Evolution Of Square Dancing Essay Research Paper

Evolution Of Square Dancing Essay, Research Paper

The Evolution of Square Dancing

What do the words “square dance” mean to you. For most they bring on images of red barns full of men in cowboy hats and women in gingham dresses skipping along as a fiddler plays and the cows and horses look on. These dances are often thought of as a thing of the 1930’s or something we see in movies such as Oklahoma. However, the form we know of today has far outgrown that stigma. Square dancing is popular across the world and is performed by all ages. Square dance groups attend conferences, clinics, and competitions year round. There are also many magazines and newsletters devoted to the people addicted to this dance.

The square dance, “four couples in a set who are led by a caller through a variety of maneuvers and formations”1 , has gone through many changes over the past centuries. Originally, it is believed to have come from the longways, or contra, dance. Performed as two parallel lines of dancers it was shortened later to form what is now known as square dancing. The contra dance can be found in seventeenth century Spanish dances that consist of the crossing of two columns and early English country-dance, two circles that return to their original lines. These dances were passed down through the generations and were merely memorized, but in 1650, the steps were written out. However, the body formations

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were not entirely explained, so many past steps are not known. The tradition of “calling” the dances did not come until later.

During the eighteenth century, religious groups rallied against dance, calling it devilish. Early Puritans, however, showed evidence of loving it. One English author, John Bunyon, said ” ‘all good people dance, from the angels down.’ “.2 The acceptance of dancing varied from preacher to preacher and upon acceptance a “dance master” would announce to the town that dance classes would be held for the people for the next couple of days. Dance masters traveled the country fostering the growth of the dance, reaching out to people that would have never been exposed to such things.

Upon a military alliance with France following the Revolution, French dance masters came to America introducing variations of their contra dance that had been shortened to line dances with four couples. These became known as quadrilles- a “forerunner of American Square Dance”.3 An anti-British sentiment caused the quadrilles to grow in popularity due to the Americans’ insistence on not supporting any English dances. In 1848, the West brought forth another new type of dance called a cotillion. These consisted of a square formation that was led by a fiddler who “called”, or gave a series of directions, to the dancers. So began the start of what we now know to be modern square dancing.

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The breakdown of the modern square dance begins with the four major subdivisions: the introduction, the main figure, breaks, and the final terminating movement. In the introduction, the dancers in each set all move at the same time and these moves are interchangeable for almost any square dance. The second part, the main figure, consists of the bulk of the dance- a series of maneuvers. Dancers may have one couple perform a figure or the females may dance in unison and then the males. These are usually done four times. The breaks, or trimmings, are put in between each main figure and like the introduction, are often interchangeable. The breaks allow the dancers a slight break before continuing. For the final part of the dance, known as the terminating movement, the dancers perform together and the caller usually decides upon its content.

The formation of a square dance is “composed of four couples standing on the sides of a hollow square, facing toward the center”.4 Each of the couples stand on one side of the square. The man stands to the left of the female. Some basic terms that are used when referring to the formation are couple, set, station, head and side. A couple means “two persons who are partners in the dance”.5 A set is a group of four couples that dance together. The station is each couple’s position in the set. Couples that stand at first and third are known as the head whereas those at second and fourth are the side couples. From these basic formations, the dance becomes more complex as other techniques are introduced.

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In order to participate in square dances of today, dancers must learn a set of basic movements and techniques. These movements are one or two word commands such as the “ladies chain” or “wheel around” 6 that are the basics for the dance. By knowing these maneuvers the dancers will be in the positions necessary for the next call. Each step compliments the other so that the dance will go smoothly and without error. There are five skill levels attached to square dancers depending on the movements and techniques they know. The first, the Basic Plateau, covers the first forty-nine basic movements and is estimated to take ten two and a half-hour lessons to achieve. Extended basics come next, followed by Mainstream, which has eighty-five basics. The fourth level, Plus Movements, is a step above Mainstream. Some dancers reach the Advanced Plateau or Challenge Plateau, the highest accomplishment.

To make a square dance complete a good caller must lead the group. There are many differen