The only difficult yet fun part is developing group cooperation. Unlike most modern dances, traditional dances are not based on individual effort alone. Although regional variations may exist, many of these dances have remained unchanged for generations. If a time traveler from the 1840s were to appear, he or she would have no trouble joining in. Though our clothes and electric lights would no doubt be strange to them, the dances would be familiar.
Traditional dancing is different from square dancing's modern image.
It doesn't require fancy short skirts with layers of petticoats for women or cowboy boots and Western shirts for the men. Nor does it require quick feet on the dance floor. Many dances were slower paced because women's long dresses and corsets as well as mens' waistcoats restricted movement. Barn dances were once a place for all ages and sectors of society to gather and mingle. Rich and poor, town and country, would come together for an evening of socializing and entertainment.