The Official Folk Dance of Tennessee

I was doing research on origins of different dance style and came across and interesting fact.  In 1980 Tennessee designated the Square Dance as the official state folk dance. Legislation stated: "Among the traditions of our ancestors that have survived intact is the Square Dance, a uniquely attractive art form that remains a vibrant and entertaining part of Tennessee folklore."

Further research uncovered that 22 states have passed legislation to declare the square dance as a state symbol and more than 30 bills have been introduced at the federal level proposing the square dance as the national (folk) dance of the United States dating back to 1965.

Every region has folk customs - they give people a special sense of identity and belonging to a group. The square dance is uniquely American because it is a true blend of folk dance movements and terminology brought by early emigrants from other countries to the United States.  Square Dance has bits of French Quadrilles, Irish Jigs, English Reels and Spanish Fandangos blended together. The square dance provided pioneers with recreation and social contact with neighbors - and is still doing that today.

The sad thing about the Square Dance is that a lot of the knowledge regarding the origins, variances of the dances was never properly recorded. It is speculated that these were the dances of country folk, who kept all their essential knowledge written only on the uncertain pages of memory. They were the dances of folk who didn't tell all they knew even under questioning. They were often the dances of secretive folk who were somewhat jealous of their special talent and special knowledge. ... So all we have to go by in our speculations is the internal evidence presented by the dances themselves.

This dance for four couples, or groups of four couples, is performed in a compact framework of a square, each couple forming a side. Traditionally accompanied by a fiddle, accordian, banjo and guitar, the couples perform a variety of movements prompted by the patter or singing calls (instruction) of a "caller". Cooperative movement is the hallmark of well executed square dancing.

Square dancing is to be distinguished from related dances called contra or longways dance where couples stand double file in a line and from round dances where couples stand in a circle.

So now we know…

Keep dancin’ Larry B