Gay square dance is square dance as it is generally danced in the Gay and Lesbian community. The first gay and lesbian square dance clubs formed in the mid-to-late 1970s in the USA. There are currently about eighty gay square dance clubs worldwide.
Gay square dance is typically open to all square dancers, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, ethnic background, or sexual orientation. The dancing is generally modern Western square dancing, as it is practiced throughout the world, standardized by Callerlab, the International Association of Square Dance Callers, and as generally practiced by clubs belonging to the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs (IAGSDC), the umbrella organization for gay square dance clubs.
In addition to gay modern Western square dance clubs, there are gay and lesbian clubs for other dance forms, both square dance and non-square dance forms, including "traditional" and exhibition-style square dancing.
This article focuses on gay modern Western square dancing, and it is understood to be the same as gay square dancing within this article.
Read more about Gay Square Dance: Differences From Other Clubs, History of Gay Square Dancing, Organizations
Famous quotes containing the words gay, square and/or dance:
“But who can paint
Like Nature? Can imagination boast
Amid its gay creation, hues like hers?”
—James Thomson (1700–1748)
“The square dance fiddler’s first concern is to carry a tune, but he must carry it loud enough to be heard over the noise of stamping feet, the cries of the “caller,” and the shouts of the dancers. When he fiddles, he “fiddles all over”; feet, hands, knees, head, and eyes are all busy.”
—State of Oklahoma, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Come to me, Jenny, let’s dance a bit tonight,
The long small tremor’s at my back again....”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)