I lived in Sacramento for seven years, and nearby Folsom (despite the famous prison) was known as a quiet and upscale bedroom community with great schools, the kind of place families aspired to live in.

So I was surprised and amused to read this story,about how city officials put the kibosh on "Klub Kaoss," a wildly popular teens-only nightclub that was taking place at a city community center.

When parents saw MySpace pictures of the action at Klub Kaoss, they figured out why the monthly dance party was so popular: unlike strict school dances, this club had no dress code and allowed flagrant freak dancing.

What is freaking? Basically, it involves boys grinding their crotches into girl' behinds. And schools have been battling the phenomenon for a while now:

Principals have devised countless strategies to keep the "freak" out of dancing. At Roseville High, the lights go on if students start to freak. Folsom High takes students' entry wristbands away the first time they're caught freak dancing. The second time, they're kicked out of the dance.

Some schools play more rock music and less rap, the style associated with the thrusting dance moves. Many schools ban students from putting their hands on the floor because girls were bending over at the waist while boys danced with their behinds.

Oh my.

Principals and parents alike realize this is a tale as old as time:

Catholic high schools in the region require that DJs take breaks throughout the evening – the music stops, the lights go up, and kids are supposed to cool off and talk.

Yes, talk. Just as their parents and grandparents might have done when they were scolded for dancing the Charleston or the twist – or watching Elvis and his swiveling pelvis.

"My parents worried about our dancing and their parents worried about their dancing," said Mike McGuire, principal of Granite Bay High. "I realize I'm just one more in the chain of people saying, 'Where is civilization heading?' "

The upshot if this story is that the city asked the Klub Kaoss organizer to institute a dress code and a ban on freaking; he refused, so the city kicked him to the curb.

He has vowed to find another venue for Klub Kaoss, if only for the good of the children:

Kids aren't going to stop dancing the way they want to, Soto said, and if they're thrown out of school dances, Klub Kaoss is a safe alternative.

Soto's parties are strictly alcohol- and drug-free and patrolled by private security and off-duty police, he said. Only students with high school IDs are admitted, so there is no risk of adults mixing with the kids.

Reader comments attached to the story were spirited, and ran the gamut from "These kids will burn in hell" to "Let them work off their natural sexual energy in a safe environment like this."

I fall somewhere in the middle, I guess. I'm no prude and I'm young enough to remember that adolescent hormones are raging like a river on the verge of overrunning its banks. They need some kind of outlet.

At the same time, I can't imagine being pleased if a 14-year-old daughter of mine were offering up her behind for some young man to work out his sexual energy on. And I wouldn't relish the thought of my son being on the giving end of that scenario, either. It strikes me as disrespectful, indiscreet, tacky.

So I guess I am torn. What do you all think? Is there a sane, sensible and realistic way to deal with freak dancing? Should it be banned? Ignored? How should we address the issue with kids?

If you've never had the privilege of witnessing a freak dance, here's a relatively innocuous example from a quick YouTube search. Innocent? Indecent? Or somewhere in between?