For many high school students, going to the prom is a rite of passage and a highlight of the academic year. It is a time when they manage to ignore school work, disguise themselves and have fun with their friends.
"The prom was something I was looking forward to from middle school. The end of the senior year is the most exciting time in high school because it is our last months with our friends before graduation and I was really excited to have all the special experiences you come with being senior, "Senaida Ng from Toronto, Canada told BBC.
But with the social estrangement taking place due to the coronavirus epidemic, students in the United States and Canada such as Senaida are seeing their school cancel or postpone the dance.
"I bought my grade 10 ball gown and was waiting for the day I wore it for my high level ball dance. I even planned a big promo to ask for a celebrity at the ball," said the seventeen year old. . "I'm really sad that I will never be able to do those things and even though I know I'm not the only one to experience these disappointments, it is still quite sad."
Kentucky's Isabella Domidion was also planning on her school's prom.
"I was quite shocked that our prom was canceled. This was supposed to be my prom, which everyone is waiting for so long."
So, like many teenagers at the moment, both high schoolers took part in a virtual dance. The virtual promises take place on sites like Zoom, YouTube, Twitch and Tik Tok, which featured numerous videos of people dressed in their programmed outfits. The hashtag virtual dance has over a million entries.
Before the start of her virtual dance, Isabella and her sister posed for photos outside their home in their clothes, just as they would have done for their school dance.
"We treated it like we would have done if we had attended a ball in person. A friend of mine started it and invited several people. She played music all the time and we even danced during the cha-cha-slide," she said. He said. .
Senaida took part in such a popular virtual dance that she couldn't join Zoom's party.
"I think there were around 1,500-2,000 people watching. People started building their own Zoom chat rooms and so I joined a random one and ended up meeting a group of teenagers from all over the world. We had fun talk and get to know each other, "he said.
Virtual dancing has become such a phenomenon that celebrities are also coming together to make sure high schoolers don't miss out on the dance experience.
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Many high school students are going through a stressful time. Some canceled or delayed the exams, while others moved online.
Actor John Kraskinski hosted his prom, telling viewers that "there were a lot of things missing and we couldn't let the dance be one of them." He has been joined by a host of celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Chance the Rapper and Jonas Brothers.
Sophia Gannaoui lives in Florida, where social distancing rules are in effect. His prom was postponed to June or July, but if the rules of social distancing don't change, it's unclear if it will be held later.
She decided to take part in Krasinski's dance and made a video of herself while getting ready on her Youtube channel.
"I made a group call with two of my friends so we could watch it and talk to each other. It was fun enough to experiment because we never experienced a virtual dance that way," he told the BBC.
Like others, he had planned his dress for some time but was unable to buy his dress because the shop was closed due to social distancing.
"I had planned all my dress from my dress to nails, hair and makeup. The dress I used was an old dress from my mother that I always wanted to wear and I thought that I could also wear a random dress that I didn't never worn in the past, so it was a great excuse for me to go back to my closet and play in disguise. "
Sophia added that for some people a virtual dance is less daunting especially when it comes to the idea of dancing. She said her friends weren't the type to dance but during the virtual dance they seemed to have the confidence to try it.
"It was nice to see them cross that barrier and be able to be behind a computer screen so that it has its comforts when it comes to building trust."
With the popularity of virtual promises on the rise and social withdrawal measures still in place for the time being, it appears that high schoolers will likely continue to mark their online dance. But it's worth it?
"It gave me something I was looking forward to and a way to celebrate all this year's hard work with all the people I love, all while practicing safe social estrangement. It was truly a blast!" Isabella said.
