Most American people think of a Folk dance as Square dancing today. However a Folk dance is 'any dance created by the people of the land without any influence of a choreographer', this includes all facets of dancing. In other words they just happen, they evolve into a dance shared by others in their region. The dance(s) are built up and practiced expressing the characteristic feelings of the people, according to the peculiarities of any racial temperament.
These dances usually are mixtures of many dances to create one. They consist of partner dances, solo or freestyle, mixers, sets, line dances, festival, Religious, weddings etcetera. They often reflect the mood of the time during their most popular time of being done. They can reflect a musical style or
event and in their originality are usually not at a high level in difficulty but can get more difficult over time. The Folk dances of the U.S. all have names of patterns that may stem from Africa, Russia, Germany, Ireland, Scandinavia, Israel, Canada, Mexico, Cuba etc., as these lands gave us many different and varied cultures of dance through immigration and other avenues of influence. Folk dancers do not tend to isolate heritage, but rather embrace them. Folk dances such as the Square dance, Swing (U.S.), Rumba (Cuba), Polka (C. Europe) etc. are still popular today. Many dances are National and or State dances to dedicate their origin. Folk dance popularity has become a part of the Broadway Stage, the Ballet, Movies, socials and even the social Ballroom world.
These dances when performed usually require the costume and authentic music made for the dance, rather than what is popular at the time or in style which adds to its beauty and ethnicity. In 1911 Cecil Sharpe founded the "Folk Dance and Song Society" in England to encourage research and to preserve the folk dances, their games and songs. The Int'l Folk Dance Association came along in the the 1920s. The ballet "Ozaï ," choreographed by Jean Coralli at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique on April 26th, 1847 in Paris inspired by the voyages of the French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811) had introduced folk dances into the ballet stage.
1852 - Gipsy Schottisch
1855 - Cuba Plantation Dance
1880's - Tarantelle
1896 - Hebrew Nat'l Wedding
1902 - Hooligan Barn Dance
1927 - Kurdish Dance
1937 - English Gardens
Mexican Hat Dance
1925 - Carelli's Hall (NJ)
~~ All Countries ...
... Africa, Albania, Armenia
... Balkans, Bolivia, Bulgaria
... Canada, Croatia, Czech
Alegria-Mexican Folk Dance Club.
... Denmark, France, Germany
Balkan Folk Dance Group.
... Greece, Gypsy (Rom),
Chesham Folk Dance Club.
... Hungary, Israel, Iraq, Italy
Danish Folk Dance Club.
... Macedonia, Mexico, Netherlands
Finnish Folk Dance Clubs.
... New England, Norway, Poland,
HungarianFolk Dance Orgs.
... Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia,
New Zealand Folk Dance Org.
... Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland,
Nottingham Folk Dance Group.
... Turkey, Ukraine, USA, Yugoslavia
1894 - A Highland Dance
1948 - Village Barn (also 1950)
1895 - Short Stick Dance
1949 - ABC Barn Dance
1897 - A Country Dance
1953 - Old American Barn Dance
1897 - Skipping Rope Dance
1961 - Folk Music in the Concert Hall
1898 - Hat Dance
1969 - Hee-Haw
1898 - Tarantella, an Italian Dance
1972 - Folk Singer, The
1898 - Turkish Dance - Ella Lola
Hollywood Barn Dance
1901 - Sevillenas Dance
1907 - Nat'l Geisha Dance of Japan
1929 - Barn Dance
1931 - Banga talyeong
$ 1938 - The Old Barn Dance
1940 - Swingin' in the Barn
1930S - WHO - Barn Dance Frolic
1940 - Village Barn Dance
1930s - WLS Barn Dance
1943 - National Barn Dance
1943 - Ukrainian Dance
1947 - Hollywood Barn Dance
1949 - Sat Night Sq. Dance
1949 - Square Dance Jubilee
1940s - Barn Dance Magazine
1950 - Cavalcade of Broadway: Vllg Barn
1941 - Folk Dancer Magazine
1950 - Square Dance Katy?
9/1961 - Down East Mag.
1953 - Folk Dances of India
Square Dance Magazine
$ 1955 - Oklahoma[DVD]
1961 - Danse carrée
$ 1968 - Finian's Rainbow
$ 1969 - Paint Your Wagon
19?? - Folk Dances of Gujarat
$ 1981 - Russian Folk Song and Dance
1984 - Dance Music
$ 1987 - Square Dance?[DVD]
1987 - Spirit Moves
$1990 - The Forbidden Dance
$ 1991 - Chase The Devil: Religious So. Appalachian Music
$ 1993 - Dancing: Lord of the Dance
1994 - Khorovod
1997 - 'In Search of English Folk Song
$ 1997 - Lord of the Dance (Flatley)
$ 2000 - The Mississippi-River of Song
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
A Russian Dance
French Le Stoupic (France)
Little Four Dance
Ajd 'na Levo (Croatia)
Gavotte de Guemene
Little Man In A Fix
Ali Pasha (Turkey)
Gavotte de Quimper
Moravian Kanafaska
Bacvanka (Bulgaria)
German Seven Steps
New Bavarian, the
Belasicko oro (Macedonia)
Gustaf's Skoal
Nixie Polka
Bean Setting (see Moorish)
Grand Square
Norwegian Feiar
Birdie In The Cage
German Schuhplatter
Norwegian Mt.. March
Black Nag, the
Handkerchief Dance
Norwegian Tantoli
Blue-eyed Stranger
Highland Fling
Norwegian Ril
Chimes Of Denmark, the
Highland Schottische
Norwegian Rugen
Circle, the
Hopak (Ukraine)
Oxen Dance
Cocek (Rom)
Hora Olteneasca (Romania)
Oxford Minuet
Cossack Dance
Hull's Victory
Paw Paw Patch
Crested Hen, the
Hundson House
Polka, Polonez (Poland)
Cuban Rumba (Cuba)
Hungarian Csardas
Reinlendar
Czech. Four Steps (Czech)
Hungarian Csebogar
Rufty Tufty
Danish Masquerade
In The Green Meadow
Rye Waltz
Danish Minuet
Irish Jig, Irish Set, Irish Lilt
Samba (Brazil)
Dhivaratikos, Syrtos (Greece)
Irish Long Dance (Ireland)
Schottische
Dirty Dance (USA)
Koroboushka (Russia)
Serbian Kolo, Srbijanka (Serbia)
El Jarabe Tapatio (Mexico)
Kostursko Oro (Macedonia)
Shoo Fly
English Ceilidh (England)
Kynkkaliepakko
Sleights Sword Dance
English Harvester Dance (England)
La Boudigueste
Square Dance
Erev Ba, T'filah (Israel)
La Cucaracha (Mexico)
Straw Cutter, the
European Polka
La Raspa (Mexico)
Stupid One Turning Quickly
Finnish Kerenski (Finland)
La Virgencita
Swedish Hambo (Sweden)
Finnish Radiko (Finland)
Las Iquiris
Swedish Rug Dance (Sweden)
Finnish Reel (Finland)
Laz Bar (Armenia)
Swiss Weggis Dance
Foot Swinging Dance
Los Matlanchines
Swiss Lauterbach
French Branle Gascon (France)
Los Viejitos
Tarantella (Italy)
French - Gavotte de Pont-Aven
Lambada
Trottartt (Italy)
French Jabado (France)
Lauterbach
Varsovienne
Folk Dance
Crampton, C. Ward
1909
n/a
The Folk Dance Book
1915
A.S. Barnes Company
World History Of Dance
Sachs, Curt
1937
Norton & Co.
Old Time Dancing
Ford, Henry
1943r
Dearborn
$ Folk Dances Of US & Mexico
Duggan, Schlottman, Rutledge
1948
Folk Dance Library
1953
A.S. Barnes & Co.
Turk Milli Oyunlarindian Orknekler
Conger, Mumtaz
1960
Halkin Sesi
Folk Dancing A Guide for Schools
Kraus, Richard
1967
Macmillan Company
Tillman, J.
1969
Goodyear Publishing Co.
$ Folk Music and Dances of Ireland
Breathnach, Breandan
1971
Ossian Pub. LTD
$ Mexican Folk Dance
Vicki Corona
1986
Earth Dance Int'l Pub.
Teaching Movement & Dance
Weikart, Phyllis S.
1989
$ Dancing through History
Cass, Joan
1993
Benjamin/ Cummings
Dance A While
Harris, Pittman, Waller
1994
(first published in 1950)
$ Steppin' on the Blues: The Visible
Malone, Jacqui
1996
Univ. of Illinois Pr
$ Folk Dances from France
Long, Susan
1997
Warner Brothers
$ Recreational Folk Dance
Anderson, Colleen Nelson
1998
Kendall/Hunt Publishing
$ Ancient Egyptian Dances
Lexova & Bergman
2000
Dover Pub.
$ Tibetan Sacred Dance: A Journey
Pearlman, Ellen
2002
Inner Traditions Intl. LTD
Washboard
Mexican conjuntos
Ballrooms