While searching for something else, I ran across this summary of Antidance Literature at the Library of Congress site. It contains lots of links to the texts of anti-dance religious tracts (or should that be "contra-dance"?), as well as some defenses of dancing, and some articles on the regulation of dance-halls.

This brings back memories. As a kid, I knew other kids, even some of my own relatives, who belonged to churches that prohibited dancing. I have not encountered that sort of thing in recent years, but maybe that's because I now live in a different and more liberal part of the country.

Although there are famous controversies about prayer in public schools, and about teaching evolution, and there is an occasional outcry about obscene or violent lyrics, I never hear anything any more from that sector about dancing per se. Why is that?

I wonder if the kind of dancing that kids do now is actually less objectionable to religious conservatives than the old ballroom dancing--because couples nowadays rarely touch each other, it seems. Or is it just because the religious conservatives believe they have bigger fish to fry nowadays?

I'd be interested in hearing other people's stories from personal experience. Are there still denominations that ban dancing? Anybody here formerly or currently belong to one? Anyone heard of any recent controversies about dancing?