Sock Hops: Informal Dances

Simply put, a sock hop is a dance. First becoming popular in the 1950′s, these dances were usually held for teenagers. They typically took place in high school gyms and cafeterias.

The fact that they were held in gyms and cafeterias is what earned them their unique name. Since shoes left scuff marks on the varnished gymnasium floors, dancers were required to remove their shoes before dancing. Left in just their socks and stockings, dancers were able to perform dances such as the Twist, and the Mashed Potato with much more ease.

Because they were so popular, most dances were held in the form of sock hops. Their informal nature set them apart from other dances. Because they were casual dances in both decoration and attire, these hops were easy to arrange and to attend.

Due to the informality of these dances, people didn’t normally attend with a partner. The point of these hops was to just to dance and enjoy the music. These dances became common after school events.

Sock hops began dying down toward the end of the 1960′s. After the advent of sneakers, indoor only shoes, dancers no longer needed to take off their shoes before dancing on the gym floor. Because they were no longer wearing just socks, informal dances began to be referred to as just dances.

With the popularity of disco dancing in the 1970′s and 80′s, specific types of shoes, such as heels for women, came to be essential elements of the dances performed. Partners were also an essential element of these dances. As disco dances grew in popularity, sock hops became more and more a thing of the past.

In the 1990′s, however, hops began to come back. Due to the fact that they were informal and unromantic in nature, these dances were pushed in both grade schools and middle schools. Chaperones, and sometimes even parents, supervised these dances.

In the past twenty years, sock hops have continued to be popular among young adults. They may be called by a different name, but the idea is still the same. No matter what they are called, these informal dances help people to set aside their worries and concerns and just enjoy the music.

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