Jim has been a master teacher, and has taught hundreds of thousands of people to square dance. You too can quickly learn the basics of how to square dance by listening to Jim's two free teaching tracks (top right), referring to the extra instructions, pictures, and brief video clips below if you need more information.

Once you've mastered these basic steps, there's plenty more advanced square dancing resources waiting for you in Jim's Singles Catalogue, Jim's Square Dancing CD Rom, and Jim's Shop. We support Rotary International's efforts to immunise kids from polio in third world countries, and your purchases from this site help us provde this support.

So, let's get started with learning to square dance:

Here Are The Basic Steps Taught on Teaching Track #1

THE SQUARE: Each square dance set is made up of 4 couples, who stand side by side in pairs in a square shape - see picture. Each man has a lady on his right who is called his 'partner'. Each man will also have a lady on his left - she is called his 'corner', sometimes also referred to as his 'left-hand lady'. The set should be big enough so that all dancers can join hands to form a ring. Each man's starting position in the set is called his 'home' - he always returns to his 'home' position. Ladies have no 'home' position - they always go with the man to his 'home' position.

THE SASHAY: To sashay around your 'Partner', the man moves to the right, the lady to the left, passing right shoulder to right shoulder, walking around each other once, returning to their starting position. To sashay around your 'Corner', the man moves to the left, lady to the right, passing left shoulder to left shoulder, walking each other once, returning to their starting position.

Here Are Extra Basic Steps Taught on Teaching Track #2

THE ALLEMANDE LEFT, and RIGHT & LEFT GRAND

This move is really two steps. The first step is an ALLEMANDE LEFT - see picture. The man turns to his left, the lady to her right - that is, 'Corners' face each other. The lady & man put up their left hands, as though making a stop sign in a car. The two left hands are then joined. Left elbows are together shoulder high, keeping the arms braced. This step is also called a LEFT HAND SWING.

The second step is a RIGHT & LEFT GRAND - pictured. The man walks around his Corner, and gives extends his right hand in the handshake position to his 'Partner'. He pulls his 'Partner' straight through (so that you pass right shoulder to right shoulder), and gives his left hand (again in handshake position) to the next lady around the ring (her left hand, too). He then pulls this lady through (passing left shoulder to left shoulder) and gives his right hand in handshake position to the next lady. He pulls that one through and then gives his left hand in handshake position to next girl. So now he pulls through the lady you have by the left hand and take the next one (your 'Partner') by the right hand.

THE TWIRL: Although optional, its nice to finish this step with a Twirl - pictured. The man raises her hand above her head and give her a right hand a twirl. That is, as you meet her take her right hand, raise it above her head, twirling the lady clockwise one turn. Then the man promenades his partner back to his home position.

THE CHAIN: Ladies (or men) chain across the ring by putting their right hands out to each other, and pull each other across the set, right shoulder to right shoulder.

RIGHT HAND STAR: Four Men (or ladies) put their right hands into the middle of the set with their wrist on the wrist of the person in front of them, and circle The Star in a clockwise direction. For a LEFT HAND STAR, put left hands into the middle and circle THE STAR anti-clockwise.

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Instructions on many more basic and advanced square dance steps are demonstrated using photo illustrations in Jim's classic square dancing teaching aid "The Australian Standard Square Dance". This manual is now available for purchase and immediate download in Pdf format on the right hand bar of this page.

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