About the 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 are few current sources that offer a detailed discussion of the development of this form of American social dance. We hope this site helps to fill that need.
Document
Hillbillies Win in New York (Billboard, 1944)
To read a copy of the full story, see Additional Files below.This 1944 news story, written in the usual flashy style ofBillboard magazine, documents a surge of interest in "hillbilly music" in New… View itemSound
Birdie in the Cage (backup)
Items on the internet don't always live there forever. In case the website for the Radiolab show Birdie in the Cage doesn't remain, we've uploaded the transcription here. You'll find a link to the… View itemWebsite
Birdie in the Cage - Radiolab
RadioLab, a podcast and popular show on public radio, turned its attention to the world of square dance. This 45 minute program looks at a wide range of topics and includes interviews with Phil… View itemWebsite
Missouri Traditional Dance
This attractive and informative website explores Missouri music and dance traditions. It opens with an introduction to the subject, includes information on throwing a square dance, and is divided into… View itemSound
Glenville, WV Square Dances called by Mack Samples
The dances (with instruction) are: Butterfly Whirl First Boy to the Right Grapevine Twist Take a Little Peek Texas Star_Take a Little PeekBob Dalsemer writes: "These recordings were made on May… View itemDocument
Cape Breton Caller Interviews
Jørn Borggreen is author ofRight to the Helm, a detailed study of Cape Breton square sets as observed in 14 communities. The book, now in its 4th edition, provides documentation of the figures for… View itemSound
Cumberland Square Dance - Frank Kaltman
Editor's note: We have classified this as Northern / New England but in reality the dance is a traditional English square.Tony Parkes comments: The dance is Cumberland Square. The caller is Frank… View itemDocument
Bill McAdoo - notes on the recordings
These are Bob Dalsemer's notes about the Bill McAdoo field recordings in the Related Item. In addition to transcriptions of McAdoo's calls, Dalsemer notes variations in the dances, describes… View itemSound
Bill McAdoo – Independence, PA – 1979
These are recordings of caller Bill McAdoo at the Independence, PA dance in 1979. Bob Dalsemer writes, "Most are from 4/21/1979 and a few from 9/8/1979. I always thought Bill was one of the best of… View itemWebsite
Ed Thrall and the Story of His Most Contentious Hall
Thrall Hall in East Windsor is a lot of things. By most accounts, it's a fascinating example of vernacular or folk architecture, a 70' x 100' facility with a floor resting on tires that could be… View itemDocument
Three Styles of Squares - 1951
This 1951 article describes a large and successful square dance festival in Chicago. View itemWebsite