Father/Daughter Dance

[suzieqinga]

Have any of you ever hosted, planned, or attended a Father-Daughter dance? I've been asked to help plan one, and I just wanted to see if any of you have any tips you'd be willing to share. TIA.

 

[tzolkin]

When my oldest was in Girl Scouts they had a father/daughter dance.

One special thing I remember was they took poloroid pictures of each father/daughter when they entered and put them into foam frames. We still have the picture in the frame.

The girls did a lot of dancing, but DH said all the other men just sat and talked throughout the whole night. They did a dance contest (I can't remember the prizes-- I think food/candy). Most of the dads participated in that, but one girl was alone so DH danced with her and DD. They won.

 

[BCV513]

My Girl Scout troop did a Father/Daughter square dance every year when I was younger. I loved it! We always did a lot of dancing and laughing. Girls who weren't able to bring dads for whatever reason brought moms, grandfathers, uncles, etc. Afterwards, a bunch of us all went out for ice cream. It was great.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

My Girl Scout troop did a Father/Daughter square dance every year when I was younger. I loved it! We always did a lot of dancing and laughing. Girls who weren't able to bring dads for whatever reason brought moms, grandfathers, uncles, etc. Afterwards, a bunch of us all went out for ice cream. It was great.

We did this too. I always looked forward to being out with my dad. Each troop made a poster and hung it in the gym where the square dance was being hosted. Everyone voted on the best one. Each troop brought something to snack on. This is one of my fondest memories of my dad.

 

[abdmom]

I just want to point one thing out. Not all girls have a father. or uncles nearby or grandfathers. Yes, it's great for those who do and if everyone in your group has a father who is willing and able to attend, great, but a significant percentage of young girls don't have this. Father-daughter dances can be a terrible reminder and make them feel like an outsider.

 

[mamacatnv]

My DD and DH attend one every year just before Christmas. It is put on by the local community college and this year was held in the ballroom of a large hotel. This year it was $20 per person to attend.

The age range is 12 months - 12 years and the girls must have a male escort, be it brother, uncle, friend etc. No moms or grandma's

The dress is everything from Western Wear with Bolo Ties to tux's.

My DD wears a Holiday dress and DH wears dress slacks, tie and sport coat.

There is a photographer present and we can purchase a package, the photographer also offers "buddy" shots. The packages are under $20

The event sells a corsage & boutiniere set, I prefer to custom order ours from a local florist so that is matches her dress.

They serve appetizers (fruit, cheese, crackers and light desserts) and bottled water. Our invites specifically state that all girls should have dinner before arriving.

There is a DJ who plays lots and lots of "group" type dances, the chicken dance, hokey pokey, time warp, conga line etc.........

I take DD to the beauty school where she gets her hair done and a manicure.

Because of our climate a coat check is offered.

The time frame is from 6 pm to 9 pm with photos starting at 5:30

This city wide event started several years ago and was held on the campus, every year there was a huge waiting list so this past year the event grew in size and changed locations to the hotel. The cost went from $15 per person to $20 per person due to the venue change. Per my DD and DH who have gone every year it was worth every penny

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

Oh, a Father-Daughter Dance can be so much fun to do! Our school has them every other year.

First, you need to pick a theme. Do you want the girls all dressed up or casual? Past themes for us have been Hawaiian, Under the Sea, Mexican, Western, 80s, and Candy/Desserts. The candy theme was the dressiest -- the girls were in their prettiest! Then have fun with an Oriental Trading Catalog!! Order Leis, western hats, etc. We always had a themed item at the girl's place to take home. Lots of helium balloons and streamers!! A "cheap" decoration is to make items from the big long paper the school has.

Then, set a budget. How much to charge? To what extent will the food, goodies, decorations, etc. cost. Our Mexican year was a cheaper dance because ground beef isn't as much as prime rib!

Get the DJ. Make sure he is aware this is a kid's dance and make sure he has lots of group dances. The kids (and Dads) love YMCA, Chicken Dance, Macarena, chain dances, etc. Make sure there are some "slow songs" but not romantic ones. If your Middle School holds dances, they might be able to suggest someone good (those dances tend to have more fast numbers than slow) I am assuming this is for Elementary age kids? They want music they know! Make sure the DJ has Jonas, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomaz, etc. You aren't looking for the same music that a DJ would play at a wedding!

Have an area set up for photos. Have a mom do it, or we have always brought in a professional. Like the ones who do sport teams, etc. It is a wonderful keepsake. We often don't get good pictures of our kids with parents.

Prizes! Yes, you need these girls to pull their Dad's out on the floor and prizes are the best way to do it!

Nametags -- so the Dad's "know" everyone.

Do really nice invites -- place in envelopes and address. You don't need to mail. Hopefully, this will help start the magic and make them realize they need to RSVP so you have good numbers for this. If you need a set number for dinner or prizes, be very clear in the invite that there is a FIRM deadline. And then "pad" (give yourself a few more days) that FIRM deadline so you can still allow people to come!

Have fun!!!!!!!

 

[Mrs.Toad]

Our Girl Scout unit also does these dances. They usually call it "Me and my Guy", rather than Father/daughter to make it clear that the girls can bring any male that they choose, it doesn't necessarily have to be a father. The girls are also allowed to bring mom or grandma if they don't have any male relatives or friends to bring.

As hokey as they sound, the square dances encourage the dads to join in. Hate to say it, but they seem to like to be told what to do. The years they've just let them loose with the DJ, the girls will dance with their friends, and the dads hang around the sides.

 

[Julylady]

I also want to point out that not all girls have fathers to bring them to the dance.

Last year my first grader niece had a father/daughter dance on a day that my brother was out of town for business. Both her grandfathers have passed away. She only has 2 uncles and they both live out of town. When her Mom wanted to accompany her as her escort, she was told no, only men. My niece was just heartbroken that she couldn't go. They then tried to find another classroom "dad" who would agree to have two daughters that night. Finally, her college-age cousin came to her rescue and agreed to take her. I give him a great deal of credit for attending an elementary school event with a 7 year old girl! Of course, he was the hit of the dance because he knew all the dances and wasn't interested in talking to the other dads.

If you are planning one of these events...please be very sensitive that not all families are the same!!

 

[TEENEE]

Our girl scout neighborhood calls it a sweetheart dance. The girls have to have a male escort over 18 years old. This is discourage the older girls from bringing their boyfriends. The dance is usually the Friday before Valentines day. They have snacks, a photographer, silent auction (each troop brings a gift basket to auction & local sports teams donate items) and a craft (something clean, usually from oriental trading). Some of the couples get dressed up, some come more casual.

 

[suzieqinga]

I am not in charge of this event, but I have agreed to help with the planning, so your insight are very helpful! We will certainly not limit this to fathers only, and there is no way that we would exclude any girl who wants to attend.

Thanks so much for all of your comments and tips...please keep them coming!

 

[spacemountain]

I was involved with working on a Daddy/Daughter Dance for two years in a row. We also took Polaroid pictures when everyone came in, and then sent them over to the craft table. Then the girls could come over to the craft table at some point during the dance and decorate a frame. We had the music going all night, but we also had lots of games around. Each father/daughter was given a card and with each game they played they got a sticker for that card. At the end of the night if they had all their stickers, they got a special prize. We also had gift bags that we gave out, and we had little signs with all of the attendees names on them along the hallway coming in, which they thought was fun to find theirs and then take it home with them.

 

[suzieqinga]

For those of you that have been involved in these dances, did the dancing start right away or did everyone come in and get snacks and mingle a bit first? Or was there a photo session at the beginning? Or something else? Our dance party is scheduled to last 3 hours, and I'm just trying to get an idea of how this should all play out. Will people dance the entire 3 hours? Have you seen any special contests/tricks/games to get the men more involved?

Thanks again for any and all suggestions!!

 

[cajunmommy]

We do alternating Mother/Son & Father/Daughter dances.

Regarding the pics, we start one hour before the actual dance time. For example, pics start @ 5pm, with the actual dance running from 6-9pm. The photographer is around for most of the evening, however. Typically, those who chose to come early for pics will run out for a quick bite to eat then return for the actual dance.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

karaoke, dance contest for couples, or at the very least an air guitar contest for the dads. Gets the dads more involved and provides for great pics - dad's end up with their ties tied on their forehead and acting really "super cool" or just plain goofy!

allow mom's to arrive the last 15 mins for them to take pics!

 

[mykidsand_i]

We started doing a father/daughter dance about 4 years ago. The first year we were getting ready for it, we got a great tip from someone. They told us to ask a local high school or two for their 'left over' prom decorations. The proms all over the USA end up throwing a lot of their supplies away- or just storing them for future use...or they donate them to an organization that would put them to use.

We've even done better than just borrowing the items- two years ago it clicked. We worked out a GREAT plan with a local high school who does a prom on a Friday night. They allow our organization to come in and use the set up gym on Sat. evening for no charge! All we do is go in on Sat. morn. some time to make sure everything is in place, we add a few little touches of our own, we bring in two or three tables to serve punch, finger foods (small sandwiches, fruits, veggies, light appitizers). We've gotten moms from our group, some high school people and other friends to come in and serve the food. And we start it at 6:30 or 7:00. Someone from our group has all of the things to come in and play music- so we have him do it. He's got a HUGE range of music- including all the kidz bop stuff, country, rock, rap, slow, fast you name it, he's got it.

We've set up a limbo, we've done 'dance games' and we've used the 'picture spot' that the high schoolers used the night before. If the parents want a picture, they can bring their own camera...OR we'll do it with a polaroid for $1 a picture.

Last year, we had everyone who arrived sign their e-mail address and we made a 'picture page' on one of the photo sharing sites. We took TONS of pictures durring the event and put them all on the site. People could go to the site and order pictures from the father daughter dance for only 10 cents a print.

We charged $5 per father/daughter couple and if the dad brought more than one daughter it was $2 for each extra girl. The cost mostly covered food, because everything else was already taken care of. We also had things donated- fancy paper plates, disposable silverware, napkins (the napkins were donated ALONG with 50% off of printing the napkins with our 'theme' and date!!! We did that to make things special!!!), we had two different grocery stores donate a gift card to use towards food.

On Sunday morning, we met with several High School students to clean it all up. That was our 'deal' that we got with them. If we used it, we would also assist with clean up, take down. Last year we had 30 adults from the father daughter dance show up and about 40 high schoolers and their parents. We all got it cleaned up very quickly!!! PLUS, we saved a TON of money on decorations and renting a location, so it was a great way to do it!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Our school does this and it's wonderful.

We do the usual - pictures with father and daughters, refreshments, dj, most dad's buy the girls little corsages etc. The one unique thing we do is we have all the father's and daughters in a big circle and one by one the dad's come out and introduce their daughters and say a little something special about their girls. It is very touching and the dads really get into it!

 

[emma'smom]

Our town sponsors a Daddy/Daughter Dance (DDD) every year that is one of the social highlights of the year! Almost everyone goes.....it is a huge event and it sells out very early. In fact, they now have it on two nights to accommodate everyone. It is 35.00 a couple and an additional 10.00 for each extra girl. DH took both of our dd's this year. Some dads have "dates" with each daughter on a different night and go twice, but DH just took them both together.

The local restaurants in town advertise Daddy/Daughter Dance dinner specials. This year my DH let the girls pick one of the nicer restaurants in town (they were very impressed with the "real tableclothes" and candles on the table =). However, it was filled with daddy-daughter groups and the menu included choices that would appeal to children.

The florists feature corsages in child sizes as well. The girls get dressed up in their fanciest dresses and the men tend to wear suits or sport coats.

The dance itself always has a theme. This year it was the Wizard of Oz and takes place in multiple rooms. One room is dancing and one room includes a lot of games. Most of the dads do end up standing/sitting around the edge of the dance floor chatting while the girls have at it with each other---but they do a few slow songs that they all dance to together. I would imagine they would also do typical party songs (ymca, etc) that they could do as well.

There is a photographer who takes a "prom style" shot of the dad/daughter. It always comes out very cute.

Our girls love it and it is a big, fun deal here. The age ranges is from about 4-10ish. I don't think there is a cut-off age officially.

As for girls without dads, I would imagine they could come with any male and many dad's bring their dd's friends as well. Since it isn't a school event, it loses a bit of the "feeling left out"----but I am sure there must be some of that.

P.S. There is also a mother/son dance in February---but I don't think that is as well attended. Mostly preschoolers and their moms.