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. [1]
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. [2]
State, district, or territory | Dance | Year adopted | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Square dance | 1981 | [3] |
Arkansas | Square dance | 1991 | [4] |
California | West Coast Swing | 1988 | [5] [6] |
Square dance (Official folk dance) | |||
Colorado | Square dance | 1992 | [7] |
Connecticut | Square dance | 1995 | [8] |
Delaware | None (Maypole proposed in 2016–2017 legislative session) | [9] [10] | |
District of Columbia | Hand dancing | 1999 | [11] |
Georgia | Square dance | 1996 | [12] |
Hawaii | Hula | 1999 | [13] |
Idaho | Square dance | 1989 | [14] |
Illinois | Square dance | 1990 | [15] |
Kentucky | Clogging | 2006 | [16] |
Louisiana | Square dance | 1999 | [17] |
Maryland | Square dance | 1994 | [18] |
Massachusetts | Square dance | 1990 | [19] [20] |
Minnesota | None (Square dance was proposed in 1992 and 1994) | [21] | |
Mississippi | Square dance | 1995 | [22] |
Missouri | Square dance | 1995 | [23] |
Nebraska | Square dance | 1997 | [24] |
New Jersey | Square dance (Official folk dance) | 1983 | [25] |
North Carolina | Clogging (Official folk dance) | 2005 | [26] |
Carolina shag (Official popular dance) | |||
North Dakota | Square dance | 1995 | [27] |
Oklahoma | Square dance | 1988 | [28] |
Oregon | Square dance | 1977 | [29] |
South Carolina | Square dance (State American Folk Dance) | 1994 | [30] |
Richardson waltz (State waltz) | 2000 | [31] | |
The Shag | 1984 | [32] | |
Tennessee | Square dance | 1980 | [33] |
Texas | Square dance | 1994 | [34] |
Utah | Square dance | 1994 | [35] |
Virginia | Square dance | 2011 | [36] |
Washington | Square dance | 1979 | [37] |
Wisconsin | Polka | 1993 | [38] |
The flags of the U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Modern U.S. state flags date from the turn of the 20th century, when states considered distinctive symbols for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Most U.S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I.