Happy Square Dance Day!

Origin

After a day full of thankfulness, family, friends, and feasting on fantastic food, exercise is on the agenda. It’s time to jog off that cranberry jello, trot off that turkey, and gallop off that gravy. A fun alternative to traditional forms of cardiovascular calorie burning routines is dancing! And since today is Square Dance Day, there isn’t a better time to have some fun with this old timey form of group dancing. Even for those of us with two left feet, a square dance is great exercise and a challenge to learn. Thanks to YouTube, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home to learn a few moves before you head out to a Square Dance for the first time.

Square dancing was introduced to the United States by English, Irish, and Scottish settlers, and as it evolved, a “caller” was added to help the dancers to stay in step and not fall behind. To which I say, thank you, because that is very helpful, and a great idea. Today, it is most popular in the southern and western U.S., and among senior citizens. Square dancing is not to be confused with line dancing. They are very similar, but square dancing is done almost exclusively to fiddle music and requires a caller, where line dancing can be done to different kinds of prerecorded music and does not require a caller.

How to Celebrate

Grab your partner and do-si-do! Invite some friends over, find a fun tune, and learn a square dance to it. Start with something easy and don’t get discouraged! It is harder than it looks, but you’ll catch on.

Video of the Day

Featured image via ShutterStock