The Hoop ends an era of teen entertainment

A circle of eighth-grade girls stands between the dance floor and the restroom, gossiping. They're all dressed up, wearing identical short-shorts and colorful tops. They stop to talk about the dance.

'I've been coming here since sixth grade,' said one girl. 'You get to dance and to meet kids from different schools.'

'I don't think it should end,' said another. 'If you get bored, you just skip a few and come back.'

The first middle school dance at The Hoop, 9685 S.W. Harvest Court, was in 1996. Since then, the music has changed, The Hoop has changed ownership and the organization that runs the dances has changed hands as well. The dances have persisted through the changes for 14 years, but this Beaverton institution will come to an end this month: The last Hoop Dance is Aug. 27.

The YMCA of Columbia-Willamette purchased The Hoop in 2008. The dances are organized by Blackboard Music, a company that runs a handful of similar events throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Blackboard employee Dan Cook said the Y's decision to stop the dances was not unexpected.

'The previous owners of The Hoop thought the dances were a good use of the space and appreciated them as a way to make money,' Cook said. 'The Y's attitude was just - different.'

Beaverton Hoop YMCA executives did not return repeated calls for a comment.

A community event

Middle school students from across Beaverton have come en force to Hoop Dances, held 26 times a year. Organizers said that an average of 500 students attend each dance.

Blackboard staff check in with parents when they drop off and pick up their kids; check bags and pat down kids before they enter the building; and supervise the event.

'You know when your kids are in there that they are supervised and safe,' said Cook, who started working with Blackboard after his daughter attended Hoop Dances. 'When you're a parent you can really appreciate three hours of quiet on a Friday night.'

Many Blackboard staff members are Beaverton kids who started coming to The Hoop in middle school.

'We've had dozens of kids like that,' said Kris Martin, president of Blackboard Music. 'They come every week, and then start to ask how they can volunteer.'

Levi Mohorich, 20, took this path. He started working for Blackboard Music after attending Hoop Dances. Blackboard helped him get into college: He is now a sophomore at Portland State University studying marketing. And, he still comes back to DJ the Hoop Dances.

'This is a great community activity for middle-school students,' Martin said. 'It's safe and completely drug- and alcohol-free.'

Cook said that Hoop Dances bring kids together and forges friendships among different groups. The Hoop Dances feed into Courts Dances, the high school equivalent held alternate Saturdays at the Courts, 14523 S.W. Millikan Way.

Blackboard has not yet found a new venue to hold middle-school dances in Beaverton, though Cook said they have been scouting locations.

The last Hoop Dances will be held Aug. 13 and 27 at the Beaverton Hoop YMCA, located at 9685 Harvest Court. Admission is $10. Dances run from 7 to 10 p.m.