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
Challenge square dance Challenge square dance Challenge square dance, also known as Challenge dancing, is modern Western square dance focused on the puzzle-solving aspects of square dancing at the most difficult or "challenging" levels. In modern square dancing, the dancers interpret the caller's directions (calls) to determine whom to act with, where to go, and how to get there. All square dancers learn standard "definitions" of calls, which they recall and use when the caller issues a given command. Most square dancers learn about 100 calls. Challenge dancing involves many more calls, and the definitions and choreographic combinations are more abstract and difficult