Turnabout Dance is returning to South on Feb. 28 after being cancelled two years ago, funded from the 2025 Homecoming dance, Dr. Mark Maranto, Assistant Principal of Student Activities, said.
In the past few years, the interest in the Turnabout dance has decreased significantly, resulting in record-low ticket sales compared to other dances at South, Maranto said. The idea for the event to return was brought up by Student Council (StuCo) members, who hope to rebuild the event that South has been missing since 2024, pricing tickets at $10, significantly lower than dances held in the past, Maranto said.
“We have to rebuild the tradition of Turnabout,” Maranto said. “Turnabout is fun and affordable, and you can come with friends or solo or with a date and dress however you want.”
This year’s Turnabout has some changes, including a new name, reTurnabout, which reflects the event’s return and rebranding, according to Maranto. The rebrand includes messaging that students can make what they want of the tradition, focusing on inclusivity and fun, Maranto said.
Maranto’s theory is that after the pandemic, the new generation of students didn’t know about the Turnabout dance, explaining why a total of only seven tickets were bought for the dance in the 2023-2024 school year.
“Turnabout is a fun thing that you only get one time in high school,” Maranto said. “Students should be able to enjoy it,” Maranto said.
To plan the dance, StuCo created four committees: Dance Decorations, Publicity, Spirit Week, and Dance Activities, senior Ailsa Gallagher, Student Body Vice President said. StuCo members promoted the dance during lunch blocks, through the StuCo Instagram account, and morning announcements.
“I am definitely most excited for reTurnabout because Stuco has a lot of fun things planned for the dance, like games and food trucks,” Gallagher said. “I think the dance will be a good environment, which will help get people more excited to go and buy tickets.”
Sophomore Alexa Lapp, StuCo’s 2028 Class Representative, strategized reTurnabout’s return through social media and posters. Lapp thinks the dance will be an exciting event to break up the dreariness of winter and hopefully bring South’s community together.
“I think seeing Glenbrook North and New Trier doing Turnabout dances is a part of South’s culture that the students miss,” Lapp said.
StuCo and Maranto hope to keep this new twist on reTurnabout going for years to come, making it a special event that people look forward to every year at South.
“What I always hope with dances is that our students have a good time and that they make great memories with their friends,” Maranto said.