The History of Square Dance
In a square dance the participants perform a routine in the shape of a square. This folk dance originated in England and France and was brought to the United States by early settlers, and it quickly became a part of American culture. While some traditional forms of square dancing still exist, most are of the modern type and still thriving today.
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The Facts
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In the dance, four couples complete a sequence in the square formation. In the United States, the various square dance movements are based on traditional dances, such as the Morris dance, English country dance, Caledonians and the quadrille. A square dance caller usually leads but does not participate in the dance.
Early History
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While the precise origination of our modern square dance is difficult to know, the roots can be traced back to our English and French ancestors; however, traces of Scottish, Scandinavian, Spanish and other ethnicities are also seen.
The English ancestor of our modern square dance is the Morris dance, performed by six men in two rows of three. Later on, in the 17th century, country dances became popular in England. The French adopted and modified the English country dance and produced the forms of dance known as the quadrille and the cotillion.
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U.S. History
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Square dancing began in New England. Over time, the ritual of having a square dance caller was developed. The population spread southward and westward, but with urbanization, square dancing became more cosmopolitan. In the 1930s, the automaker Henry Ford became interested in the revival of square dancing as part of his early New England restoration project, and his efforts proved fruitful for its future. By 1948, square dancing was popular once again, and various modern forms, including the addition of the square dance caller, were developed. By the mid-1970s a new organization, the International Association of Square Dance Callers, brought order to square dancing by establishing standard dance programs.
Types
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Today there are two types of square dancing practiced, traditional and modern. Traditional square dance refers to any style of square dance that existed before 1950, when modern square dance was developed.
Traditional square dances involve a limited number of basic movements, and there is no improvisation by the caller.
Modern, or Western square dance, refers to the square dances improvised by a caller, who strings together individual square dance calls to make a sequence.
Significance
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It is estimated that today millions of Americans and countless others around the world participate in square dancing. Modern square dance is growing, and new ideas are continuously introduced, ensuring that square dance remains vibrant. Although the average dancer remains in the mainstream levels of square dancing for four to five years, advanced and challenge levels of square dancing have been developed to maintain the interest of the dancers.
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