Harley on his way to his first LAV dance.
THE DJs are altar boys and girls. There are voice-recognition security checks, rules against lingering kisses and even bleeped versions of Eminem's hits are too dirty to play.
But somehow, north Sydney's junior high school dance party, Lav, has done well for nine years.
Its driving force is Dionisio Danai Paunlagui Penollar, from the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Homebush, who has continued his work as "DJ Father Dan" while studying for his imminent ordination.
Mr Penollar preaches disco without the fever, where courtship is strictly controlled. "As a minimum, hands have to be above the hips - hands aren't allowed to wander. If they do, chaperones will tap them on the shoulder. And if they're kissing for too long, a chaperone will tap them on the shoulder," he said. "You have a real risk of passions rising after the dance and we don't want that to happen."
Such measures have not stopped the crowds. Officially called the Combined Schools Dance Party, the monthly event attracts 400 to 500 teenagers from all denominations in years 7 to 10 from at least 20 schools. The event began in 1997 as a fund-raiser for altar servers.
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