Sadie Hawkins Dance. Ladies’ Choice Dance. Turnabout. SubDeb. Whatever you call it, this dance is one many students don’t forget.

Almost as soon as the clock struck nine, the Kansas State Alumni Center was filled with pulsing music and a wave of Manhattan High Students ready to dance the night away with dates and friends.

While SubDeb is not put on by Manhattan High, the dance can be called one of the most exciting parts of the second semester.

“It’s just a night where you can just have fun and where you meet a lot of cool people and talk to new people,” junior exchange student Juliane Dylla said, “and of course it’s fun to dress up every once in awhile.”

Dylla’s sentiment was shared by many of her classmates who were in attendance.

“I think since MHS does not have a formal winter homecoming dance like most schools SubDeb kind of acts as a homecoming dance,” senior Jacey Reid said. “If there wasn’t SubDeb the only other formal dance would be prom. Plus I thought there was a lot more freedom at SubDeb because it’s not technically a school-sponsored event.”

While many students attend the dance with a date, others prefer to go with a group of friends.

“My group was pretty big. I went with Vicky [Bedros, junior], Cody [Ballou, junior], Juliana [Schwartz, junior] and their dates,” junior Olivia Belin said. “We didn’t do anything at my house though so it was super low stress for me. They were just a lot of fun to be around.”

Belin had attended Subdeb her sophomore year and the differences were clear to her.

“The music this year was much better than last year and I think a lot more people were willing to dance,” Belin said. “At first not very many people were dancing but some of my friends and I went out anyway and slowly more and more people joined so it became a lot better like an hour in.”

Whether it was their first time or last time, students who attended enjoyed dancing and being with their friends.

“I liked the getting ready beforehand and the hanging out afterwards more than the actual dance but the dance was still fun,” Reid said. “It was the first time I’d been to SubDeb so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It was a lot of jumping or just standing around but I’m glad I went.”