1. The Round Dance Paradigm

This introductory chapter is the first of three sections exploring the context of the research of rotating couple dances or round dances. It gives the reader a brief survey of round dances as dance structures and forms while establishing the terminology that the other essays in the book will use. It situates the subject of these studies in its historical, social and geographical context. Finally, it describes the main dance types of the round dance paradigm, providing an overview of the dances featured in the essays.