Hey, do you want to go to the dance with me?
Today, let’s look at a relatively recent custom to have emerged at many American high schools: the Turnabout Dance. The Turnabout Dance may go by different names at different schools, but the basic idea is the same – it is a dance where the girls ask the boys out, instead of vice versa. Turnabout is a semi-formal dance: it is not as informal as a Sadie Hawkins dance, and not as formal as Prom.
Since the girl gets to ask the boy to go to the dance with her, she is then responsible for the other aspects of the date: picking the boy up and paying for the dance, as well as any post-dance activities, such as dinner. The advantage of Turnabout is that it gives girls who might otherwise be “wallflowers” (someone who doesn’t get asked to dance) an opportunity to go on a date, instead of waiting around and hoping that a boy would notice them or ask them out.
Sometime a group of girls might decide to double date (two couples going out together) or group date (more than two couples going out together) in conjunction with going to Turnabout. This can be beneficial to all involved, because it is usually less stressful than a traditional one-on-one date, especially for first dates. Parents also generally prefer group dates for their teens, because it helps to reduce the temptation for teens to get in trouble or make mischief.
An alternative to Turnabout is for the girl to ask the boy to go with her on an alternate activity, such as bowling or skating, or some other pastime that can be enjoyed by a group of teens. Afterwards, they may go out for pizza or dinner afterwards.