Cecil Sharp and the Origins of Square Dancing

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Cecil Sharp and the Origins of Square Dancing

In the early 20th century, Cecil Sharp, an English ballad collector, traveled through the Appalachian Mountains documenting folk songs.
He discovered people performing square dances that blended elements of French, Scots-Irish, and English country dances.
Sharp, believing that Appalachian residents preserved pure Anglo-Saxon heritage, assumed this dance represented that heritage.
This notion, though flawed due to its disregard for the diverse population of the region, contributed to the idea of square dancing as quintessentially American and led to its inclusion in school curricula.

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