Throwing a Square Dance
What do you need to have a square dance?
Short answer: a hall, some musicians, a caller (or callers), a willing bunch of dancers, and a sense of humor. More than likely your caller will be willing to help you work out any logistical details.
There are two approaches to the calling for a square dance. The caller, the person who’s telling the dancers what to do next, can either be calling for a room full of dancers, from the front or the middle of the hall, or the caller may be within the square, dancing with the others in the set. If all the dancers at your dance are beginners, it may be best to have a single, experienced caller for the whole room; when there are experienced dancers sprinkled in, calling in the set may be easier.
If there will be three squares or less (24 people), and the hall has reasonable acoustics, you likely won’t need a sound system for music, though the caller may need a mike if you’re using a single caller. If you’re outside, or have more than three squares, you’ll nearly always need a sound system. If you do, ask the musicians; it’s likely someone has one or knows a way to get one on the cheap.
If you’re feeling fancy, add snacks, coffee and water and lemonade, and ice in the summer. Dancing is thirsty, and hungry, work.