<P> A square dance is a dance for four couples ( eight dancers in total ) arranged in a square , with one couple on each side , facing the middle of the square . Square dances were first documented in 16th - century England but were also quite common in France and throughout Europe . They came to North America with the European settlers and have undergone considerable development there . In some countries and regions , through preservation and repetition , square dances have attained the status of a folk dance . The Western American square dance may be the most widely known form worldwide , possibly due to its association in the 20th century with the romanticized image of the American cowboy . Square dancing is , therefore , strongly associated with the United States . Nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance . </P>
<P> A square dance is a dance for four couples ( eight dancers in total ) arranged in a square , with one couple on each side , facing the middle of the square . Square dances were first documented in 16th - century England but were also quite common in France and throughout Europe . They came to North America with the European settlers and have undergone considerable development there . In some countries and regions , through preservation and repetition , square dances have attained the status of a folk dance . The Western American square dance may be the most widely known form worldwide , possibly due to its association in the 20th century with the romanticized image of the American cowboy . Square dancing is , therefore , strongly associated with the United States . Nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance . </P>
ballroom dance performed by four couples in a square formation
ballroom dance performed by four couples in a square formation
square dance
square dance