Bye, Bye Miss American Pie...

A Guide to TIP Dances

By Kiersten Neely and Maddy Rollings/

Photo by AnnaMarie Koehler-Shepley

M&M staffers

Approximately 130 students at Duke TIP at the University of Georgia piled into Memorial Hall’s circular ballroom three times for weekly three-hour dances. The dances took place

Saturday, June 13, Saturday, June 20, and Thursday, June 25 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

This term, themes like "Famous Figures" and "Pirates vs. Ninjas" were encouraged for the dances. Students either followed the themes strictly or ignored them completely.

The dances were fun for everyone, even those who don’t like dancing. It is normal to become a wallflower and just socialize with friends, though it is encouraged to do group dances TIPsters consider “lame,” but fun, like the Cha Cha Slide and Cupid Shuffle.

For those that enjoy dancing, it is necessary to maintain a safe distance from your dancing partner so you don’t get squirted with water guns by TIP staffers. Traditions at TIP dances are taken sacredly, and if they are violated, it causes chaos among the TIPsters.

At the end of the dance, it is custom for the fourth years to gather in a circle and the second and third years create a circle around them while TIP songs are blasted. How TIP songs came to be are unknown, but each have lyrics that are special to everyone. "It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M., "The Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, "Good Riddance" by Green Day, "Breakfast at Tiffany’s" by Deep Blue Something, "Save Tonight" by Eagle-Eye Cherry and "American Pie" by Don McLean are all TIP songs. TIP songs are not to be played until the very end of the dances!

TIP dances are very important to most students because they are not only social events, but a marking period for each week passing by. It becomes a realization for each TIPster that the end is drawing nearer. Most are exceptionally reluctant to leave friends and “family” found here, and so the marking periods bring out sad emotions in the crowd. Crying is socially acceptable at the first two dances, and sobbing is incredibly common at the last dance.