Down Syndrome Association takes event online after COVID-19 cancels prom

When COVID-19 took away prom, the Down Syndrome Association made a switch to turn the dance into a virtual event.

Saturday night, even without an in-person event, the dance went down without a hitch.

After a fun-filled day of pre-prom events like boutonniere making and hair and makeup tips, the DJ fired up her turntable for a party that started with dance lessons and then the actual dance.

While the majority of seniors participating have either Down Syndrome or other challenges, it’s all-inclusive and drew students from as far away as New York.

Organizers were excited to see everything unfold.

"We wanted it to be very interactive," said Sarah Curfman with the Down Syndrome Association. "So they’ll dance for a while and then, just like prom, they’ll take a sit down break to eat their dessert. And hopefully someone from Mankato can meet someone from Minneapolis or someone from Bloomington can meet someone from Duluth. Our hope is that there is some conversation there and then we’ll kick off with some more dancing."

The association normally has a huge dance at the Mall of America, but that was cancelled due to the pandemic.