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New organization for Square dance[edit]

  • History
  • Main types
    • United States and Canada
      • Traditional square dance
      • Modern Western square dance
        • Include the MWSD information under the "International" subhead here.
    • United Kingdom and Ireland
      • Playford-style dances
      • Regional folk dances
        • Mention folk dance/barn dance
      • Céili
        • Mention Céilidh
      • Irish set dance
      • Scottish country dance
    • Continental Europe
  • Numbering of couples
    • Add this sentence: The four couples arranged in a square are called a set,[1] and each couple is numbered.
  • Calls
  • Music
  • Clubs and attire
    • Include the "Square dance" paragraph under the "England" subhead here.
  • Variations

History[edit]

Square dances were first documented in 16th-century England although their origins can be traced further back to steps and figures used in traditional folk dances and social dances from many countries. One of the earliest influences was the Morris dance, an English dance for six men involving a line formation and energetic steps.[2] This dance is closely related to another ancestor of square dancing, English country dance, which included a variety of dances for groups of couples arranged in circles, lines, or squares.[2] In 1651, John Playford published 105 of these dances in The English Dancing Master, eight of which are square dances exhibiting concepts still in use, such as the head couples performing an action and the side couples repeating it.[citation needed] Three of the dances, such as "Dull Sir John," specifically use the term "square dance" in the phrase, "A Square Dance for eight thus."[3] In the early 1800s, English country dances merged with French dances to form the quadrille, a dance for four couples in a square.[2]

These dances further evolved in America, where they arrived with European settlers.[4] After the American Revolution, the quadrille became especially popular.[5] Quadrilles were originally danced from memorized steps and sequences, but as African American slaves played music for the dances, they began calling out the steps.[4] This practice became common by the early 1900s and gave rise to the modern caller.[4] Between 1940-60, modern Western square dance evolved from the Western style of traditional square dance that had formed in the United States. Traditional Western square dancing was promoted beginning in the 1930s by Lloyd Shaw, who solicited definitions from callers across the country in order to preserve that dance form and make it available to other teachers.[6] The American folk music revival in New York City in the 1950s was rooted in the resurgent interest in square dancing and folk dancing there in the 1940s, which gave musicians such as Pete Seeger popular exposure.[7][8][9]

Main types[edit]

United States and Canada[edit]

Traditional square dance[edit]

Further information: Traditional square dance

Also called "old time square dance" or "quadrilles" by some older New England callers in recognition of the dance it descended from, traditional square dance is not standardized and can be subdivided into three main regional styles: Northeast/New England, Southeast/Appalachian, and Western.[6] The New England and Appalachian styles have been particularly well documented in the early U.S. and have survived to the present time. There are several other styles, some of which have survived or been revived in recent years while others have not. Where traditional square dance has been revived, it encompasses a wide range of new choreography.

Traditional square dance structure varies by region,[6] but it usually consists of a limited number of calls occurring in a set order. Traditional square dance is frequently presented in alternation with contra dances, particularly in revival groups, or with some form of freestyle couple dancing at surviving local events.

Modern Western square dance[edit]

Further information: Modern western square dance

Modern Western square dance (MWSD), which is also called "Western square dance," "contemporary Western square dance," or "modern American square dance," evolved from the Western style of traditional square dance. Since the 1970s, modern Western square dance has been promoted and standardized by Callerlab, the International Association of Square Dance Callers.[10]

The initial stage reached by all dancers is called Mainstream. This program consists of a 'core' list of about 70 moves which is revised periodically.[11][12] Modern Western square dance is sometimes presented in alternation with round dances. This modern form of square dancing is taught in around thirty countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia, China, Japan and Russia. Within Europe, the majority of square dance clubs are in Germany and the United Kingdom. All teach the Callerlab syllabus. Because of this standardization, it is possible for anyone with the proper training to dance modern Western square dancing in many countries around the world. Instruction is typically given in the local language, but the calls are always in English. Thus, once a person learns the calls, the person can generally dance internationally; however, there are slight style and call title variations throughout the world.

United Kingdom and Ireland[edit]

Playford dances[edit]

Also called "English country dances," Playford-style dances originated from the dances published in John Playford's book The English Dancing Master. Some of the square dances listed in the book, such as "Newcastle," are still popular today, and countless new dances have been written in the Playford style. These dances include a range of moves, from smooth, gentle steps to more energetic leaps.[13] They are supported by the English Folk Dance and Song Society.[14]

Regional folk dances[edit]

Many traditional English regional folk dances are square dances that are still danced today. For instance, in both the Goathland square eight and the Cumberland square eight, which originated from different English villages, dancers perform a series of memorized moves in a square formation.[15][16] Many of these dances are danced at folk or barn dances, along with other types of square dances such as Playford dances; dances derived from the quadrille, such as La Russe, published by H.D. Willock in the Manual of Dancing (c.1847); American traditional square dances; and countless new square dances written in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Ceili dance[edit]

Further information: Ceili dance and Cèilidh

Irish Ceili dances cover a wide range of formations, including many square dances. They are often performed at traditional Irish and Scottish social gatherings called Cèilidhs. Cèilidhs are also held in England, where the same squares may be done as at folk dances or barn dances, but with more stepping, including skip steps, hop steps, polka steps, and rants.

Irish set dance[edit]

Further information: Irish set dance

Irish set dance is a square dance with strong regional associations. The dance involves stepping, often with a flat-foot polka step. Unlike in traditional and modern Western square dancing, where couples are designated as heads or sides, couples in Irish set dances are either tops or sides.

Scottish country dance[edit]

Further information: Scottish country dance

Scottish country dances cover a wide range of formations, including many square dances. These dances, which are standardized by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society[17] involve specific steps and formations that are performed in different sequences for different dances.[18]

  1. ^ Callerlab (2020-02-22). "Appendix B: Descriptive Terminology." Basic Dance Program Definitions. Callerlab.org, http://www.callerlab.org/Dance-Programs, p. 65. Accessed 2020-10-12.
  2. ^ a b c Shaw, Dorothy, Bob Osgood, and Kenny Reese (2000). History and Heritage of Modern American Square Dancing. www.eaasdc.de. pp. 3-4, 7, 27-28. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  3. ^ Playford, John (1651). The English dancing master: or, Plaine and easie rules for the dancing of country dances, with the tune to each dance. London: Printed by Thomas Harper. Accessed through ProQuest Database: Early Modern Books. p. 81.
  4. ^ a b c Jamison, Philip A. (2003). "Square Dance Calling: The African-American Connection". Journal of Appalachian Studies. 9 (2): 387–398. ISSN 1082-7161.
  5. ^ Eschner, Kat. "Square Dancing is Uniquely American". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  6. ^ a b c Friedland, LeeEllen. "Square Dancing". In Cohen, Selma Jeanne. International Encyclopedia of Dance, vol. 5. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. p. 685-89.
  7. ^ Szwed, John, Alan Lomax: The Man who Recorded Music, Penguin, 2010. Cf. p.144: "Margot Mayo was a Texan who pioneered folk music in New York and spearheaded the revival of folk dancing and square dancing there in the 1940s"
  8. ^ Cf. Cantwell, Robert, When We Were Good (1996), Harvard University Press, pp. 110, 253.
  9. ^ "To Hear Your Banjo Play", film short, 1947 with Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry, Margot Mayo's American Square Dance Group and others. Written by Alan Lomax and narrated by Pete Seeger.
  10. ^ "For The Public". www.callerlab.org. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  11. ^ Callerlab (2020-02-22). "History." Basic Dance Program Definitions. Callerlab.org, http://www.callerlab.org/Dance-Programs p.6. Accessed 2020-10-10.
  12. ^ Callerlab (2020-02-22). "History." Mainstream Dance Program Definitions. Callerlab.org, http://www.callerlab.org/Dance-Programs p.5. Accessed 2020-10-10.
  13. ^ "Country dancing Playford-style". Royal Museums Greenwich. 2015-11-02. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  14. ^ "English Country Dance | Early Dance Circle". www.earlydancecircle.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  15. ^ "Goathland Square Eight". barndances.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  16. ^ "Cumberland Square Eight". barndances.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  17. ^ "What is Scottish Country Dance & music? | Royal Scottish Country Dance Society". www.rscds.org. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  18. ^ "Learn the Quick start guide | Royal Scottish Country Dance Society". www.rscds.org. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
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