I danced with a lot of girls and spent time with a ton of good friends. People that were exclusive could still be exclusive. I could float around groups and come back to my core friend group whenever. It was just a ton of fun, no pressure to make sure one girl in particular had an amazing time.
I'm not sure if every dance should be that way or not, but I do think prom is overrated. Of course, my prom happened shortly after my girlfriend broke up with me, so I asked someone else but was still hung up on the ex, so it wasnt as fun for me, so maybe that's why.