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American Square Dances |
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with an introduction before the "first change," then a chores, followed by the "second change," etc. Perhaps this altering of the meaning of an old term came from the "breakdown" type of caU, in which there is a change of partners for all dancers for each dancing of the figure. The term is clearer and more applicable in its newer meaning as used in the Square Dance.
The formal Quadrille was based upon a court dance, not a dance of the people. In the Square Dance we have, still in the making, a true folk dance, developed and evolved by the people. Such a dance will always be changing as we discover and add developments, all based upon the rule of ease, logic, and enjoyment. Many of these additions are really very old movements which have been revived. Square Dance terms may change, but the basic and underlying principles remain constant. All are based upon the natural movement of "Doing what comes naturally," as Herb Greggerson of El Paso, Texas, sums it up. All true folk dances have that in common and that is why they live and never die. All living things must grow and develop, and this is a slow process, but necessarily so, for it takes time to prove, filter, adopt, and reject. We have been doing that for over three hundred years with the American folk dance.
Types and Patterns of the Square Dance
The single visitor type of Square Dance is one in which one person at a time, either a lady or a gentleman, leads the figure around the set, visiting each couple in turn for a complete change, of which there are usually four, each led by a different dancer in rotation with a chorus between each change.
The visiting couple type is a dance in which one couple at a time leads the figure around the set, visiting each couple in turn for a change, of which there are usually four. Each change is led successively by the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Couples in that order, with a chorus between each change, or between every other change. |
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