French Dances traditional

In 1834, the quadrille, a four-couple square party, became popular, along with the waltz and schottische. Particular dances for instance the Prairie Queen Quadrille together with Chicago Glide were introduced in the early 1900s. While these particular local dances have disappeared, the waltz and schottische were preserved and reintroduced by waves of European immigrants, including Germans, Poles, Norwegians, and Swedes, and remain danced at weddings, cultural gatherings, also area festivities. Various other people dances like the polka were delivered to the location by Polish immigrants but became popular at weddings and other parties even by non-Poles.

Chicago's two earth's fairs assisted market interest and knowing of ethnic folk dance and unique party. Ireland's Gaelic League's first United states screen of Irish party outfit happened at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

Beginning as soon as the 1920s, people party schools and programs had been set up both by cultural teams by those interested in maintaining or reviving older rural party. Katherine Dunham, who later won international fame on her behalf “Dunham approach, ” began her teaching profession with her “Negro Rhapsody” within Chicago Beaux Arts Ball in 1931.

Irish and Scottish immigrants established party schools through the 1920s on, usually in household basements. Some of those schools, including Trinity Irish Dance, have acquired international presence, others consistently serve a small local population and provide activity for celebrations, cultural programs, and family parties. The Chicago Ethnic Arts venture carried out because of the US Folklife Center in 1977 reported a multitude of folk and social dance in Chicago, from Korean party at the YMCA to Japanese classic and folk party, Darlene Blackburn's conventional African party troupe, Irish step dance and personal dancing, Lithuanian dance at Saturday schools, local United states powwow fancy dress outfits dancing, party classes in the Polish Women's Alliance, Danish dance, Yugoslav party, social dance at a blues club on the south-side, Jewish personal dance at a marriage, a “sweet sixteen” Puerto Rican dance party, and polka at Polonia Grove.