Fueled by a passion for dancing, St. George residents protested a recent dance shutdown by dancing in front of the city hall building Thursday.
Complete with a disc jockey, St. George residents of all ages danced in front of the city hall building in response to a recent event shutdown due to improper permit procedures. The rotest was a dancing demonstration to capture the attention of the city council and advocate for a change in permit laws.
The protest was a result of a permit incident involving a Heart of Dixie Events LLC-promoted “Monster Mash” event that featured dancing, held Oct. 25 at Fiesta Fun, that was halted by local law enforcement.
St. George resident and spokesperson at the event, KC Zeeman, said he is in support of the dances, but the permits need to be obtained the right way.
The paperwork was not completed, and two of the city council members are looking into the incident, Zeeman said.
The current city ordinance for special events states that a permit must be obtained 30 days prior.
“A lot of people are upset with us … because their dance was knocked short … due to their paperwork not being fully done,” Zeeman said. “That’s why the police department was there. We are looking into it, but a decision will not be made until Thursday at 5 p.m.”
The protesters wanted to be inside the city council meeting, but they were not permitted, Zeeman said.
Alena Weida, a freshman business major from Indianapolis, Indiana, was intrigued by the protest, especially since she was previously a dance major.
“I hope that [the protest] shows the city that dancing can be less than a provocative thing and more of an open way to … come together as a community,” Weida said.
Marco Perez, a 16-year-old student from Pine View High School, said that dancing is his passion, and that members of the community should be able to dance wherever and whenever they want.
“Hopefully we get the OK to dance without a permit [because] that is my goal,” Perez said.
DJ Vexify said that he volunteered his services to show support of the protest and advocate for the youth by providing the music the protesters to dance to.
“It is just a bunch of kids who want to have fun,” said DJ Vexify. “That’s all it is.”
