About Folk Dance

Folk dance is a fun and recreational activity for almost everyone. It requires no formal dance training, and anyone can learn steps and formations.  Generally, a group of people listen to instructions by an experienced caller and execute the steps with energetic music.

• Folk dance was developed in the eighteenth century to reflect the traditional life of people from a certain geographical location. The common folk used the dancing as a way to distinguish themselves from the upper classes.  People who are familiar with folk dance can often determine the country of origin, even if it is the first time seeing the dance. Some dances have movements unique to their country, although many share similarities with neighboring locales. 

• The dance is usually associated with social gatherings, although there are occasional competitive performances.  The steps rarely change and are passed down through generations of dancers, although dances do evolve.  Dancers usually dance in a line or circle.

• Folk dances in general do share a few characteristics. The people dancing have little or no dance training, and the music is a traditional style. They are not usually for public performances, their performance is marked by tradition, not innovation, and new dancers learn by observing and receiving help from others.

• Many children’s songs and games originated as traditional folk dances, such as “The Farmer in the Dell” and “London Bridge”. Square dancing, clogging, contra dancing, highland dancing and Irish jigs are forms of folk dance most familiar today.