Many states of the United States have adopted official dances as one of their state symbols. The practice has extended to U.S. territories and Washington, D.C.
Starting in the 1970s, many states adopted square dance as their state dance, the result of a campaign by square dancers to make it the national dance.
Table
| State, district, or territory |
Dance | Year adopted | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Square dance | 1981 | |
| Arkansas | Square dance | 1991 | |
| California | West Coast Swing | 1988 | |
| Square dance (Official folk dance) | |||
| Colorado | Square dance | 1992 | |
| Connecticut | Square dance | 1995 | |
| Delaware | None (Maypole 2016–2017) | ||
| District of Columbia | Hand dancing | 1999 | |
| Georgia | Square dance | 1996 | |
| Hawaii | Hula | 1999 | |
| Idaho | Square dance | 1989 | |
| Illinois | Square dance | 1990 | |
| Kentucky | Clogging | 2006 | |
| Louisiana | Square dance | 1999 | |
| Maryland | Square dance | 1994 | |
| Massachusetts | Square dance | 1990 | |
| Minnesota | None (Square dance was proposed in 1992 and 1994) | ||
| Mississippi | Square dance | 1995 | |
| Missouri | Square dance | 1995 | |
| Nebraska | Square dance | 1997 | |
| New Jersey | Square dance (Official folk dance) | 1983 | |
| North Carolina | Clogging (Official folk dance) | 2005 | |
| Carolina shag (Official popular dance) | |||
| North Dakota | Square dance | 1995 | |
| Oklahoma | Square dance | 1988 | |
| Oregon | Square dance | 1977 | |
| South Carolina | The Shag | 1984 | |
| Square dance (State American Folk Dance) | 1994 | ||
| Richardson waltz (State waltz) | 2000 | ||
| Tennessee | Square dance | 1980 | |
| Texas | Square dance | 1994 | |
| Utah | Square dance | 1994 | |
| Virginia | Square dance | 2011 | |
| Washington | Square dance | 1979 | |
| Wisconsin | Polka | 1993 |
See also
External links
- "The State Folk Dance Conspiracy: Fabricating a National Folk Dance", originally published in Old-Time Herald, v.4(7) pp. 9–12, Spring 1995. The State Folk Dance Conspiracy: Fabricating a National Folk Dance Accessed 8 Dec 2017
