By Antonia Woodford

As a rendition of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” wound to a close, a little barefoot girl in pink jumped up and down in the grass, her face radiant with glee. “We’re dancing!” she crowed, bouncing in the air, beaming. “We’re dancing!”

Riverdalians of all ages, from toddlers to grandparents, cast off their shoes and square-danced to the tunes of a live bluegrass band on July 8, as part of the “Barefoot Dancing” series in Van Cortlandt Park.

That breezy evening, 167 people flocked to the lawn of Van Cortlandt Mansion to dance, picnic, and mingle with family and friends.

As the band, James Reams & The Barnstormers, played folk favorites — audience requests included “This Land is Your Land” and “Kentucky River” — participants learned to square dance, stepping, whirling, promenading, and clapping hands with their partners. Some mothers danced with babies in their arms; young children, teenagers, and elderly couples all joined in.

The old-time music proved popular among both adults and youngsters. “I’m from West Virginia, so this music is where I’m from,” said Barbara Cash, a teacher at the Riverdale daycare center, The Playroom, who brought her daughter and a few students.

Lorelai Mejia, 8, had never squaredanced before. “It was kind of cool, kind of great,” she said, grinning. “It makes me get more history to learn something from the past.”

The event was the second of five barefoot dances this summer, scheduled Thursday evenings in July from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Next week’s “Balkan Dance” will feature the brass band Zlatne Uste, followed by an “Israeli Dance” on July 22 and a “Colonial Country Dance” on July 29 to wrap up the series.

Admission is free and visitors should enter Van Cortlandt Park at Broadway and West 246th Street.

“There are so many free cultural events in New York, but with small children it’s hard to get out to a lot of them,” said Elizabeth Wilson, who came to the dance with her kids, ages 6 and 18 months. “That this is so close to home and so accessible [to all ages] is fantastic,” she added. “It’s super fun for both the kids and the grown-ups.”

This is the fourth year of Barefoot Dancing in the park, Van Cortlandt Park Administrator Margot Perron, who runs the program, said. It is a revival of a similar program that was staged at Wave Hill in the past and is sponsored by the Horace Mann, Riverdale, and Fieldston schools. “Time immemorial, this is the way people celebrate,” Ms. Perron said.