The Reichhold Center for the Arts will bring its blockbuster production "Playing Ring" back to the stage for a fourth installment on Saturday, Jan. 31. This year's program is titled "Playing Ring: Dance Hall Melee" and features Stanley and the 10 Sleepless Knights, Lashing Dogs and a first-time appearance by Milo's Kings. Members of V.I. quadrille dance groups are also on the program.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a traditional marketplace filled with native food, drinks and crafts, followed by the concert, which will begin at 8 p.m.
The concert will use narration and music to look at the prominent dance halls in the V.I. after the 1940s. The evening will be a mix of historic information and rousing entertainment by three of the top bands in the Virgin Islands.
Against a scenic backdrop–the interior of a dance hall–the show will explore dance halls as the collective environment for social engagement and music evolution.
The Lashing Dogs will begin by showcasing songs with lyrics expressing the social issues of the 1940s-60s, from world wars to prohibition and immigration.
Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights will introduce the role of the "Cariso" singer and its role in quelbe music. This segment will also introduce the origins of the dance hall, specifically St. Gerard's Hall on St. Croix. Additionally, musicians will discuss the development of community centers in the V.I. during the 1960s and 1970s and their role in fostering entertainment.
A major portion of the show will showcase how the band Milo and the Kings became a force for taking V.I. music throughout the Caribbean and the United States.
Tickets to "Playing Ring: Dance Hall Melee" are $42, $28 and $18. They are available at Modern Music, V.I. Bridal and Tuxedo, Urban Threadz, Essentric Shoes, Island Video (Nisky), Home Again (Red Hook), the UVI Bookstore, and the Reichhold Center box office at 693-1559.