Pink, red and white balloons adorned the Cottonwood Creek Elementary cafeteria as fathers in suits and ties accompanied their daughters in dresses of all colors, sporting moves from twirls and waltzes to the Cupid Shuffle.

CCE held its first Father-Daughter dance on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. The event, hosted by CCE PTO volunteers Kristen Rose, Sara Ross, Jennifer Straach and Brittany Carpenter, was designed to serve as both a fundraiser for the school and a way to foster a sense of community.

“We are hoping just to get dads and daughters or grandparents, or big brothers to come and dance with the girls, bring the community together, and raise a little money for Cottonwood Creek,” Rose said.

One hundred twenty people were in attendance, making the dance a bustling and energetic event.

“[Turnout] was really good – we were really excited to have this number of people,” Ross said.

The dance was themed according to Valentine’s Day, evidenced by the color scheme and paper lanterns adorning the stage. But the mood was different, emphasizing the special relationship between fathers and their daughters. People filled the dance floor to songs from “Happy” by Pharrell Williams to “I Loved Her First” by Heartland.

For many of the girls, it was their first formal dance. They oscillated between dancing with their guests to their friends, tossing balloons to each other every once in a while. Some of the guests prepared dances ahead of time.

“I’m here to celebrate my daughter and such a good school year she’s having,” attendee Madison Anders said. “I’m looking forward to cutting loose and dancing with my daughter. We’ve actually practiced a little waltz.”

Towards the middle of the event, attendees participated in a game to see how well they knew their father or daughter. Father-daughter pairs lined up, back-to-back, raising their hands for statements they believed to be true. Almost all the fathers raised their hands for questions such as “my girl loves things that sparkle.”

The dance was underscored by a sense of cherished time between fathers and their daughters, whether it was the glee of knowing each other’s quirks and characteristics, or the trust and love that comes with their relationship.

“It makes the kids feel special and loved,” attendee Mike Britt said. “It’s good to have father-daughter time. I think more things like this would be fun.”

As the event winded down, fathers and daughters had a final dance to “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” by Marvin Gaye, emblematic of the bonds they shared.

Follow Akansha (@akanshas120) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.