English Country Dance - Influence

Influence

English country dance was the progenitor of several other dance forms. The French contredanse, arriving independently in the American colonies, became the New England contra dance, which also experienced a resurgence in the 20th century. The French expression of English country dance also contributed to the development of the quadrille, which in the American colonies evolved into square dance, while in Ireland, it contributed to the development of modern Irish dance. English country dance in Scotland developed its own flavour and became the separate Scottish country dance. English Ceilidh is a special case, being a convergence of English, Irish and Scottish forms. In addition, certain English country dances survived independently in the popular repertoire. One such is the Virginia Reel, which is almost exactly the same as the English country dance 'Sir Roger de Coverly'. English country dance can therefore be seen as the ancestor of a whole family of social folk dances in the Anglosphere.