Dads and their daughters jumped, twirled, rocked and rolled at Herriman High School Dance Company’s 2nd Annual Daddy Daughter Dance. Most couples couldn’t stay away from the dance floor but they also found time to make crafts, eat cookies, pose for pictures and paint their faces.

“Seeing all the dads and girls, just have the time of their lives-- like, that dance party was so cute, and they just look like they're having some fun,” Dance Company dancer Ella Monson said.

Dads and daughters have a blast bonding at the Daddy Daughter Dance. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

The event has become a tradition for Derek Heiser and his 5-year-old daughter, who attended last year and returned again this year. “It’s just a chance to bond with my daughter, dance, have a really good time, and build that loving relationship that we have,” he said.

Another dad and daughter pair have attended a daddy-daughter dance every year for the past five years. They moved to Utah this summer and were thrilled to find the HHS event. “She's growing up, but it's still fun, and we still like keeping the tradition alive,” the dad said.

Michele Fuller, a dance mom who helped with the event, said it was awesome to see the fathers really make the night special for their daughters, like one young girl who was so excited, she cried. “Her dad picked her up--went to the door, brought her flowers--and treated it like a real date,” Fuller said. “I’m a daddy’s girl so I loved seeing that.”

Stuart Wall came all the way from Oregon when his daughter Jazmyne, a HHS student, invited him.

“She called me about two weeks ago and said, ‘Hey, what are you doing on the sixth? There's a daddy daughter dance,’ and I said, ‘I'm there,’” Wall said. “I'm glad that they did something like this. We don't see enough of it where I'm from.”

Girls choose how to paint their dad’s face. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

Many of the activities-- face painting, crafting journals-- were aimed at young girls but the older ones had fun, too. Hoping to make some fun memories, a group of middle school aged girls went to the dance as a group with their dads. To make it a memorable experience, they bought new dresses, got ready together, and went out to dinner before the dance. “We're best friends since, like, first grade, and our dads, they really haven’t met each other, so it's a good experience for everyone,” one girl said. The girls said they had so much fun dancing and were pleased that their dads seemed to be bonding, too.

Herriman Dance Company director Arial Larsen loved to see dads and daughters of all ages and abilities enjoy the evening. Her HDC dancers taught line dances and TikTok dances and even performed a few of their dance pieces for the attendees.

She said it was a successful fundraiser. The number of attendees (140 girls, not counting their dads) was nearly double last year’s event. The money raised will help pay for HDC’s tour to Florida this spring where they will attend dance classes at Universal Studios and, hopefully, the University of Florida. Last year they went to New York City. Larsen said the annual tours are an excellent experience for her dancers.

“They get to see the university level of dance, and I feel like it's a great educational tool for our seniors and juniors when they're looking towards their future and the options that they have,” Larsen said.

Many of the HDC dancers wished they could have invited their dads to the dance. “Seeing all the dads and daughters reminds me of when I was little and a lot of memories I have with my dad,” dancer Kallie Peterson said. However, the HDC dancers were in charge of the fundraiser, and kept busy running the activities. They also did the majority of the set-up, take-down and promotion for the event.

“This is one of those things where they can actually do the work and not have the parents do it for them,” Larsen said.

One girl can’t contain her enthusiasm as the Herriman High School Dance Company performs at their Daddy-Daughter Dance fundraiser. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)