Square dance Square dance A square dance is a dance for four couples (eight dancers in total) arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances were first documented in 16th-century England but were also quite common in France and throughout Europe. They came to North America with the European settlers and have undergone considerable development there. In some countries and regions, through preservation and repetition, square dances have attained the status of a folk dance. The Western American square dance may be the most widely known form worldwide, possibly due to its
Square dance dress codes known as "proper" or "casual" (no dress code). Modern Western square dance events in Britain are increasingly seen as having a relaxed dress code, although many dancers do like to wear "traditional square dance attire". In the United States dance groups often have no particular dress code and lines between the forms of square dancing have become blurred in recent years. Traditional-revival groups typically adopt very casual dress and traditional-revival choreographers have begun to use basic movements that were invented for Modern Western square dance forms and a few modern Western callers incorporate older dances from various traditions,