Joyce in Douglasville, GA janderson2@atl.mediaone.net

Drum Roll Please...........Here are the replies!!!! 

Submitted by: Rita in Mesa Az

What a fun decorating theme this will be for you. Here are some things that came to my mind right away: Use lots of black and white crepe paper(cheap). You can use it on the tables, around the door frames, draped from wall to wall for a false ceiling (if you do this it might be better to use plastic) kind of like we used to do for the old "Gold and Green" balls. şÜş

For refreshment tables you can use white cloths with black square cloths overlaid and white paper plates and cups. You can also use black and white crepe paper streamers twisted down the center and then black and white helium balloons anchored at the middle or on each end. If you wanted to take it a little more formal, you can use ribbon laid flat (a black wide ribbon with a white narrow ribbon running down the middle is beautiful and then another very narrow black ribbon in the middle of that)and you can use just a little red as an accent such as an occasional long stemmed red flower tied with a red ribbon or little red heart shaped sprinkles here and there. (The kind that you buy at the party supply store and put inside your invitation envelopes.)  You could also use a plastic Top Hat as a centerpiece with white gloves and red roses laid on top.

Along the walls you could use black sillouettes of people dancing - a variety of dance positions depending on what kind of music you will be having. (They can be made from black paper that teachers use to cover bulletin boards-so that won't be too expensive and pasted onto white butcher paper cut into a variety of shapes.)You could also use this paper to do "rolling" piano keyboards and/or music notes. One last thing that would be fun would be a sillouette of a city skyline made from paper hung on the wall. (Or just a black line drawing on White butcher paper if you have an artist in your group.)

OR....

You could go with a theme of Chess pieces - maybe 2 feet high-black pieces and white pieces-tumbling on top of each other here and there along the walls. If you did this I think it would be cute to have 2 great big pieces - one on each side of the entry doors-made from paper and then pasted onto a rectangle contrasting background that has a contrasting edge all the way around (ie: white King on black rectangle with a white edging). You could cut long strips of black and white paper to weave in and out of each other for a checkerboard effect and run them like a boarder or a the level of a chair railing all the way around the room with the chess pieces grouped 2-3 at a time ever here and there.

You can also use checkerboard pattern fabric for the table cloths.

Jennifer Angiemid4@aol.com

I love black and white checks... and that would be an easy way to decorate. Smart and Final or party stores would have the checked tablecloths. (Just a thought.. milk is a white drink if you are serving oreos) If you search the internet there are all kinds of black and white clipart graphics. You could print a couple of these, have them blown up to bigger sizes, and then make cardboard frames painted white or black and hang the black and white "photography" on the walls.

Or if you have time, ask each youth for an 8x10 photo, make a photocopy of it, and hang those on the walls. (the first thing I think of when I hear "black and white" is photography) If you have a scrapbook store, or a teachers curriculum library near you, you can get diecuts of film frames made and scatter those down the tables, along with some empty film canisters, and maybe even a couple of cameras. (Borrow some toy ones from a couple of kids in your ward) It would be easy to make a large film strip to go around the walls. I think big rolls of butcher type paper can be purchased rather inexpensively at teacher supply stores, and that would be the easiest way I can think of to make the really large filmstrips. Then place the photocopies or b&w graphics in each slot of the   filmstrips.

Or maybe come up with some knickknacks or decorations that represent common black and white themes for the tables... black and white cowboy hats, black cats and white ghosts, bride and groom, mimes, salt and pepper, newspaper, Laurel and Hardy, etc... or use animals.. panda bears, skunks, zebras, snoopy dogs, or my personal favorite, penguins. ... those are the only ones I can think of right now.

Black olives, cauliflower, and mushrooms with ranch dip could make a relish tray. Hard-boiled eggs are usually a popular finger food as well. Vanilla ice cream with black berries on it is yummy.

If you are taking photographs at the dance, you can get color film, which is cheaper than black and white, developed in black and white for the same cost, and let the photographs relate to the theme as well.  (They can even tint them later if they would like to.) It sounds like a fun  theme.

Submitted by: Cindy Wright  Wrightkc@aol.com

We hosted a black and white dance about 8 years ago. We had the same trouble  of deciding what to decorate with. Here's what we did --we used the theme of  dominoes. We took twin size mattress boxes and spray painted them black.  (Perhaps you can get them from people who are moving.) Then we took the cheap white paper plates and glued on to make "giant dominos" We had several sets of these in the cultural hall. Then along the walls we took black and white butcher paper and made alternating dominoes (i.e., black ones with white spots, white ones with black spots). We used white Christmas lights around the dominoes on the walls. And finally, bought tons of black and white balloons and made a false ceiling. Everything was super easy, except for the false ceiling which took some time. However, this was for a regional dance and needed to be "extra special." Lots of people commented on the decor. Hope this helps!

Submitted by: Vicki in Ohio  [hsman@iapdatacom.net]

We had an activity and used black, white and silver for our decorations. We used white tablecloths, and sprinkled with black confetti and black and silver curling ribbon curled. The centerpieces were plastic black top hats and helium balloon bouquets in black, white and silver. We took dead tree branches and spray painted them white. We cemented them in big fruit cans.

We put little white Christmas lights on them and black, white and silver curling ribbon draped on the little branches. We covered the bottoms where the fruit cans were with white tuille. On the stage we put balloon bouquets and put white chaser lights across the front. It looked beautiful.

Great Minds Think Alike

Toni Suggested:  TBSTAMPER@aol.com

We made a big skyscraper scene, just painted black outlines of buildings on white paper! We used black & white balloons, and found some black & white  confetti for the tables. It was pretty easy!  Good luck!

And Robyn Mitchell rmitch@seacove.net

How about a city skyline of various height buildings made of black paper taped onto the wall with white Christmas lights to light a few windows?

Melanie/NM   melrich@worldnet.att.net

What about the YM and YW profiles chalked on black construction paper and then cut and pasted on white cardstock for the walls?

Krista Oakes kristaoakes@hotmail.com

Black & white photos come to mind. You could even get some black and white film and take pictures of the kids. How about setting up a TV/VCR in the corner with old B&W movies playing on it (sound turned off)

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