By Peter Lyons Hall
On Saturday, February 7, 2026, fans packed the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Pavilion to listen to music and dance from the 1950s in a revival of a Sock Hop, the dance event typically held at high schools decades ago to help raise funds during World War II as they rocked to music from popular performers of the era like Buddy Holly, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion, and others.
Music was performed by Warwick’s Cicadas ’57, a retro/oldies revival band (featuring a piano, lead guitar, bass, alto saxophone, and drummer) that has appeared at community events, historical society programs, and nostalgia-themed gatherings, with both 1950-60s era tunes. The event even provided an appearance of the “Big Bopper,” a tribute to J.P. Richardson by the show’s technical director, Brian Dunn. And Ian Wen paid tribute to the father of the counter-culture, Jack Kerouac, known for his “spontaneous prose” – a breathless reference to the poems often delivered at coffee houses and similar venues at the time.
Many of the attendees, dancers, and performers wore period clothing and hairdos. Women: poodle skirts (felt, mid-calf, often with appliqués), Bobby socks (often cuffed) with saddle shoes or loafers, cardigan sweaters or fitted pullovers, blouses with Peter Pan collars or bow ties, pedal pushers and capri pants, ponytails, pageboys, soft curls. Men: white T-shirts or knit polos, button-down shirts (often worn untucked by teens), blue jeans with cuffs, khaki pants or chinos, leather jackets (thanks to Marlon Brando and James Dean), letterman sweaters or jackets, saddle shoes, loafers, or early sneakers (Converse-style).
In the post war era teenagers had more social independence than any previous generation, so school-sanctioned dances were seen as a “safe” alternative to unsupervised hangouts. This sock hop began with the usual group behavioral concerns of the period: “Principal Purdy” (Joan Dunn, spouse of the technical director) began with a deadpanned announcement of house rules regarding the prohibition of “gyrating” dancing and the avoidance of contact with the “square safe” geometric area of personal space that defined erogenous zones of the teenage body. She was backed up by “School Administrator Ernest Stigwood” (Chuck Ragsdale), who reiterated the house rules and who sang a hilarious tune about the challenges of having to explain sexual education to teenagers, one of the subjects that was part of the school curriculum.
The year 1956 was noted for dramatic historical and musical debuts including the following: Elvis, who, in January of that year, sang his first chart-topping song, Heartbreak Hotel and who, later in the year, sang Hound Dog on the Milton Berle Show, while swiveling his hips and causing a performance controversy; President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway bill into law; Olympians took part in the Winter Olympics in (ironically) Cortino D’Ampezza; the musical My Fair Lady appears on Broadway; and Fidel Castro lands on the island of Cuba.
Records eventually replaced live bands at sock hops and DJs (or a designated student) brought a turntable and stacked vinyl 45s or later, LPs on turntables to the enjoyment of the crowd. The dancing itself during the 50s was loose and expressive: jitterbug, bop, the stroll, hand jive, and early rock steps. Compared to formal ballroom dancing, it felt rebellious to the teens—but still acceptable to parents and administrators.
The event was presented by the Core Theatre Group [CoretheatreGroup.com], and produced by Chuck Ragsdals, with over 30 years performance experience, actor Chuck Ragsdale has appeared in several national tours – the most recent being the Broadway National company of the Tony Award-winning “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” under the direction of Darko Tresnjak. Ragsdale is an arts educator has served on the acting faculty of NYU Tisch/Molloy College for over 20 years. He received his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati and has also studied at The Barrow Group and Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC. He currently teaches at the Warwick Center for Performing Arts.
Photo credits: Peter Lyons Hall
- Big Bopper tribute by Brian Dunn
- Cicadas 57 Band with featured dancers from Core Theatre Group
