Let's Stop Hashing Our Squares

This essay, written more than 60 years ago, speaks to the longstanding tension between those who like predictable dance figures and those who seek continual variety. The author admits "that I am just as guilty as those I condemn. Perhaps in the past I have been, but after giving much thought to the matter, in the past year I have quite generally stopped hashing squares, with no adverse cornments from the dancers." He offers several ways to introduce a little variety, and concludes that most dancers "like their squares symmetrical, and repetitious, within limits, with enough variation to keep the dance from becoming monotonous."