose performance has excelled far above the rest, whose passion and enthusiasm for dance stands out from the rest.”

These were the words of Christian Vincent, of "So You Think You Can Dance Canada," said this at an LA Dance Magic convention of 1,000 girls last January.

He then pointed to junior Lauren Mather, whose cheeks turned bright red. She was overwhelmed from being singled out in the immense group.