Music and dance have always been two things that simply seem to go together. We hear the music and it makes us want to move our body. This has lead to a large variety of dances within the United States, but only a few of them have become dances that are now considered, “Folk Dances”. Some of them you may have heard of, some of them may be new to you. Either way, you will be guaranteed a good time if you choose to learn one of these popular United States folk dances.
Square Dancing
Square dancing and the Contra dance have a lot of things in common. With square dancing you have a larger group of couples in a circle and they for the most part will stick together in their group, changing partners and listening to the “announcer” telling them what moves are next to be made. Typically, a group is made up of four couples, to equal eight people in a large circle. To take part in the contra dance, your “group” will be made up of four people, two partners, but throughout the dance, you will change “neighbors” and potentially dance with everyone a little bit.
Clogging may also be something you enjoy if you like having a busy dance to enjoy. In clogging, you put extra effort into tapping heels and toes on the floor while wearing special shoes that make a loud “clogging” noise. You and your partner will aim to step at the same time and on the same “beat”. Because of the fact that it is all based on your leg work and your feet moving, it is a dance that will certainly keep you active.
Cajun Dance Styles
The Cajun Jig is a simple Cajun style dance. It has some very simple footwork to learn and dancers spend a lot of time twirling around on the floor in kind of a “Texas twostep” style of dance. The Cajun Jitterbug is a little more complex in the way your feet move. It is a little faster paced and allows you to use your arms to create “knots” with your partner’s arms. The arm movements are often a part of twirls and spins that you evolve into and then unwind out of. With either dance, you can make it more complicated or simple as you feel comfortable with.