But it would become very popular among many different groups and classes of people. Donen gets a little comedy out of the incongruity of London sophisticates square dancing in evening clothes and ball gowns, but everyone in his film looks as if they are having an unironical good time. The kids at my Michigan school were also taught to square dance in the early 1960's. It was a regular part of our gym classes, one I looked forward to immensely. We were given very elaborate lessons, and taught to execute many intricate maneuvers.
Square dancing is easy and fun, and everyone can do it well.
I was also fascinated by the mathematical permutations possible in the dance sequences. The dance numbers in Lost Canyon are set to American folk songs. Folk singing too would become a huge national craze by the 1960's, with the popular TV show Hootenanny among others. We were regularly taught folk songs in school, including many of the numbers in Lost Canyon . 1945 Westerns, both over the titles and as part of dance sequences.