This year, Regina Dominican hosted their annual Fall Fling dance on September 28, 2024. A majority of the dance factors, such as theme, decorations, and ticket sales for the Fall Fling Dance are decided by the Junior Class Leadership Board, which is moderated by Mr. Pligge and Ms. Tully. 

This year’s Fall Fling theme was “Fun in the Sun” with the cafeteria transformed into a summertime utopia. 

At past dances, the true star of the show has always been the array of music genres played, along with the ability of the DJ to get a crowd involved. Over the past two Fall Fling dances, there have been two different DJs. Last year, the students jammed out with DJ Chicken Wing; this year with DJ Suzy. The DJ is a “make or break” factor in a student’s enjoyment of any particular dance. Unfortunately, DJ Suzy was deemed a letdown who could not compete with DJ Chicken Wing’s charismatic personality. 

DJs are typically criticized for their song choice, the duration of songs played, or their overall attitude. Last year’s DJ, DJ Chicken Wing, won the hearts of the majority of Regina’s student population, according to a poll taken by the student body present at last year’s Fall Fling. The majority of the student body felt that last year’s DJ Wing was the better choice. A strong 65.6% of the student body present at last year’s homecoming dance said they liked DJ Chicken Wing more.  The poll is shown below.

Regina sophomore Grace Wrigley, said, “I wish we had last year’s DJ and I wish we had song suggestions like last year.” 

Although most students liked DJ Chicken Wing better,  nearly 57 percent of the 79 respondents either thought DJ Suzy was fine or were neutral. The remaining 43 percent of respondents stated that they weren’t a fan of this year’s DJ Suzy as demonstrated in the poll below.

The primary critique was the long length of the songs played, shown in a landslide vote found below.   According to the poll sent out last month, 66.7 percent of the student body thought the songs went on too long compared to 33 percent of students who vocalized their disappointment that the length of songs played were just too long.

Sarah Anichini, ’25 said, “Honestly, only a few songs were played too long, but when they were played too long; it was really noticeable, and it ruined the vibes. Otherwise, she (the DJ) was fine.”

Noah Pligge, the music teacher/director and class moderator indicated that cost is always a factor when choosing a DJ for a school dance. He also noted the differences between last year and this year’s DJ.

Pligge said, “The other DJ was too expensive.” Pligge said. He applauded this year’s DJ, DJ Suzy, and said, “I liked this DJ better. I thought last year’s DJ was a little too personal and made me feel uncomfortable when he was talking about his breakup into the microphone throughout the entire Homecoming Dance.”

This year’s Fall Fling was still a good time had by all and many though DJ Suzy provided a fun vibe for the evening. Others were disappointed because the songs dragged on too long. One sentiment heard by many is that at the end of the dance, there was one missing piece: the beloved DJ Chicken Wing.