Editing Square dance (section)

===United Kingdom and Ireland===

==== Playford dances ====
Also called ''English country dances'', Playford-style dances originated from the dances published in John Playford's book ''The English Dancing Master''. Some of the square dances listed in the book, such as "Newcastle", have survived to the 21st century, and countless new dances have been written in the Playford style. These dances include a range of moves, from smooth, gentle steps to more energetic leaps.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-11-02|title=Country dancing Playford-style|url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/behind-the-scenes/blog/country-dancing-playford-style|access-date=2020-10-10|website=Royal Museums Greenwich|language=en}}</ref> They are supported by the [[English Folk Dance and Song Society]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=English Country Dance {{!}} Early Dance Circle|url=https://www.earlydancecircle.co.uk/resources/dance-through-history/english-country-dance/|access-date=2020-10-10|website=www.earlydancecircle.co.uk}}</ref>

==== Regional folk dances ====
Many traditional English regional folk dances are square dances that have survived into the 21st century. For instance, in both the Goathland square eight and the Cumberland square eight, which originated from different English villages, dancers perform a series of memorized moves in a square formation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Goathland Square Eight|url=https://barndances.org.uk/detail.php?Title=Goathland_Square_Eight&List=Formation&Value=Square|access-date=2020-10-10|website=barndances.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Cumberland Square Eight|url=https://barndances.org.uk/detail.php?Title=cumberland_square_eight|access-date=2020-10-10|website=barndances.org.uk}}</ref> Many of these dances are danced at folk or barn dances, along with other types of square dances including Playford dances; dances derived from the quadrille, such as "La Russe" published by H.D. Willock in the ''Manual of Dancing'' ({{Circa|1847}}); American traditional square dances; and countless new square dances written in the 20th and 21st centuries.

==== Ceili ====
{{Further|Ceili dance|Cèilidh}}
Irish ceili dances cover a wide range of formations, including many square dances. They are often performed at traditional Irish and Scottish social gatherings called ''cèilidhs''. Cèilidhs are also held in England, where the same squares may be done as at folk dances or barn dances but with more stepping, including skip steps, hop steps, polka steps, and rants.

==== Irish set dance ====
{{Further|Irish set dance}}
Irish set dance is a square dance with strong regional associations. The dance involves stepping, often with a flat-foot polka step. Unlike in traditional and modern western square dancing, where couples are designated as ''heads'' or ''sides'', couples in Irish set dances are either ''tops'' or ''sides''. It is traditional to have 4 couples dance together on the sides of a square.<ref>{{Citation |last=McGuire |first=Michael |title=Irish Set Dances - an introduction |url=https://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/583 |access-date=2024-10-06 |others=Michael McGuire}}</ref>

====Scottish country dance====
{{Further|Scottish country dance}}
Scottish country dances cover a wide range of formations, including many square dances. These dances, which are standardized by the [[Royal Scottish Country Dance Society]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=What is Scottish Country Dance & music? {{!}} Royal Scottish Country Dance Society|url=https://www.rscds.org/learn/what-scottish-country-dance-music|access-date=2020-10-11|website=www.rscds.org}}</ref> involve specific steps and formations that are performed in different sequences for different dances.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Learn the Quick start guide {{!}} Royal Scottish Country Dance Society|url=https://www.rscds.org/learn/steps-techniques/quick-start-guide|access-date=2020-10-11|website=www.rscds.org}}</ref>