Ever since I can remember, after the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet recital, the seniors and juniors in the show have rushed back stage, said hurried goodbyes, brushed out their overly gelled hair, and changed into elaborate dresses to hopefully make it to the last two hours of their prom. Although it sounds wonderful – a night filled with dancing for an audience and then dancing with friends – it can be difficult for seniors and juniors to fit it all in.

The AHS Prom has been a conflict with the ASFB ever since 2010, when ASFB moved their recital from approximately the weekend of the 9^th-12^th to the weekend of May 16^th-18^th, a date that has and most likely always will, be a conflict with prom. To me, it seems odd that one of the dates has not been moved. These are both events that primarily honor the seniors, and for the seniors, it can be difficult to choose one or the other. Even if the seniors who participate in the annual spring dance recital are able to make it to the end of prom, they still miss their prom pictures, and dinner out with their friends and dates.

In a way, we as dancers (and other athletes I’m sure) have come to expect and try to accept that our time commitment with consistently conflict with our social lives. Recently, I was gifted a shirt that said “I Can’t, I Have Dance.” I laughed at it at the time, but it got me thinking about how much of our lives we choose to dedicate. Five days a week, including our Saturday mornings are spent in the studios, as well close to every day in November/December (aka Nutcracker Season). Any athlete experiences this, at least to some extent. Missing a school dance, friend’s birthday party, or another event to do something that we care passionately about enough to make sacrifices. However, being part of a club sport, or an activity that is not directly through school can be more difficult. While prom would never be scheduled at the same time as a soccer game or a lacrosse game, a ballet recital or a

That being said, I am not sure if a solution is so easy to find. I’m sure that with any weekend, someone would have a conflict that would be an inconvenience for him or her. However, it’s nice to think that our conflicts are the primary ones and that we take priority over the scheduling issues of others, but in reality there will always be someone who is unable to come for some reason or another.