Alternative prom creates a space for students to authentically be themselves

Lynn Jafarzadeh, Illustrator • November 18, 2024

In the dimly lit Mabee Ballrooms, students gathered dressed up in a mix of edgy and eclectic outfits for Danse Macabre, an alternative prom held by Topper Radio and Trans Wellness Organization (TWO). Unlike a highschool prom where the playlist may have included upbeat hits from the 2010s, older classics and at least one Ed Sheeran song, the music at Danse Macabre ranged from songs from iconic goth rock bands such as The Cure to post-grunge groups like System Of A Down.

Senior Uma Dietzel, president of Topper Radio, had been dreaming of hosting an alternative music event since their junior year. This year, in collaboration with TWO, she was able to make that dream a reality by hosting an alternative prom.
“I hope students get to have the prom they never got to have,” said Dietzel. “I graduated during the pandemic in 2020 so I never had my senior prom, and I know a lot of other people never had a junior or senior prom either.” (Daniel Mendoza / Hilltop Views)

Sophomore Zeke Hensley is heavily influenced by alternative culture in his art and fashion sense. Following punk do-it-yourself ethics, he makes his own patches and buttons using whatever he finds.
Hensley frequents punk and hardcore shows, which foster a sense of community where “people look out for each other.”
“In typical society, a lot of people feel like they don’t belong,” Hensley said. “They feel ostracized, and alternative culture gives people a home to feel like: ‘we’re ostracized, but that’s okay because we have each other.’” (Lynn Jafarzadeh / Hilltop Views)

Senior Bo Villarreal and junior Victoria Ortega have different levels of involvement in the alternative scene, but both find themselves very accepted within the culture. They both agree that music, regardless of genre, has the ability to bring people together.
“There’s such a difference in every community that you meet based off of music.” Villarreal said. “Pop people, which I’m also a part of: very fun, very extraverted. But now being at this event it’s definitely more introverted people but still vibing around each other which is really, really nice.” (Lynn Jafarzadeh / Hilltop Views)

Half way through the night, the slow dance portion of the prom began, a contrast to the previously dynamic and energetic tunes. Couples and loved ones embraced each other as they danced to slower but no less eccentric songs characterized by haunting lyrics and groovy instrumentals. (Daniel Mendoza / Hilltop Views)

Within the alternative scene, there’s a significant overlap with the LGBTQ+ community. The inherently accepting nature of alternative culture has created a safe space that allows many queer individuals to express themselves in non-conventional ways without fear of judgment from mainstream society. For senior Marshall Piel, discovering goth culture was like finding a missing puzzle piece of his identity as a trans man.
“My friend introduced me to goth subculture,” Piel said, “and I really just connected with the androgyny and the darkness, and the flamboyant self expression and unapologetic nature of it all, and ever since then I’ve just thrown myself into it head first, ‘embracing the darkness’ and vampires and flowy clothes and just the ridiculousness of it all really ended up being a really huge piece of the puzzle in figuring out who I am as a man and as a trans person.” (Daniel Mendoza / Hilltop Views)

Iridessa Lewis, a self-identified “drag creature,” cites alternative music and bands like Muse as a major influence of their worldview, encouraging them to think for themself and branch out. For them, alternative culture means “expressing yourself fully and truthfully.”
“The word poser gets thrown around a lot and I think we’re all posers of each other.” Lewis said. “I don’t think there’s really such a thing as a poser as long as you’re being yourself authentically” (Lynn Jafarzadeh / Hilltop Views)

As the event came to an end, students danced their hearts out one last time to the final song of the night, “Cirice” by Ghost.
“(Music) transcends words, transcends social rigidity,” Piel said, “because when you feel a connection to a song and then you find other people also connected to a song, you’re connected to each other” (Lynn Jafarzadeh / Hilltop Views)

About the Contributors

Lynn Jafarzadeh, Illustrator

Lynn is a freshman and this is his first semester working as an illustrator with Hilltop Views. Alongside illustrating, Lynn also dabbles in hard news reporting and writing opinion articles about topics they are passionate about.

Daniel Mendoza, Photo Editor

Daniel Mendoza is Hilltop Views' photo editor. He's a current sophomore studying photography. Outside of Hilltop Views, Daniel's focus is toward his personal photo series and photography business titled León DC.

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