WELCOME TO An Entertainment Site for Scottish Country Dancers - Enjoy the curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
"Square Dance" by Harold Von Schmidt (1893 – 1982) American illustrator from Alameda, California
Square Dancing Day
Nov 29
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Let's all Square Dance!
Places all.
Bow to your corner,
Bow to your own."
~ Traditional
This 128 bar cousin to the Virginia Reel, comes full circle by referencing its American namesake, who itself owes its origins to immigrant ancestors! Square Dancing, often seen as the spirited American cousin of Scottish and English Country Dancing, owes its name to the elegant quadrille formations popular in Europe. One of its most iconic predecessors, the Virginia Reel, dates back to the 17th century and features dancers weaving through long lines in a formation the French poetically called contredanse anglaise. The reel’s roots are a fascinating blend of influences—its lively footwork echoes Scottish country dances and the Highland reel, with a possible nod to the Irish Rinnce Fada. Yet, its closest connection lies with the English country dance Sir Roger de Coverley, whose charm captivated dancers on both sides of the Atlantic. By the mid-19th century, the Virginia Reel had taken America by storm, becoming a beloved tradition from parlors to barn floors during its heyday from 1830 to 1890. Places all! 🕺 💃 🤠
New Virginia Reel
November 29th is Square Dancing Day!
Square dancing is believed to have origins in the English Morris Dancing of 1600s in England, when teams of dancers, all male, for propriety’s sake (and wearing bells for extra flair) began presenting choreographed sequences. This fad is thought to have inspired English Country Dance, in which couples lined up on village greens to practice weaving, circling and swinging, moves reminiscent of modern-day square dancing.
By the 18th century in continental Europe, French couples danced in "squares" for social dances such as the quadrille and the cotillion.
Europeans settling in England’s thirteen North American colonies brought both folk and popular dance traditions with them. French dancing styles in particular came into favor during the years following the American Revolution, when many former colonists snubbed all things British. Similar to Scottish Country Dance, a number of the terms used in modern square dancing come from France, including “promenade,” “allemande” and the “do-si-do” - a corruption of “dos-à-dos,” meaning “back-to-back.”
American Square Dancing (also called "old Time Square Dance") is derived from New England and Appalachian styles. But instead of memorizing each and every step, participants began relying on callers to provide cues. Square dance calling became an art form in its own right, providing humor and entertainment along with the music and dancing.
The Virginia Reel dates from the 17th century, with origins likely from Scottish Country Dance and the Highland Reel (and perhaps even earlier Irish influences), but is generally considered to be a borrowed English Country Dance. The dance was most popular in America from 1830–1890.
To see "The New Virginia Reel" performed by a Scottish Country Dance group in Hong Kong in 2012, see below.
And to see a classically called square dance from around 1950, called by by Mildred R. Buhler, a popular caller in northern California in the late 1940s and early 1950s, click the painting "Square Dance" by William Francis Marshall
to see her calling to her demonstration group from the Redwood City Docey-Doe Club.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
