In a blast to the past, this year’s Homecoming Dance will transform the Meruelo Athletic Center from a gym to a boogie wonderland. The theme of the dance, which takes place this Sunday, is “Disco Night,” a 1970s-inspired theme that was pitched by Junior Class Vice-President Kody Rymer. Traditionally, the junior class officers lead the planning of the Homecoming dance.

“I’ve always thought it was a fun theme, and I am so happy everyone seemed to like it as much as I did,” Rymer said.

With the intent to make this year’s dance better than all those that came before it, Junior Class President Isabella Ross said, the dance will feature “Saturday Night Fever”-inspired decor, alongside a Volkswagen bus and backdrops that will provide fun photo opportunities. Rymer also said that attendees will also be able to play games and enjoy a photo booth.

“[‘Disco Night’] is classy, it’s fun, and it really describes Homecoming,” Ross said.

The planning for this event started in ASB camp this past June and, since then, the junior class representatives have held meetings to discuss the year’s different events, which includes Homecoming and Prom.

“Right now I’m trying to work with the music,” Ross said. “…I’ve heard a lot of complaints about music over the past few years – that it’s been too old and hasn’t been really that much fun because they don’t play any normal [modern] music.”

Rymer said that ASB will be suggesting songs to the DJ “so students will enjoy the music when dancing.”

According to Ross, the junior class officers used feedback from previous dances to improve this year’s Homecoming dance.

“We’re kids too and we want to help,” she said. “We’re doing this not because we’re above everybody, but because we’re the voice for a lot of people, so if anybody has any suggestions we’re always open to it.”

Part of the planning process is determining how to use the budget of the dance. A ticket to the Homecoming dance is $75.

“The entrance fee pays for the catering… It also goes toward renting the DJ, all of the setup,” Activities Director Diana Neustadt said. “We have to pay for all of the linens [and] decor, and when you go into the gym there’s truss structures with things hanging off of them and staging, so that’s all part of the fee.”

According to Neustadt, these extras make the Homecoming Dance more extravagant and, thus, more expensive than other, less expensive dances like the Welcome Dance.

However, students were able to purchase Homecoming tickets for $55 at the early-bird price. The reason for the large gap between the early bird price and the regular price has to do with the planning of the dance. ASB needs to send the caterers the most accurate attendance numbers as quickly as possible. Neustadt said the approximate 25% off is incentive for students to purchase their tickets earlier in order to make ASB’s job easier and to provide a proper gage for attendance at the dance.

The Homecoming Dance will take place this Sunday in the Meruelo Athletic Center from 7-11 p.m. Ticket sales ended Sept. 26.