The Associated Student Body is bringing the Sadie Hawkins dance back to Palo Alto High School in place of winter formal, according to Student Activities Director Matt Hall.

“Winter Formal has been the standard here for the last several years, and that’s usually in January, but we wanted to try something a little bit different,” Hall said.

The Sadie Hawkins Dance has existed in the United States at many high schools for decades, and last occured at Paly in 2009.

Unilke other dances at Paly, the Sadie Hawkins Dance will incorporate historical tradition. 

“Sadie Hawkins is something that has been a high school tradition all over the United States for 40 or 50 years,” Hall said. “Essentially, Sadie Hawkins was the one time when custom was reversed. In other words, girls asked boys to the dance.”

The dance will also feature a costume theme, common to Sadie Hawkins Dances, where couples dress together as pairs with a wide variety of different outfits.

“We are certainly going to keep the tradition of girl asking guy, and we are going to keep the tradition of couples dressing similarly,”  Hall said.

For those without dates, ASB assures there is nothing to worry about. 

“Just come as you are,” Hall said. “Everybody is welcome. We want to make it more inclusive, not exclusive. In this case, we are saying ‘This is what the theme is and this is what we intend to do,’ but it’s a dance and everybody is welcome.”

The purpose of the introduction of the Sadie Hawkins Dance this school year is to increase dance attendance, according to Hall.

“In the last several years here at Paly, dances haven’t been so successful,” Hall said. “In order to do better than what we’ve done in the past, we are going to try something new.”

Attempts to increase dance attendance have been made this year with the Welcome Back Dance and with the Homecoming Dance.

“Right now our results with what we have done in the last two dances — $5 for everyone at the first dance, free tickets for the Homecoming Dance — as far as our data shows, dance attendance has increased,” Hall said.

The dance will be held on Feb. 11, pending approval from the administration. Ticket prices have not yet been decided upon, according to Hall.