#Square dance on the trail of the lonesome pine plus#

Once these are learned aĭancer can participate in a Mainstream Dance.ģ1 Plus movements, most of which are a combination of Mainstream movements. There are a total of 68 Mainstream movements. Mainstream includes very basic moves such as the ones used in Traditional Dancing,Īs well as some more involved movements, such as Spin the Top, Swing Thru, and Ferris Wheel. During the class, they will learn the Mainstream and Plus movements of square dancing. In Western Square Dancing, they are required to complete a class which usually lasts about 8 months and meets once a week. Of movements, using the standard 99 movements which the dancers have learned.Īt two major levels, Mainstream and Plus. The caller is expected to be creative and come up with innovative arrangements There is not a certain set of movements which goes with a certain

One of the major differences between Traditional and Western Square Dancing is that in Western, calls are A caller calls the movements, and dancers execute them. Western Square Dancing uses 99 movements which the dancers are required to know in order to participate Remains relatively popular today, although there has been a significant decline in the number of clubs and dancers. Square dancing is that little or no training is required for a person to participate.įrom traditional square dancing. At one time, every community would have a squareĭance once a week, where everyone would participate. Traditional square dancing clubs still exist, but not in (traditionally with boys in one line and girls in the other, although this is not the rule today), where as square dancing Contra dancing is very similar to square dancing, the difference being that contra dancing is done in lines Is done in the same clubs where contra dancing, English country dancing, and other traditional dances are done. It started to decline in popularity after the popularization of Western Square Dancing in the 1950’s-1970’s. Square dancing was made popular in the 1920’s-1950s by Henry Ford and Lloyd Shaw. Often dances areĭanced to a certain tune, and that tune is associated with its respective dance. The dances tend to be relatively simple and repetitive. Promenade, pass thru, u-turn back, box the gnat, ladies chain, and right & left thru. Examples are allemande left, right & left grand, dosido, star right/left, star

Only a limited number of fairly simple calls, roughly equivalent to the first 25 calls taught in Western Square Dancing.

By the time it is his turn, he has already seen the sequence

Usually, a new dancer will be put in position number four, so that he can watch the other three couplesĭo their thing first.

#Square dance on the trail of the lonesome pine series#

Then the second couple leads out to couple number three and does the same series of The first couple then proceeds on to the third and fourth couple and does the same series of movements with them. Theįirst couple leads out to the second couple and does a series of movements with them. Traditional square dances follow the same basic “visiting couple pattern. Often, the dances are walked through first and then danced. The dancers are led by a caller who calls out the moves. Traditional Square Dancing uses traditional dances which have been passed down from the 1700-1800’s.