"Square dancing is friendship set to music," says author Betty Casey. Just take four couples, old or young, put 'em on a good floor, turn on the music, and you're all set. Whether you've done it before or you're just starting out, this book tells you everything you need to know--85 basic movements used all over the world, the spirited calls unique to square dancing, the costumes and equipment that are best, and music (from "Red River Valley" to "Mack the Knife") that will set your feet in motion. Down-to-earth details and anecdotes give a taste of the good times in store for you. Find out how native folk dances grew out of European quadrilles, jigs, and fandangos. Open this book and get ready to: "wipe off your tie, pull down your vest, and dance with the one you love best." This book includes: 50 basic movements, 35 advanced movements, variations, dances that are a part of the American heritage, Contra and Round Dances, polkas and reels, and calls, past and present.

Grade level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ,9, 10, 11, 12, k, p, e, i, s, t.

The Great Depression is a part of real history that really did happen. In 1929 was when it was really bad. People were hungry there were no jobs and no money. I was born the 1929 and the depression went all through the twenties and thirties and into the early forties; but times were getting bad. The depression was taking its toll on everything and everyone. A little money went a long way, but there was no money and to top everything off the stock market fell and everyone lost their money in the stock market, the banks closed their doors, no one could bet their money out. My father had a friend that lost all of his money in the bank in 1929. If you didn't live in this time of history you can't imagine what life was like. I watched my father walk 4miles to work in a rock quarry carrying his lunch box then walk home after sledging rock all day. My mother raised a vegetable garden and canned a lot of food so we would have food for the winter. This is just a preview. Now, how did I come up with the name of my book? The Great Depression Put to Music, Song and Dance. My father played violin and mother played piano - Music My sister and I sang - Song I grew up to teach dance - Dance

While there have been countless fun books written on square dancing, Squaredance Fundamentals was the first to cut to the chase. There is no interesting history of square dancing, there are no entertaining anecdotes, just the nuts and bolts of how to square dance. The author worked painstakingly with the graphic artist to execute a feat never achieved before in a square dance manual. Revolutionary illustrations show the dancer's point of view, not just the spectators' viewpoint. Dancers can, without turning on their heads, glean from the detailed illustrations exactly what they need to be doing with their hands, feet, etc. Each dancer can effortlessly grasp the material and easily retain it. Renown master caller/teacher, Marshall Flippo, assiduously assisted the author in establishing the very first guidelines for standardized "Basic Maneuvers" which would enable square dancers to dance gracefully with any group, anywhere. This was a true innovation in square dancing not yet available in the late 1960's. Marshall also painstakingly edited this first-of-its-kind book, twice! - to be sure it met the highest standards of accuracy and ease of understanding for square dancing neophytes. One of the greatest merits of this book is its logical continuity, which can be a tremendous aid to both the caller/teacher and the student, regardless of how it is used. New dancers, taking lessons, can go home and review what they have learned in class and prepare for the next, significantly shortening the learning curve. Although a few changes in the names of the calls have been made through the years, it is a simple task to merely write in the current name for the square dance call according to your instructor. But no one shows you better how to execute the maneuvers than John W. Jones with his super simplified instructions and state-of-the-art illustrations in Squaredance Fundamentals - the gold standard for over 37 years.

In Appalachian Dance: Creativity and Continuity in Six Communities, Susan Eike Spalding brings to bear twenty-five years' worth of rich interviews with black and white Virginians, Tennesseeans, and Kentuckians to explore the evolution and social uses of dance in each region. Spalding analyzes how issues as disparate as industrialization around coal, plantation culture, race relations, and the 1970s folk revival influenced freestyle clogging and other dance forms like square dancing in profound ways. She reveals how African Americans and Native Americans, as well as European immigrants drawn to the timber mills and coal fields, brought movement styles that added to local dance vocabularies. Placing each community in its sociopolitical and economic context, Spalding analyzes how the formal and stylistic nuances found in Appalachian dance reflect the beliefs, shared understandings, and experiences of the community at large, paying particular attention to both regional and racial diversity. Written in clear and accessible prose, Appalachian Dance is a lively addition to the literature and a bold contribution to scholarship concerned with the meaning of movement and the ever-changing nature of tradition.

From the founding of America's dance culture to today's square dance activity, follow the footsteps back in time to visit with some amazing people and dance events that depict the historical evolution of the modern American square dance. Based on real people and events, the historic stories are very readable and enjoyable style, revealing the lifestyles of those who contributed to bringing the joy of America's cultural dance to others. You will witness how dance affected the rhythm and lifestyle across the United States and then to foreign countries. It explores pattern dances reflecting on how various dance styles influenced another and the progression of dance. You will experience the expansion across this country and how dance was influenced along the way. You are taken to the Appalachian Mountain area to witness the Kentucky running set and to New England's quadrilles and contra dances. Memories of past dance experience is visited as its history comes alive through the evolution of dance traditions and a visit with our dance pioneers that influenced and impacted our lives. The time line on the evolution of the American Square Dance begins in Europe to the founding of America, through the Colonial times, the contribution of the African American influence and the western expansion, the depression period, the effect of the World War 11 and the growth that took place with the return of the American soldiers. We visit with George Washington and the political influence that took place at colonial dances, Eleanor Roosevelt dancing during the depression, Jimmy Carter bringing the Modern Western Square dance to the White House. Discover how the square dance brought democracy to Japan. Henry Ford's efforts in the revival of dance to Lloyd Shaw's western style impact on square dancing with his high school students Cheyenne Mountain School dancing tours. The building of roads and transportation improvements and the growth of the recording industries along with a proliferation of publications brought about a major growth in people getting together to dance. Dance choreography changes brought about the modern western square dance. Dance events and conventions flourished. You will visit with modern western square dance pioneers Charlie Baldwin, Bob Osgood and Stan and Cathie Burdick. This countries famous animator, Chuck Jones, involvement in square dancing is revealed. This book features many charts and timeline treasures listing movies that featured square dance scenes, square dance halls that came into being across the country and the many different dance gatherings. You will meet some of the women involved in square dancing. You will also visit delightful stories of the Brundage square dance family and the Tirrell round dance family. See how clothing trends followed our dance activity. Today's Modern Western Square Dance will continue to evolve and change. You will learn what efforts took place to preserve the history of the square dance activity. You will see the background of how round dancing complimented square dancing. Every page brings with it the enthusiasm for dancing. You are taken on an adventure that will broaden your perspective on dance and will make you want to be a part of the future dancing experience. It will please the casual reader, dance leaders and the dancer along with historians with its insight and behind the scene stories. It is the most complete and informative book bringing together all in one place everything you will ever want to know about the pleasures and joy in the human relationship of dance. The historical documentation in this book brings the reader through the past years and creates the opportunity so that the future of social dance can continue to be a contributing factor.