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
Gay square dance the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs (IAGSDC), the umbrella organization for gay square dance clubs. In addition to gay modern Western square dance clubs, there are gay and lesbian clubs for other dance forms, both square dance and non-square dance forms, including "traditional" and exhibition-style square dancing. This article focuses on gay modern Western square dancing, and it is understood to be the same as gay square dancing within this article. The primary differences between gay square dancing and that practiced in other clubs are: It is worth noting that this style of dancing—casual dress, no couple requirement,