Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:Latter-day Saints Church Youth Attend an Alternative Modest Prom

Youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from La Cañada, La Crescenta, Sunland and Tujunga hosted over 350 youth from around Southern California on May 6 at a prom that encouraged modesty in dress and dancing.

“Night at the Museum” was held at the Natural History Museum, and featured red carpet interviews, prime rib dinner, dancing, karaoke, dessert bars and other activities.

The purpose of the prom was to provide an environment where teenagers could have the experiences of a prom without freak dancing and other suggestive dancing and clothing.

“It is a sad commentary as to what goes on at some dances. This was a nice alternative to the school proms where my kids sometimes were embarrassed by what went on,” said Lori Collyer, whose children attended Crescenta Valley High School.

“No one was worried about dirty dancing,” explained Josh Newton, a junior at La Cañada High School.

But the event was not meant to compete with local high school proms. It was purposely scheduled for a weekend when none of the local high schools had conflicting activities. This allowed students to go to both their high school proms and the LDS prom if they chose to do so. Several students did attend both proms.

The dress standards for the event were suits and tuxedos for the boys and dresses with sleeves and hemlines to at least the knees for the girls. Backless, strapless and sleeveless dresses were not allowed.

“Girls didn’t have to worry about their dresses falling down,” said Ally Tran, a sophomore at La Cañada High. In preparation, parents and youth leaders helped teens alter dresses when necessary. Those not Latter-day Saints teens were invited to the event if they agreed to abide by the standards.

Additional features of the night included access to the museum’s special exhibit from the movie “Night at the Museum” starring Ben Stiller and Robin Williams; a Robin Williams impersonator portraying Teddy Roosevelt; a character artist; and people were allowed to wander through several exhibits.

The LDS Church plans to make this an annual event.