Types of Traditional Square Dance
There are at least three broad categories of events that can be referred to as "traditional square dances".
- "Survival" dances: There are a few communities in the United States and Canada where one may find dance events consisting primarily of traditional squares, or of traditional squares alternating with some form of couple dancing (such as waltz, two-step, foxtrot, or country/western dance) or solo dancing (such as flatfooting or clogging). Each region has its own way of dancing, playing the music, and delivering the calls (if any); the dancers, musicians, and callers have typically learned their style from prior generations. There may or may not be some standardization of style within a region, but there is no continent-wide standardization across regions.
- "Revival" dances: In many cities and college towns there are dance events, open to the public, that consist primarily of Anglo-American group dances. The program may feature mainly squares, mainly contra dances, or a mixture of both. The style of squares chosen depends on the caller and may or may not conform to the local indigenous square dance style—indeed, it may be a blend of various regional styles—but it is likely to be closer to traditional than to modern Western square dance. Musicians and callers typically learn not only from local mentors but also from books, recordings, and travel to and communication with other artists continent-wide; this learning process leads to a certain amount of de facto standardization.
- "Fun nights": Many callers conduct programs of easy dancing for people who do not square dance regularly, such as guests at a wedding or birthday party or members of a non-dance organization like a school, house of worship, or civic or social group. Such events are known in the calling trade as "fun nights", "barn dances", or "one-night stands". A caller programming such an event is likely to use a good deal of traditional dance material, even if he or she is primarily a modern Western caller.
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