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Abarn dance is any kind ofdance involving traditional orfolk music withtraditional dancing, occasionally held in abarn, but, these days, much more likely to be in any suitable building.
The term “barn dance” is usually associated with family-oriented or community-oriented events, usually for people who do not normally dance. Thecaller will, therefore, generally use easy dances so that everyone can join in.
A barn dance can be aceilidh, with traditionalIrish orScottish dancing, and people unfamiliar with either format often confuse the two terms. However, a barn dance can also featuresquare dancing,contra dancing,English country dance, dancing tocountry and western music, or any other kind of dancing, often with a live band and acaller.Modern western square dance is often confused with barn dancing in Britain.
Barn dances, as social dances, were popular in Ireland until the 1950s, and were typically danced to tunes with4
4 rhythms.[1]
WLS in Chicago is credited with developing the “barn dance” radio format, which was in large part responsible for the advent ofcountry music in the United States. TheNational Barn Dance began as a program of old-time fiddling on April 19, 1924, withGeorge D. Hay as the show's host and announcer. A year-and-a-half later, Hay moved toNashville, Tennessee and brought in an old-time fiddler to launch theWSM Barn Dance; this show is now known as theGrand Ole Opry and remains on the air to this day. Dozens of similar programs cropped up onAM radio stations all across the United States, from New England to Los Angeles, including theWWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia (1933), theRenfro Valley Barn Dance in Kentucky (1939), theLouisiana Hayride (1948),the Tennessee Jamboree (1953) andOzark Jubilee (1954). Television adaptations (often under the guise of earlyvariety shows) were popular in the 1950s and early 1960s but eventually faded out of style.