area authorities crack down on teen dances

Merriam-Webster Online has 10 different definitions for the word “grind.” But only the last definition applies to dancing: “to rotate the hips in an erotic manner.”

To some school officials, grinding is—by definition—not appropriate for high school dances. But teens feel it is a harmless style, and it has become so prevalent that many students can hardly imagine dancing any other way.
That’s part of the reason that Exeter High School has canceled its next school dance, which was scheduled for March 27. Exeter High principal Victor Sokul announced the cancellation on March 9 and plans to hold a public meeting about future dances in late March or early April.

“What I hope to do is put together some sort of, for lack of a better word, a forum to discuss this issue so that we can solve it,” Sokul said. “The issue’s not going to go away, and canceling dances is not my preference, but we’ve got to figure this out long-term,”

According to SAU 16 superintendent Michael Morgan, grinding is not the only activity that has raised alarms at school dances. “It seems like there are more issues than just the grinding thing. There does seem to be some concern about alcohol and drug use at dances. There seem to be some dress code issues,” he said. “It’s not just the dancing style. It’s a broader picture than that.”

Teen dancing has also stirred recent controversy in Portsmouth, where police put a swift halt to Club Status after its opening event on March 1. In both cases, supporters say dances provide a safe and healthy alternative to underage house parties and other unlawful teen activities.

Sarah Mousseau, senior class president at Exeter High School, believes shutting down school dances is a regrettable mistake. “They’re a really good source of entertainment and for all the students to get together,” Mousseau said. “It provides a safer place for the kids to be than out at parties that aren’t supervised.”

Around 50 people showed up at the Casey Function Center in Portsmouth on March 1 for an under-21 dance party put on by Club Status. Dancers between the ages of 13 and 20 twirled through a multi-colored lightshow while the sound system pumped club mixes and hip-hop tunes through the fog-filled room.

With four police officers present—two uniformed and two undercover—the drug and alcohol free event went off without a hitch. But the Portsmouth Police Department voiced grave concerns about the club and ultimately managed to bully it out of town.

Club Status owners Peter Anania and his son, Peter Anania Jr., hoped to hold underage dance parties at the Casey Function Center on a weekly basis. The building on Lafayette Road is owned by the Knights of Columbus and managed by former police officer Bill Maloney. After hearing complaints from police, the Knights decided not to rent the space to Club Status again.

“We were looking to do this every Saturday, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to take off,” said Anania Jr., who DJ’d the opening event. “We do plan on doing this again, hopefully.”

Club Status had all the necessary permits to hold a dance party, and the club did not violate any state laws or city ordinances. “Everything we did was completely legal and all by the books,” Anania Jr. said.

Deputy Police Chief Len DiSesa confirmed that the club did not do anything illegal. But he fears that a dance club for underage guests would attract drinking and drugging, even though drugs and alcohol are prohibited by club rules. DiSesa said he also worries about the diverse age range allowed at the club.

“Anytime, I think, you have a mix of 13-year-olds to 20-year-olds, you’re asking for some trouble. That’s not a good mix,” DiSesa said. “It was just not conducive to a safe environment.”

Noting that the opening event was advertised on Facebook and Craig’s List, DiSesa said the dance offered an open invitation to people looking for a techno rave environment. He worried that underage guests would “preload” with drugs like ecstasy and alcohol before entering the club.

“This was advertised on the Internet, so God knows who would show up or what they might bring with them,” he said.

Anania Sr. and Jr. also own the Dancing Machine Co. in Portsmouth, which sets up lighting and sound systems at bowling alleys, roller skating rinks, nightclubs and other venues. Anania Jr., who is 20 years old, said he has served as a DJ at more than 300 school dances and other underage events. His father ran a series of nightclubs and teen clubs in the 1970s, and the two believe their combined experience has prepared them to deal with potentially unruly teens.

“My area of expertise is high school dances. That’s where I really feel in tune with the kids,” Anania Jr. said.

At the opening event on March 1, which charged an admission fee of $10, Club Status actually went above and beyond city requirements. At DiSesa’s request, the owners paid for two uniformed officers even though they were only legally obligated to have one. But Anania Jr. said DiSesa’s continued resistance convinced the building owners to bar them from future events.

“He did not shut down the nightclub. It was his personal opinion that kind of scared away the Knights of Columbus from doing this,” Anania said. “You don’t want to have the Police Department on your bad side.”

DiSesa noted that turnout was low at the opening event because of a snowstorm that day. If the room had reached its capacity of 200 people, he said, things could have gotten out of hand.

DiSesa said past underage dance clubs in the area have attracted trouble. He said there was a mixed club for teens and adults on Ocean Road about 15 years ago, which often led to drug use and excessive drinking. DiSesa recalled one event where an underage woman overdosed on vodka.

“She collapsed. She almost died from alcohol poisoning,” DiSesa said. “That can happen anyplace, but the atmosphere at these types of dances attracts that kind of outcome, and we are concerned about that.”

Although Club Status has numerous rules in place to prevent inappropriate behavior, DiSesa said the function center’s relatively remote location on Lafayette Road poses additional dangers. If a 14-year-old is kicked out of a dance at 10:30 p.m., DiSesa wondered, where would he or she go?

Anania Jr. said Club Status is currently searching for a new home. Possibilities include Roller Skate Newington, where Dancing Machine installed a sound system, or Rye Airfield in Portsmouth.

The club has risen its minimum age for admittance from 13 to 14 to help ease concerns, but Anania Jr. worries that his club will now encounter resistance wherever it goes. He said he has received numerous emails recently, some of them supportive and others upset about the idea. “I’ve had a hard time with this,” he said.

Anania Jr. thinks Club Status is not much different from a high school dance. But even school dances are in jeopardy in Exeter, and Sarah Mousseau worries that losing dances could hurt the entire senior class. Dances constitute the school’s single biggest fundraiser for Senior Week, which will include trips to York Beach and Six Flags, as well as a community service day and senior breakfast.

Sokul said he has warned students repeatedly not to grind at school dances. He kicked 19 students out of the most recent dance in February for failing to heed those warnings.

Mousseau said she engages in grinding herself at dances, and so does just about everyone else. Although she understands the principal’s concerns, she said students are grinding at school dances across the nation.

“I see where he’s coming from, being the supervisor and everything, but I think what needs to be realized is it’s not just happening at Exeter High School,” she said. 

Superintendent Mike Morgan said erotic dancing and other concerns are nothing new at school dances. “I started my teaching career in 1971. It was a problem then,” he said.

But Sokul said this dancing goes too far. “What’s bringing this to light is the dirty dancing or the grinding that the students do at dances,” he said, noting that he must set a moral example for students. “The grinding is hard to watch and it’s having an effect on the number of chaperons that we can get to dances.”

Morgan said he is aware that school dances provide a safe and healthy environment for most students and is hesitant to lose them. Sokul said he hopes all interested parties, including students, teachers, parents, police and administrators will plan on attending the public forum once it is scheduled.

More than anything, Morgan worries that the controversy over school dances will distract people from Exeter High School’s many positive accomplishments, such as winning NHIAA sportsmanship awards three years in a row.

“Those are the things that are clouding the vast majority of very good things that are happening at Exeter High School,” he said.