Editing Modern Western square dance (section)

== Learning modern western square dance ==

Dancers learn the individual calls at sponsored [[square dance club]]s classes, taught by square dance callers. Clubs also sponsor special social and dance evenings, as well as open square dances.

The individual calls are categorized as belonging to a particular dance program, or level of difficulty. Each dance program has a [[Square dance program|list of defined dance steps]], which is associated with it.  These lists of dance steps are managed, and universally recognized.

[[Callerlab]], the International Association of Square Dance Callers, the largest international square dance association, manages the most universally accepted and recognized lists.  There are four main levels, some of which are divided into sublevels: Mainstream, Plus, Advanced (2 sublevels), and Challenge (5 sublevels, the top two levels of which are not managed).  In general, the first three levels are more physically active than the challenge level (often referred to as [[challenge square dance]]).  Challenge square dance is more cerebral, and focuses on problem solving.

At the basic square dance levels, the dancer is introduced to many square dance calls.  A few of the most fundamental and well-known calls are "[[do-si-do]]", "[[Promenade (dance move)|promenade]]", and "[[right and left grand]]".  Among other things, the dancer is additionally trained to move smoothly and rhythmically, to appreciate timing, to execute the steps from many different positions and in many different formations, and to cooperate effectively with the others in their square so that they get the most out of their dance experience.

Starting at the advanced level, the square dancer is introduced to square dance concepts, an addition to a call which modifies it in some way. Concepts often generalize more basic notions of square dancing and are an important aspect of [[challenge square dance]].