The Virginia Reel

Remember Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" story of the time when Grandma out-danced Uncle George and made delicious maple syrup treats for all the relatives? The chapter titled "Dance at Grandpa's" in Little House in the Big Woods describes a memorable night of "sugaring off" and dancing at young Laura's grandparents' house in Wisconsin. Long before dances like the Harlem Shake or Gangnam Style came to be, square dancing was a popular way to spend an evening with family and friends.

Have you ever done square dancing or danced the Virginia Reel? If not, let me tell you that you are missing out on an old-time pleasure that never should have gone out of style. A good old-fashioned barn dance night is great fun and requires no previous dance experience. All you need is a group of friends, some toe-tapping fiddle music, and a tutorial video or two. In this modern day and age, you can find all but one of those on the internet! (Well, I suppose you could find all of them online, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it...) Try songs such as "Turkey in the Straw", "Buffalo Gals", and "Arkansas Traveler."

This video shows one common version of the Virginia Reel. You can also read about the Virginia Reel on the Wikipedia page, which describes each section of the dance.

Thanks for reading this post on Little House Club Online. Until next time, happy dancing! 

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Elizabeth

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