Modern Western square dance
Encyclopedia
Modern Western square dance (also called Western square dance, contemporary Western square dance, modern American square dance or modern square dance) is one of two types of square dancing
, along with traditional square dance
. As a dance form, modern Western square dance grew out of traditional Western dance
. The term "Western square dance", for some, is synonymous with "cowboy dance" or traditional Western square dance. Therefore this article uses the term "modern Western square dance" to describe the contemporary non-historical dance which grew out of the traditional dance.
Modern Western square dance, like traditional square dance, is directed by a square dance caller. In modern Western square dance the caller strings together a sequence of individual square dance calls
to make a figure or sequence. These calls are the building blocks of the choreography
that is danced by the individuals, square dancers, in the squares. There are eight people (four couples) in each square; at a dance there may be many squares. Generally speaking, each of these squares dances independently of each other, with the exception of specialty or "gimmick" dances, where there might be some crossover of dancers from one square to another.
The square functions as a "dance team" for the duration of a square dance tip, a group of dances usually separated from the next tip by a pause during which the dancers regroup into new squares. A square dance tip is usually composed of a combination of patter calls and singing calls, the two types of square dance calls.
Dancers learn the individual square dance calls required to square dance at classes, which are usually taught by square dance callers, and are usually sponsored or organized by square dance club
s. In addition to sponsoring classes, clubs also sponsor special social and dance evenings, as well as larger dances, which are usually open to the general square dance community (i.e. non-club dancers).
The individual square dance calls are categorized as belonging to a particular dance program, or level of difficulty. Each dance program has a list of defined dance steps
, which is associated with it. These lists of dance steps are managed, and universally recognized.
Callerlab
, the International Association of Square Dance Callers, the largest international square dance association, manages the most universally accepted and recognized lists. There are four main levels, some of which are divided into sublevels: Mainstream, Plus, Advanced (2 sublevels), and Challenge (5 sublevels, the top two levels of which are not managed). In general, the first three levels are more physically active than the challenge level (often referred to as challenge square dance
). Challenge square dance is more cerebral, and focuses on problem solving.
When one learns modern Western square dance one learns all the steps in a specific dance program over a period of time. There are many opinions as to how long it should take to teach and learn a dance program, and as to what is the best teaching style. Callerlab recommends that the Mainstream program be taught in no less than 56 hours. Depending on the length of the individual class and how often one meets, it can take a half year or longer to learn the full program. Some clubs, especially those with younger or more motivated dancers teach at accelerated rates.
Regardless of how long it takes to learn a dance program, there is, generally speaking, universal agreement that the result should be confident dancers that can handle themselves on a public dance floor with a variety of callers, unfamiliar choreography, and the challenge of dancing with strangers at the learned level.
It is generally recommended that after one learns all the steps in a specific dance program, that one dances at that level for a year before advancing to another dance program, if one desires to advance at all. It is important that the dancer is thoroughly comfortable with all the steps in a specific dance program, and that the dancer can apply these steps in many different positions and situations, before advancing, because advanced dance programs are built on the foundation of previously learned programs.
Because there are so many different dance programs from which to choose, dancers have many options as to how far up the dance levels they want to advance. There is no requirement to progress to more advanced levels. One is encouraged to dance the program in which one is comfortable, and only to progress to another program if one has a real desire to do so.
At the non-challenge square dance levels the dancer is introduced to many square dance calls. A few of the most fundamental and well-known calls are Dosado
, Promenade
, and Right and Left Grand
. Among other things, the dancer is additionally trained to move smoothly and rhythmically, to appreciate timing, to execute the steps from many different positions and in many different formations, and to cooperate effectively with the others in their square so that they get the most out of their dance experience.
Starting at the Advanced level the square dancer is introduced to square dance concepts, an addition to a call which modifies it in some way. Concepts often generalize more basic notions of square dancing and are an important aspect of challenge square dance
.
. The music is usually instrumental
and the calls are typically not sung, but rather rhythmically spoken. The second dance part of a square dance tip is a singing call. The dance instructions are sunged as well as the lyrics during the long duration calls. The music are often popular songs and the calls are timed to fit. During a singing call the female dancers temporarily switch partners in a counter-clockwise order around the square until they return to their original partners. The caller
restores the original order of the square both at the end of the hash and the singing call. The duration time of a tip may vary, but is usually between ten and twenty minutes. Between tips, dancers are generally encouraged to find other dance partners and form new squares for the next tip.
Dancing well requires more than attendance at class, it requires practice. The more often the dancer can train the better their skills become. Clubs generally provide their students the opportunity to dance outside of the class situation. Clubs commonly hold "club nights", which are informal dance evenings for club members. These often allow those learning a new level to dance at their class level, and often with more experienced dancers. Clubs also commonly hold special dances, which are often open to members of other clubs.
‘s traveling troupe of "teenage cowboy square dancers"; the way square dancing and the west were portrayed in western movies and early television; and the popular clothing styles of those times, for example poodle skirts.
At the non-challenge levels of modern Western square dancing participants are often expected to wear western-style square dance outfits, or "traditional square dance attire", especially at large dances. Over the years, there has been much discussion within square dancing circles about relaxing the dress code, and this has led to the adoption of alternative less restrictive attire designations— "proper" attire and "casual" attire. Clubs that sponsor dances are free to select a less restrictive dress code and are encouraged to advertise the dress code that is appropriate for their dance. Some clubs drop the "traditional" dress code requirement for classes and for their summer dances, and some, like challenge groups
, gay square dance clubs
and youth square dance clubs
, have never had a dress code.
Traditional square dance attire for men includes long-sleeved western and western-style shirts, dress slacks, scarf or string ties (bolos
) or kerchiefs, metal tips on shirt collars and boot tips, and sometimes cowboy hat
s and boots.
Traditional square dance attire for women include gingham
or polka-spotted dresses with wide skirts or a wide gingham or patterned skirt in a strong dark color with a white puff-sleeve blouse. Often dancers wear specially-made square dance outfits, with multiple layers of crinolines, petticoat
s, or pettipants.
Partners might have color- and pattern-coordinated outfits.
Both sexes might wear boots.
These variations fall into the following basic categories:
Flourishes: Movements either in addition to or replacing the standard movement as defined. There are certain accepted flourishes in most communities, which may be limited to a club or geographic region, or be common among members of a group such as youth square dance
rs or gay square dance
rs. Common flourishes include replacing the dosado
with a "highland fling" move, or twirling at the end of a promenade
. Flourishes which are very common in a geographic area may be known informally as "regional styling differences". Flourishes are usually omitted with those just learning to dance, as they may obscure the standard movement. Occasionally flourishes provide an opportunity for dancers to interact with adjacent squares.
Sound effects: Standard responses to the caller. These include vocalized sounds, hand claps and foot stomps. Sound effects are generally well accepted, as they do not change either the timing or the execution of the step, although they may surprise and/or amuse newcomers to a club. The sound effects often serve as a mnemonic
device, in that dancers associate the execution of the step with the particular sounds. A rhyming or punning word-play on the name of the call is common. For example, the response "Pink Lemonade" mirrors rhythmically and rhymes with the call "Triple Trade". Since some dancers respond "Boom!" to the call "Explode", the call "Reverse Explode" may elicit the response "Moob!" (that is, "Boom" reversed right-to-left).
Games: Rule bending games that increase the difficulty of a dance. These include dancing with fewer than 8 people in the square, changing partners in the middle of a tip, and changing squares in the middle of a tip. Playing games without the permission of the entire square (and often the caller) can be considered extremely rude, and may confuse other squares as well. Games can, however, be an excellent tool for improving square dance skills, especially in class or club situations, and often have the function of allowing dancers who otherwise cannot form a complete square to participate in a dance.
s from Europe, new developments
, Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw
, the publication of Cowboy Dances, saving the form from extinction, Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw
's Cheyenne Mountain Dancers, courses for square dance teachers
's returning veterans and the home/family culture of the 1950s, "transition from the traditional, visiting couple type of dancing into all-four-couple-working kind of dancing in the 1950s" (Herb Egender), the amplifier
, phonograph
, square dance record
s, Square Dancing Magazine (formerly Sets in Order), Step By Step Through Modern Square Dancing (Jim Mayo)
and gay square dance
, other new developments, competition from other forms of recreation/entertainment, increased expense, elimination from public-school curricula, changed society, changes in music and recording (MiniDisc
s, personal computer
s, laptop
s, personal recording of music), impact on square dance music "industry"
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...
, along with traditional square dance
Traditional square dance
Traditional square dance is a generic term for any style of square dance other than modern Western. The term can mean any of the regional styles that existed before around 1950, when modern Western style began to develop out of a blend of those regional styles, or any style that has survived,...
. As a dance form, modern Western square dance grew out of traditional Western dance
Traditional square dance
Traditional square dance is a generic term for any style of square dance other than modern Western. The term can mean any of the regional styles that existed before around 1950, when modern Western style began to develop out of a blend of those regional styles, or any style that has survived,...
. The term "Western square dance", for some, is synonymous with "cowboy dance" or traditional Western square dance. Therefore this article uses the term "modern Western square dance" to describe the contemporary non-historical dance which grew out of the traditional dance.
Modern Western square dance, like traditional square dance, is directed by a square dance caller. In modern Western square dance the caller strings together a sequence of individual square dance calls
Dance move
Dance moves or dance steps are the building blocks of many dances.More complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures or dance variations....
to make a figure or sequence. These calls are the building blocks of the choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
that is danced by the individuals, square dancers, in the squares. There are eight people (four couples) in each square; at a dance there may be many squares. Generally speaking, each of these squares dances independently of each other, with the exception of specialty or "gimmick" dances, where there might be some crossover of dancers from one square to another.
The square functions as a "dance team" for the duration of a square dance tip, a group of dances usually separated from the next tip by a pause during which the dancers regroup into new squares. A square dance tip is usually composed of a combination of patter calls and singing calls, the two types of square dance calls.
Learning modern Western square dance
Square dance club
Square dance clubs are the primary form for organization within the recreational activity of square dancing, and more specifically modern Western square dance...
s. In addition to sponsoring classes, clubs also sponsor special social and dance evenings, as well as larger dances, which are usually open to the general square dance community (i.e. non-club dancers).
The individual square dance calls are categorized as belonging to a particular dance program, or level of difficulty. Each dance program has a list of defined dance steps
Square dance program
A square dance program or square dance list is a set of defined square dance calls or dance steps which are associated with a level of difficulty...
, which is associated with it. These lists of dance steps are managed, and universally recognized.
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,...
, the International Association of Square Dance Callers, the largest international square dance association, manages the most universally accepted and recognized lists. There are four main levels, some of which are divided into sublevels: Mainstream, Plus, Advanced (2 sublevels), and Challenge (5 sublevels, the top two levels of which are not managed). In general, the first three levels are more physically active than the challenge level (often referred to as challenge square dance
Challenge square dance
Challenge square dance, also known as challenge dancing, is modern Western square dance at the most difficult or challenging levels. There are five dance programs at the challenge level; these are called Basic Challenge , Extended Challenge , Extended Challenge , Challenge 3B and Challenge 4...
). Challenge square dance is more cerebral, and focuses on problem solving.
When one learns modern Western square dance one learns all the steps in a specific dance program over a period of time. There are many opinions as to how long it should take to teach and learn a dance program, and as to what is the best teaching style. Callerlab recommends that the Mainstream program be taught in no less than 56 hours. Depending on the length of the individual class and how often one meets, it can take a half year or longer to learn the full program. Some clubs, especially those with younger or more motivated dancers teach at accelerated rates.
Regardless of how long it takes to learn a dance program, there is, generally speaking, universal agreement that the result should be confident dancers that can handle themselves on a public dance floor with a variety of callers, unfamiliar choreography, and the challenge of dancing with strangers at the learned level.
It is generally recommended that after one learns all the steps in a specific dance program, that one dances at that level for a year before advancing to another dance program, if one desires to advance at all. It is important that the dancer is thoroughly comfortable with all the steps in a specific dance program, and that the dancer can apply these steps in many different positions and situations, before advancing, because advanced dance programs are built on the foundation of previously learned programs.
Because there are so many different dance programs from which to choose, dancers have many options as to how far up the dance levels they want to advance. There is no requirement to progress to more advanced levels. One is encouraged to dance the program in which one is comfortable, and only to progress to another program if one has a real desire to do so.
At the non-challenge square dance levels the dancer is introduced to many square dance calls. A few of the most fundamental and well-known calls are Dosado
Dosado
Dosado or Dos-a-dos or do-si-do is a basic dance step in such dances as square dance, contra dance, polka, various historical dances, and some reels....
, Promenade
Promenade (dance move)
Promenade is a basic dance move in a number of dances such as English Country Dance, contra dance, and square dance. The name comes from the French word for “walk”, and is a good basic description of the dance action.-Dance position and handholds:...
, and Right and Left Grand
Right and Left Grand
Right and Left Grand, also known as Grand Right and Left, is a square dance move in which all eight dancers in the set, moving in a circular fashion, execute a series of four alternating hand pull-bies . Men travel counter-clockwise around the ring, and ladies travel clockwise...
. Among other things, the dancer is additionally trained to move smoothly and rhythmically, to appreciate timing, to execute the steps from many different positions and in many different formations, and to cooperate effectively with the others in their square so that they get the most out of their dance experience.
Starting at the Advanced level the square dancer is introduced to square dance concepts, an addition to a call which modifies it in some way. Concepts often generalize more basic notions of square dancing and are an important aspect of challenge square dance
Challenge square dance
Challenge square dance, also known as challenge dancing, is modern Western square dance at the most difficult or challenging levels. There are five dance programs at the challenge level; these are called Basic Challenge , Extended Challenge , Extended Challenge , Challenge 3B and Challenge 4...
.
Dancing modern Western square dance
Each dance round, called a tip, typically consists of two dances. The first dance part is known as a hash call, which is characterized by its unstructured and often puzzling dance choreographyChoreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
. The music is usually instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
and the calls are typically not sung, but rather rhythmically spoken. The second dance part of a square dance tip is a singing call. The dance instructions are sunged as well as the lyrics during the long duration calls. The music are often popular songs and the calls are timed to fit. During a singing call the female dancers temporarily switch partners in a counter-clockwise order around the square until they return to their original partners. The caller
Caller (dancing)
A caller is a person who prompts dance figures in such dances as line dance, square dance, and contra dance. The caller might be one of the participating dancers, though in modern country dance this is rare....
restores the original order of the square both at the end of the hash and the singing call. The duration time of a tip may vary, but is usually between ten and twenty minutes. Between tips, dancers are generally encouraged to find other dance partners and form new squares for the next tip.
Dancing well requires more than attendance at class, it requires practice. The more often the dancer can train the better their skills become. Clubs generally provide their students the opportunity to dance outside of the class situation. Clubs commonly hold "club nights", which are informal dance evenings for club members. These often allow those learning a new level to dance at their class level, and often with more experienced dancers. Clubs also commonly hold special dances, which are often open to members of other clubs.
- Weekend dances
- Fly-ins
- Conventions and festivals
- HoedownHoedownA Hoedown is a type of American folk dance or square dance in duple meter, and also the musical form associated with it.-Overview:The most popular sense of the term is associated with Americans in rural or southeastern parts of the country, particularly Appalachia. It is a dance in quick movement...
Dress code
Modern Western square dance has developed a "look" that has become known as "traditional square dance attire", a "look" that has nothing really to do with traditional square dancing. This style of dress developed when square dance’s popularity in the United States increased after World War II, and began soaring during the '50s and early '60s. Several factors may have helped influence the look that has become known as "traditional square dance attire". These include the visibility and popularity of square dance performers such as Lloyd "Pappy" ShawLloyd Shaw
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...
‘s traveling troupe of "teenage cowboy square dancers"; the way square dancing and the west were portrayed in western movies and early television; and the popular clothing styles of those times, for example poodle skirts.
At the non-challenge levels of modern Western square dancing participants are often expected to wear western-style square dance outfits, or "traditional square dance attire", especially at large dances. Over the years, there has been much discussion within square dancing circles about relaxing the dress code, and this has led to the adoption of alternative less restrictive attire designations— "proper" attire and "casual" attire. Clubs that sponsor dances are free to select a less restrictive dress code and are encouraged to advertise the dress code that is appropriate for their dance. Some clubs drop the "traditional" dress code requirement for classes and for their summer dances, and some, like challenge groups
Challenge square dance
Challenge square dance, also known as challenge dancing, is modern Western square dance at the most difficult or challenging levels. There are five dance programs at the challenge level; these are called Basic Challenge , Extended Challenge , Extended Challenge , Challenge 3B and Challenge 4...
, gay square dance clubs
Gay square dance
Gay square dance is square dance as it is generally danced in the Gay and Lesbian community. The first gay and lesbian square dance clubs formed in the mid-to-late 1970s in the USA...
and youth square dance clubs
Youth square dance
Youth square dancing has no precise definition, because youth is a relative term. Very generally, it refers to square dancing among people up to their mid-twenties. In specific contexts, e.g., in qualification for some event, it may refer to dancers up to a particular age such as 18...
, have never had a dress code.
Traditional square dance attire for men includes long-sleeved western and western-style shirts, dress slacks, scarf or string ties (bolos
Bola tie
A bolo tie is a type of necktie consisting of a piece of cord or braided leather with decorative metal tips or aglets secured with an ornamental clasp or slide....
) or kerchiefs, metal tips on shirt collars and boot tips, and sometimes cowboy hat
Cowboy hat
The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western and southern United States, western Canada and northern Mexico, with...
s and boots.
Traditional square dance attire for women include gingham
Gingham
Gingham is a medium-weight balanced plain-woven fabric made from dyed cotton or cotton-blend yarn.The name originates from an adjective in the Malay language, genggang , meaning striped. Some sources say that the name came into English via Dutch...
or polka-spotted dresses with wide skirts or a wide gingham or patterned skirt in a strong dark color with a white puff-sleeve blouse. Often dancers wear specially-made square dance outfits, with multiple layers of crinolines, petticoat
Petticoat
A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt or a dress. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist ....
s, or pettipants.
Partners might have color- and pattern-coordinated outfits.
Both sexes might wear boots.
Flourishes, sound effects, and games
There are many additions to or variations from standard square dancing, which have gained headway over the years. These are not universally recognized, and they are not all equally accepted or considered acceptable under all circumstances, or in all areas. Some of these are of local nature, and others are more widely known.These variations fall into the following basic categories:
Flourishes: Movements either in addition to or replacing the standard movement as defined. There are certain accepted flourishes in most communities, which may be limited to a club or geographic region, or be common among members of a group such as youth square dance
Youth square dance
Youth square dancing has no precise definition, because youth is a relative term. Very generally, it refers to square dancing among people up to their mid-twenties. In specific contexts, e.g., in qualification for some event, it may refer to dancers up to a particular age such as 18...
rs or gay square dance
Gay square dance
Gay square dance is square dance as it is generally danced in the Gay and Lesbian community. The first gay and lesbian square dance clubs formed in the mid-to-late 1970s in the USA...
rs. Common flourishes include replacing the dosado
Dosado
Dosado or Dos-a-dos or do-si-do is a basic dance step in such dances as square dance, contra dance, polka, various historical dances, and some reels....
with a "highland fling" move, or twirling at the end of a promenade
Promenade (dance move)
Promenade is a basic dance move in a number of dances such as English Country Dance, contra dance, and square dance. The name comes from the French word for “walk”, and is a good basic description of the dance action.-Dance position and handholds:...
. Flourishes which are very common in a geographic area may be known informally as "regional styling differences". Flourishes are usually omitted with those just learning to dance, as they may obscure the standard movement. Occasionally flourishes provide an opportunity for dancers to interact with adjacent squares.
- There is a lot of controversy about flourishes, including from some square dance leaders who feel that flourishes divert dancers from dancing according to the standard. Unusual, unknown or uncommon flourishes may disturb dancers unaccustomed to them, or might be considered disruptive. Some flourishes can be physically challenging and are therefore potentially damaging, such as unexpected twirls and rough handling, especially for older people. Some flourishes are perceived as not fitting to the expected timing, giving some dancers a less than optimum dance experience. At higher dance levels, differences in body flow due to a flourish can interfere with proper execution of a call, as with "dosado three-quarters". For any of these reasons, dancers may ask that flourishes be limited while they are dancing.
Sound effects: Standard responses to the caller. These include vocalized sounds, hand claps and foot stomps. Sound effects are generally well accepted, as they do not change either the timing or the execution of the step, although they may surprise and/or amuse newcomers to a club. The sound effects often serve as a mnemonic
Mnemonic
A mnemonic , or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory. To improve long term memory, mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. Commonly encountered mnemonics are often verbal, such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something,...
device, in that dancers associate the execution of the step with the particular sounds. A rhyming or punning word-play on the name of the call is common. For example, the response "Pink Lemonade" mirrors rhythmically and rhymes with the call "Triple Trade". Since some dancers respond "Boom!" to the call "Explode", the call "Reverse Explode" may elicit the response "Moob!" (that is, "Boom" reversed right-to-left).
- Problems with sound effects can occur when they make it difficult to hear the caller's cues, or are shouted painfully close to other dancers' ears; however, in practice such situations are rare.
Games: Rule bending games that increase the difficulty of a dance. These include dancing with fewer than 8 people in the square, changing partners in the middle of a tip, and changing squares in the middle of a tip. Playing games without the permission of the entire square (and often the caller) can be considered extremely rude, and may confuse other squares as well. Games can, however, be an excellent tool for improving square dance skills, especially in class or club situations, and often have the function of allowing dancers who otherwise cannot form a complete square to participate in a dance.
Traditional western square dance
Keywords: cowboy dance, frontier, folk danceFolk 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....
s from Europe, new developments
Preserving the heritage
Keywords: Henry FordHenry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
, Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw
Lloyd Shaw
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...
, the publication of Cowboy Dances, saving the form from extinction, Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw
Lloyd Shaw
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...
's Cheyenne Mountain Dancers, courses for square dance teachers
The square dance boom
Keywords: World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
's returning veterans and the home/family culture of the 1950s, "transition from the traditional, visiting couple type of dancing into all-four-couple-working kind of dancing in the 1950s" (Herb Egender), the amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
, phonograph
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
, square dance record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s, Square Dancing Magazine (formerly Sets in Order), Step By Step Through Modern Square Dancing (Jim Mayo)
Square dance today and the future of square dance
Keywords: New markets/dancers: youth square danceYouth square dance
Youth square dancing has no precise definition, because youth is a relative term. Very generally, it refers to square dancing among people up to their mid-twenties. In specific contexts, e.g., in qualification for some event, it may refer to dancers up to a particular age such as 18...
and gay square dance
Gay square dance
Gay square dance is square dance as it is generally danced in the Gay and Lesbian community. The first gay and lesbian square dance clubs formed in the mid-to-late 1970s in the USA...
, other new developments, competition from other forms of recreation/entertainment, increased expense, elimination from public-school curricula, changed society, changes in music and recording (MiniDisc
MiniDisc
The disc is permanently housed in a cartridge with a sliding door, similar to the casing of a 3.5" floppy disk. This shutter is opened automatically by a mechanism upon insertion. The audio discs can either be recordable or premastered. Recordable MiniDiscs use a magneto-optical system to record...
s, personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s, laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
s, personal recording of music), impact on square dance music "industry"
See also
- Square danceSquare danceSquare 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...
(includes a comparison between traditional and modern Western square dance) - Challenge square danceChallenge square danceChallenge square dance, also known as challenge dancing, is modern Western square dance at the most difficult or challenging levels. There are five dance programs at the challenge level; these are called Basic Challenge , Extended Challenge , Extended Challenge , Challenge 3B and Challenge 4...
- Contra danceContra danceContra dance refers to several partnered folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines...
- Gay square danceGay square danceGay square dance is square dance as it is generally danced in the Gay and Lesbian community. The first gay and lesbian square dance clubs formed in the mid-to-late 1970s in the USA...
- Square dance clubs
- Square dance programSquare dance programA square dance program or square dance list is a set of defined square dance calls or dance steps which are associated with a level of difficulty...
- Western line dance
- Youth square danceYouth square danceYouth square dancing has no precise definition, because youth is a relative term. Very generally, it refers to square dancing among people up to their mid-twenties. In specific contexts, e.g., in qualification for some event, it may refer to dancers up to a particular age such as 18...
External links
- Callerlab- International Association of Square Dance Callers
- American Callers Association
- Dosado.com- An information portal for modern Western square dance, including lists of active clubs around the world
- Square games
- Sound effects
- The Committee to Promote Square Dancing (CPSD)
- Square Dance Federation of Minnesota Serving Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Western Wisconsin, and the Eastern Dakotas.