About
Square Dance History Project
Square dancing has been an integral part of American social life for centuries. Traditional square dance was vital for generations of Americans, especially in rural communities; in the post-World War II era, modern square dance similarly enjoyed participants numbering in the millions.
Despite its popularity, the history of square dance has not been well documented. Scores of books explain specific figures and calls, but there is no current source that offers a detailed discussion of the development of this form of American social dance. We hope this site helps to fill that need.
Featured Items
Princess Elizabeth square dancing - 1951
This photograph of then Princess Elizabeth square dancing took place during a visit to Canada in 1951. The press coverage helped spur the rapid growth of square dancing in that… ...more
Soco Gap Dancers
Photograph of the Soco Gap Dancers, North Carolina ...more
Old Folks' Frolic
This is a photograph from a news story in the St. Petersburg (Florida) Times of April 7, 1942. Caption: "These lively square dancers and other oldsters performing yesterday brought a… ...more
Golden State Round Up 1964
Grand march at the Golden State Round Up, Oakland, CA, 1964. Each row is 4 squares, and there are about 50 rows That's 200 squares, or 1600 dancers. The event featured live music, with an 11… ...more
Charley Thomas selling records
Founder of ...more
Doonesbury - square dance
...in which Zonker, a character in Garry Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury, presents a common view of one social activity... This "Doonesbury Flashback" appeared March 20, 2012, a reprint… ...more
Cheyenne Mountain Dancers in DC (thumbnail)
This is a smaller version of the photograph. If you want a significantly larger file that can show faces clearly, click here. ...more
Schlitz beer ad, 1950
Full page ad for Schlitz beer that appeared in Newsweek magazine, August 21, 1950, attesting to the popularity of square dance in popular culture. Modern Western square dancers were not… ...more
Featured Exhibit
Dare To Be Square Weekend 2011, Brasstown, NC
The November 18-20, 2011 Dare To Be Square Weekend at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC featured six nationally known callers: Bob Dalsemer, Larry Edelman, Phil Jamison, Bill Litchman, Jim Mayo, and Tony Parkes representing a wide range of traditional and modern square dance styles. The weekend was co-sponsored by The Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) and was documented on video by David Millstone and John-Michael Seng-Wheeler. This exhibit gathers together the video footage
...more
Recent Items
Square Dance in Japan - organization
The Lancers - Ralph Page's historical notes
Green Mountain Land - Vermont square, 1950
Barn Owls square dance club
• Program for 3rd anniversary dance, 1954, including club roster
• Invitation to 5th anniversary party
• invitation for… ...more