CCD3 Contra Dance Basics Ch 3 - Four Dancers or Hands 4

The question about the "right" star version is in fact a querstion of age ! The "hands-across star" is the older form, used in 17th-century dances; the "square pattern" is the modern American form. Please search here at YouTube after "The Indian Queen", a well-known contra from 1701, and You see the evidence....and as last figure of the dance the oldest recording of the square-dance basic figure "Square Thru Three Hands" !

In the Northeast,,the default for a star is the square pattern. The form shown in this video is called a "hands-across" star and would be specifically called that way.

Thanks for the comment. I guess default is the better terminology. At CCD and locally the default seems to be as shown in our video, however, we are occassionally asked by our Callers to do a square pattern. Both patterns are known and used. Regionally (down here) is seems that "hands across" is the understood star pattern and "square" is the star pattern used when specifically called for by the Caller. Regional differences do make it interesting when you dance in different communities.

At the contra dance in our club I want to think a star involved everyone holding each other's wrists with their left hand, making a kind of a "square" pattern. I live in VT...are there regional variations on the star move, or am I just mixed up? (I've only gone to one dance so far, so I may just be wrong.)

You're right. I dance near Washington DC and we do it both ways--but I've been to dances in other states where they only do one of the star styles.