Out of Universe Information[]
The "Sadie Hawkins Dance", also known as a "turnabout" is an annual and informal event that takes place in American middle schools, high schools and colleges where the girls ask the boys to the dance rather than the boys asking the girls. The dance was named after "Sadie Hawkins" from the Lil' Abner comic strip in which the "Sadie Hawkins Day" occurred sometime in November where the unmarried women would chase the bachelors and marry the one they caught. The event would then be introduced on the 15th of November 1937 in another daily strip and two years later in 1939, the dance was held at just over 200 colleges within the United States as once stated by Life magazine.
Although the date of the dance is commonly thought to be the 13th of November, just two days before its appearance within the comic strip, it was never confirmed until the 5th of November 1977 where Al Capp, the creator of the dance and the comic strip, specified it as the 26th of November.[1]
In-Universe Information[]
On the same day that Jean Grey, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Amara Aquilla and Tabitha Smith began taking on the roles of the vigilante group "Bayville Sirens", Duncan Matthews bought tickets to the dance in order to go with Jean, forgetting the fact that the latter had to ask him to the dance instead.[2]
By the day of the dance, Amanda Sefton gained the courage to ask Kurt Wagner to the dance, Kitty asked Lance Alvers with Taryn Fujioka choosing to go with Scott Summers even after noticing Jean's attempt of wanting to go with the former. Knowing that nobody else would ask them, Tabitha chose to go with Todd Tolansky and Fred Dukes with Pietro Maximoff attending the dance with another student named Holly Tyler and a few other girls, not seeing anyone else to go with, Rogue went with Risty Wilde as a friend.[3]
Trivia[]
- The event is also known as "Sadie Hawkins Day" and was inspired by the Li'l Abner comic strip in which Sadie Hawkins, an unmarried woman in her mid 30s, chased a man named Adam after her father called for the unmarried men to partake in the event.
- While the 26th of November is its confirmed date, the 13th of November was thought to be its original date and on occasion, often said to occur on the 29th of February.
- It is highly possible that the episode this event happens in, "Shadow Dance", takes place on the 26th of November 2002.
- The dance is most common in the United States.