Community Swing - 1945
This article in a recreation journal describes the growth of interest in square dancing in one Midwestern town in the mid-1940s. It's a portrait that was repeated in many communities across the US at that time.
The author describes the influence of Lloyd Shaw on the group and mentioned settings where many beginners gather to dance—"The American Youth Hostel movement, the Y.M.C.A., and the Y.W.C.A. are only a few of the organizations including square dancing in their programs. The Memorial Union at the University of Wisconsin is another center for square dancing." At such events, the primary purpose is to have fun.
There are other events, with more experienced dancers: "The inexhaustible number of new dances and variations of old patterns is one of the main attractions of square dancing. For each new pieceof music there is a different dance, and these may be varied further by the caller's own versions of them. Because there is such a wide variety for the experienced square dancers, groups should be as homogeneous as possible, so that beginners will not keep experienced dancers from advancing to new forms." Here we can see the early seeds of the later developments in MWSD, from the required classes to the different programs with more complexity.
The author makes a confident prediction: "While wartime has speeded the development of square dancing as community recreation, the postwar period will probably not see its decline, for its appeal goes deeper than merely a substitute for other activities." Indeed, the period after WW II saw the dramatic boom in modern square dance.
Tags: community, Madison, Phyliss Ashmun, Wisconsin
Item Relations
| Item: Square dance, Clayville, RI - 1940 | is related to | This Item |
Citation
Dublin Core
Title
Subject
Description
The author describes the influence of Lloyd Shaw on the group and mentioned settings where many beginners gather to dance—"The American Youth Hostel movement, the Y.M.C.A., and the Y.W.C.A. are only a few of the organizations including square dancing in their programs. The Memorial Union at the University of Wisconsin is another center for square dancing." At such events, the primary purpose is to have fun.
There are other events, with more experienced dancers: "The inexhaustible number of new dances and variations of old patterns is one of the main attractions of square dancing. For each new pieceof music there is a different dance, and these may be varied further by the caller's own versions of them. Because there is such a wide variety for the experienced square dancers, groups should be as homogeneous as possible, so that beginners will not keep experienced dancers from advancing to new forms." Here we can see the early seeds of the later developments in MWSD, from the required classes to the different programs with more complexity.
The author makes a confident prediction: "While wartime has speeded the development of square dancing as community recreation, the postwar period will probably not see its decline, for its appeal goes deeper than merely a substitute for other activities." Indeed, the period after WW II saw the dramatic boom in modern square dance.