Survey: Did you have to learn square dancing in gym class?

[Caveat Emptor]

New York, and it was a requirement every year in highschool gym (1988-1992). We were told it was either that or ballroom. I think the tape they used was almost as old as I am.

[protege]

Ugh. I had that crap when I was in elementary school. 6-8th grade...which would have been from 1987-90.

[bookworm]

Oklahoma, and not only did we learn square dancing, but also the Charleston and several other different dances. If I remember correctly, we had one week of dance per year for 4 years or so.

I'm not very athletic, so I enjoyed that more than having to do sports. (I still have nightmares about hurdling.)

[Eric the Grey]

Yes, and I... don't want to talk about it.

I will say that it was either CA or CO where I learned it. I think it was here in CO thought.



Eric the Grey

[Jester]

Absolutely not, and I went to school in three different states!

Grade school (1976-1982): New York. No square dancing.
Junior high and high school (1982-1987): New Jersey, the subject of the OP. No square dancing there, either.
High school (1987-1988): Arizona. You would think so. You would be wrong. No square dancing there, either.

Now, admittedly, there is the possibility that my family's moving around caused me to miss the square dancing classes in one or more of my states. After all, I did have to read Ethan Frome twice in high school. Going to 3 high schools in 2 states can cause such idiocies. (By the way, I despised Ethan Frome. Stupid fucking book. Edith Wharton can suck my balls.)

Now, I COULD be wrong. I have some vague memory of learning square dancing somewhere for some reason. It might have been in school, though I doubt it was in gym class. But of course, I have recently been discovering that my memory is pretty much crap, so I could be completely wrong about everything I said above.

Except Ethan Frome sucking ass. There's no way I could forget how much that book stunk.

[pssorens]

We spent some time in learning square dancing in early to mid elementary school in NE Montana. Most of us also learned traditional Danish Folk Dancing at the church summer camp.

[HYHYBT]

Yup, square dancing and some related stuff in 5th, 7th, and 8th grades (1985, 7, and 8). Almost the only part of PE I ever liked.

[Sheldonrs]

Also originally from NJ here. Also had to take the Square Dancing classes up until around 4th grade. Never knew it was the state dance. I thought that was the DTs.

[sarasquirrel]

Connecticut

i dont ever remember having to learn any dance in gym class

[draftermatt]

Maryland here. I remember doing line dancing (to the Boot Scootin' Boogie) in elementary school (89-95). But no square dancing.

In middle school (6th-8th grade 95-98) when the boys were in wrestling the girls did aerobic dance, which may have had square dancing, I'll have to ask my wife.

[Crossbow]

New York, and I had to learn it in elementary school, but not in gym.

[PsychoTeddyAppear]

I'm from Kentucky and we had to learn it I kinda liked it but I was an odd kid

[Magpie]

1. Wisconsin.

2. Nope. Line dancing. I was subjected to the Boot Scootin' Boogie.

Substitute Ontario for Wisconsin and that's me. Does this mean I win the thread too?

I object to the fact that they don't teach more useful dancing. I never danced a called dance until I was an adult, and I still can't do a box step. We got told to open the dancing at our wedding, but it involved more us shuffling around like teenagers.

[Sedorna]

Maryland, and yes. And I enjoyed it very much.

I also took Square Dancing in college, and I enjoyed it then, too.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I went to school in BC (Canada) and I remember having to square dance in gym class.

I don't know if it was because of the province or because the local area is mainly a farming community.