Friday found Cat's Cradle jam-packed with pencil-thin ties, raised collars, off-the-shoulder 1987 Duran Duran world-tour T-shirts, hot-pink spandex, crimped hair and hoop earrings. This explosive, frenzied nostalgia has become characteristic of the semiannual dance, an event that has grown more popular with the recent resurgence in popularity of all things '80s.
Had anyone walked into the Cradle unsuspecting, they would have sworn they were in a time warp.
The room was filled with Flashdance-ers and Billy Idol look-alikes, and there was a Pat Benatar in every corner. There was even a group of five WXYC DJs who came dressed as the seminal early '80s goth band Bauhaus. Dressing up, it seems, is just about everyone's favorite part of the '80s Dance -- next to the music, anyway.
Bobbing her head to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," sophomore Brandi Childers said she enjoys dressing up as often as possible. "This was a good chance to do that and express my undying love of the '80s at the same time," she said.
Likewise, sophomore Jonathan Beeker professed that the dance "gives me an outlet for my cross-dressing tendencies."
"I also like to be reminded that the '80s will never die," he added.
Given the increasing number of attendees at the dances the past couple of years, it certainly doesn't look like the '80s will be dying anytime soon.
The WXYC '80s Dance began in 1992 as the Early '80s Dance, evolving from the station's popular '60s and '70s dances. The '80s dances, initially held only once a year, have steadily grown in popularity. "A few years ago, the crowd was mostly made up of people who came of age in the '80s," said WXYC station manager Isaac Trogdon. "But now, within the last year or so, it has become more popular with UNC students as well."
Friday's dance was indeed filled with a broad range of people of all ages. Everyone from UNC students to 20- and 30-somethings could be seen "safety dancing" together. The event even attracted 16-year-old East Chapel Hill High School students Rachel McCook, Brooke Lawrence and Alexandra Schumann.