Sadie Hawkins dance
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Snowball (disambiguation).
In the United States, the Sadie Hawkins dance (also known as a snow ball, snowball, turnabout, or a Tolo) is a school dance, usually occurring in high schools, in which female students invite male students. This is in opposition of normal school dance traditions, such as prom, where male students invite female students. Traditionally, the Sadie Hawkins dance occurs during the winter in November, or in some places January or February. The Sadie Hawkins dance is one of three dances that many high schools hold, the other two dances being prom and homecoming. Some schools simply hold regular dances in which certain songs are "snowball" or "Sadie Hawkins" songs in which girls choose who to dance with.
The Sadie Hawkins dance is named after the Li'l Abner comic strip character Sadie Hawkins.
Usually, female and male partners choose to wear the same or extremely similar clothes in order to match. At a Sadie Hawkins dance, couples are easily distinguishable because of their matching clothes.
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[edit] Alternate Names
In some parts of the U.S., the Sadie Hawkins dance is referred to as a Tolo, a name derived from the Chinook Jargon word meaning to earn or win. Sadie Hawkins is also referred to as the snow ball or snowball, a reference to its occurrence in the winter months. In Latter Day Saint Culture, one girl's choice dance is known as "Preference". In the Illinois area, the name Turnabout or King of Hearts is used. Another name used is TWIRP, which is an acronym for The Woman Is Required to Pay.
[edit] Other Meanings of a 'Snowball'
Some schools have songs in which are dubbed 'snowballs'. Also known as "speed dancing" (because of its similarities to speed dating) snowballs are when the DJ picks two people to start dancing (usually slow). Periodically the DJ shouts "snowball", signaling that now the dancing must find new partners, thus increasing the number on the floor. By the end of the song, most all the people at the dance are on the dancefloor. This is slightly different from a Sadie Hawkins Dance/Song because boys and girls can pick their partners. Also, Snowballing is a slang term, in which semen is transfered back and forth between the mouths of two oral sex participants.
[edit] References in popular culture
The 2001 album The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek by the Christian rock band Relient K features a song called "Sadie Hawkins Dance", about a male student who has not yet been asked for a date to the dance. At the end of the song, he is asked to the dance by a beautiful girl who is struck by his smoothness and talking ability.
On the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled "I Only Have Eyes for You", the story line revolves around a Sadie Hawkins dance in 1998 and flashbacks to a Sadie Hawkins dance in 1955.
[edit] See also
- Prom dance, the most popular high school dance.
- Homecoming Dance, another popular high school dance.
