Lloyd Shaw
Encyclopedia
Lloyd Shaw also known as Dr. Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw, was an educator
, and is generally credited with bringing about the broad revival of square dancing
in America. He was superintendent/principal/teacher/coach for Cheyenne Mountain Schools, Colorado Springs, Colorado
from 1916-1951, and taught folk dancing.
He was born in Denver
, Colorado, but the family moved to Southern California when he was two years of age. His father was in the real estate business. The family returned to Denver when Shaw was nine years old, and then to Colorado Springs two years later. He graduated from Colorado College
in 1913 and married poet Dorothy Stott Shaw. They had two children— a daughter, Doli, and a son, David.
He started teaching biology and sophomore English at Colorado Springs High School, and then became superintendent of the Broadmoor District's Cheyenne Mountain School on the outskirts of Colorado Springs.
During his time teaching folk dance
he noticed that all the square dancing callers were getting old, and there was no new generation to take over. He also noticed a lack of continuity in the activity in different parts of the country. Shaw came up with a solution that many believe kept the activity from dying out.
Shaw traveled the country, and compiled instructions for traditional square dances from different callers all over the country. He documented them, and tried them out on the students he taught. He formed the Cheyenne Mountain Dancers, a high-school exhibition team, which toured the United States in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in more than 50 major cities.
In 1949 the American Academy of Physical Education cited "the Lloyd Shaw Folk Dance Program, as a noteworthy contribution to physical education."
He also wrote books and articles, and conducted week-long summer classes for teachers and callers into the 1950s, where he not only taught the dances to other teachers, but taught them also the principles of teaching, and his vision of good dancing.
As the popularity of square dancing grew, square dance callers began extracting individual calls from these dances, and attempts at standardised lists were developed. These lists were later adopted by callers, and organisations such as Callerlab
and later the American Callers Association
formed to manage and promote a universal list and the type of dance leadership that Shaw envisioned.
Dr. Lloyd Shaw died of a stroke in 1958. The Lloyd Shaw Foundation was created in 1964 to preserve and promote his approach to square dancing.
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and is generally credited with bringing about the broad revival of square dancing
Square dance
Square dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...
in America. He was superintendent/principal/teacher/coach for Cheyenne Mountain Schools, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
from 1916-1951, and taught folk dancing.
He was born in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado, but the family moved to Southern California when he was two years of age. His father was in the real estate business. The family returned to Denver when Shaw was nine years old, and then to Colorado Springs two years later. He graduated from Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
in 1913 and married poet Dorothy Stott Shaw. They had two children— a daughter, Doli, and a son, David.
He started teaching biology and sophomore English at Colorado Springs High School, and then became superintendent of the Broadmoor District's Cheyenne Mountain School on the outskirts of Colorado Springs.
During his time teaching folk dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
he noticed that all the square dancing callers were getting old, and there was no new generation to take over. He also noticed a lack of continuity in the activity in different parts of the country. Shaw came up with a solution that many believe kept the activity from dying out.
Shaw traveled the country, and compiled instructions for traditional square dances from different callers all over the country. He documented them, and tried them out on the students he taught. He formed the Cheyenne Mountain Dancers, a high-school exhibition team, which toured the United States in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in more than 50 major cities.
In 1949 the American Academy of Physical Education cited "the Lloyd Shaw Folk Dance Program, as a noteworthy contribution to physical education."
He also wrote books and articles, and conducted week-long summer classes for teachers and callers into the 1950s, where he not only taught the dances to other teachers, but taught them also the principles of teaching, and his vision of good dancing.
As the popularity of square dancing grew, square dance callers began extracting individual calls from these dances, and attempts at standardised lists were developed. These lists were later adopted by callers, and organisations such as Callerlab
Callerlab
Callerlab is the international association of square dance callers, and is the largest square dance association in the United States. After some initial work started in 1971, it was officially established in 1974 by several members of the Square Dance Hall of Fame.Callers from all over the world,...
and later the American Callers Association
American Callers Association
The American Callers Association is the second largest association of square dance callers in the United States. ACA is a non-profit organization with headquarters at Muscle Shoals, Alabama...
formed to manage and promote a universal list and the type of dance leadership that Shaw envisioned.
Dr. Lloyd Shaw died of a stroke in 1958. The Lloyd Shaw Foundation was created in 1964 to preserve and promote his approach to square dancing.
Books by Lloyd Shaw
- Cowboy Dances: A Collection of Western Square Dances. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers LTD. Copyright 1939. Revised edition, 1952.
- Cowboys Tunes. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers LTD. Copyright 1939.
- Nature Notes of the Pikes Peak Region. Colorado Springs: The Apex Book Company. 1916.
- The Littlest Wiseman: a Play Pageant of the Nativity. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. 1951.
- The Round Dance Book: A Century of Waltzing. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers LTD. Copyright 1948.