National Square Dancing Day Date in the current year: November 29, 2024

Square is a general term for dances in which four couples, or a total of eight dancers, form a square, one couple on each side, facing the center of the square. There are many types of square dancing that developed independently in different countries from traditional folk and social dances. Predecessors of square dancing include the Morris dance and the country dance, both of which originated in England. Square dances also include elements of 18th century French dances such as cotillions and quadrilles.

European square dances were brought to North America by European settlers, where they evolved into their current form. The quadrille, for example, became especially popular after the American Revolution. Today, there are two main types of square dancing in the United States and Canada: traditional square dance and modern western square dance.

Traditional square dance is an umbrella term for any style of American square dance that developed before the mid-20th century. It is divided into three major regional styles: Northeastern (New England), Southeastern (Appalachian), and Western. Modern western square dance evolved from traditional square dance of the American West around the 1950s.

Square dance movements are known as calls, and both traditional and modern western square dance use callers who prompt dance steps to dancers. In traditional square dance, the caller is often one of the participating dancers or musicians. In modern western square dance, the caller is fully focused on directing the dancers and also providing entertainment, making them a kind of MC. However, outside of the United States, such as in continental Europe, Ireland and Scotland, there is no caller because the dancers know the entire dance and do not need prompting.

Square dancing is so popular in the United States that 24 states have adopted it as their official state dance since the 1970s: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Given the popularity of square dancing, it is not surprising that there is a holiday dedicated to it.

The origins of National Square Dancing Day are unclear, but that shouldn’t stop you from celebrating! You can learn more about the history and different styles of square dancing, watch square dance videos on YouTube or TikTok, host a square dance party at your home, join a square dance club or association, or watch a movie that features square dancing such as the 1987 coming-of-age drama Square Dance starring Winona Ryder. And don’t forget to post about the holiday on social media using the hashtags #NationalSquareDancingDay and #NationalSquareDanceDay.