The Valley Chronicle - Hemet West Wednesday night senior dance schedul

[caption id="attachment_5897" align="alignright" width="440"] Photo contributed by Arlene Lehtone
Get your best gal a new flapper costume and get ready to experience the Roaring Twenties at Hemet West on Sept. 20. Skyline Xpress will be performing.[/caption] ■ Arlene Lehtone / Contributed Hemet West has booked the following bands for the September Wednesday night dances for seniors: September 6 – E’klektic. September 13 – Rainbow Cottage. September 20 – Skyline Xpress with a Roaring Twenties theme. September 27 – American Made with a Sock Hop theme. The Roaring Twenties were called “roaring” because of the lively, free-wheeling 1920s; it was sometimes called the Jazz Age. It was a rambunctious time of speakeasies, flappers, fast cars, and jazz music where dancing became popular. The Roaring Twenties ended with the 1929 Wall Street Crash, and the Great Depression brought desolation and hardship. The sock hop evolved from dancers having to remove their shoes to protect the varnished floors of wooden basketball courts, where street shoes were forbidden. Dancing in socks brought about sliding on the dance floor, twisting, jiving, and performing the mashed potato. Sock hops allowed people of all ages to have fun, and the dances live up to their name. Along with the growing appeal of rock ‘n’ roll, sock hops became prevalent, and those who attended sock hops danced to a variety of lively beats and catchy tunes of the music of the ‘50s. These dances are from 6:30 - 9:30 pm, admission is $5 per person and proper attire is required. Opportunity drawings offer free tickets. Refreshments are available; no alcohol is allowed. For more information about these popular dances at Hemet West, 5001 W. Florida Ave., in Hemet, contact Kathy Perry at 951-692-0891.