squaredance

Title: Buffalo Gals

Now, this is a 'square dance'! The four couple you can see [including the hand] are in a circle, doing a 'grand right and left', where the men go in one direction around the 'square' of four couples and the women the other, given each other alternatively their right and left hand as they pass in the opposite direction [see the arm and hand directly at the back of the photo]. This is probably as the dancers have been around the circle and met their partners, where they would 'swing'.

Definitely before McDonald's.

this is awesome. they all look rather drear and unhappy though

People were very poor. Food was in short supply. You don't get fat on poke salad, corn pone and pinto beans.

Square dance?!? Looks more like Balboa (wikipedia.org):

"Balboa is a form of swing dance that started as early as 1915 and gained in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. It is danced primarily in close embrace, and is led with a full body connection... The dancers stand close, touching from hip to upper chest... The man's right front torso (rib cage) touches the woman's center front torso (rib cage)."

That's not how I learned to square dance! I would have to agree with WaiferX on this one.

Could be balboa, or another early dance like the Peabody. Given the year given (and the clothing seems to agree), I'd have to say balboa or a derivative. A square dance is sometimes a "called" dance, so it could be truly a square dance where they called a move that just happens to look like balboa. Lots of possibilities.

Could be at what folks called a 'square dance', where there were some 'called' square dances [Honolulu Baby, Just Because, Red River Gal, etc.] and also quite a few waltzes, foxtrots, polkas, interspersed.

great pic!

the host must have been a dancing fool......

An orchestra of two. How minimalist.

Looks like it is quite literally "wall paper."

Title: The accused Is this a joyful occasion? Seems pretty tense to me!

The 'host' might also be the 'caller' the one who cued the dancers to the next steps [swing your partner, do-si-do, allamende left, grand right and left, etc.]