This overview of folk dancing in the United States showcases an important historical movement and explains how folk dance communities evolved to fulfill the needs of specific groups of people over time.• Presents information based upon hundreds of candid interviews and informal conversations with folk dancers across the country• Provides a timeline of dance trends in North America as related to the folk dance movement• Features diagrams of dance formations such as square dance, quadrilles, and contra dance as well as illustrations showing dance positions and community dance events from pre-20th century sources• Presents original photographs and images collected from interviewees to illustrate different facets of recreational dance communities• Contains a bibliography of resources that covers a broad scope of folk dance history as well as specific recreational communities • Includes a glossary of commonly used folk dance terms