Square Dance History Project
The rich story of North American square dance finally has a home in the digital age.

Browse Items (17 total)

  • Spatial Coverage is exactly "USA, New York, New York"
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'Sophisticated' City Folks Are Getting Rural Rhythm

Newspaper story (1946) datelined New York that describes the post-WWII enthusiasm about square dancing: ---lt's hep these days to be a square—a square dancer, that is. Folks from 7 to 70 are… View item
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Big Set - Berea Country Dancers, 2011

The Berea Country Dancers perform a version of the southern mountain Big Set. (Searching for that term will bring up several dozen additional Related Items.) Paul Adkins called the dance from the… View item
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The Old Square Dance Is Back Again

This is the sheet music for the song recorded by Carolina Cotton and Fenton "Jonesy" Jones. The dance begins with a "Rebel Yell" and is supposed to be played "Brightly, with Hill Billy swing." The… View item
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Square Dance with Soul

See the accompanying booklet for the text that was included with this record, released by Folkways in 1969. View item
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Square Dance with Soul, booklet

Liner notes and dance descriptions, the booklet that came with the LP recording View item
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Square Dancing in the Park

Short article describing the start of Ed Durlacher's program of teaching square dancing in Riverside Park in New York City. The Additional File ("Youth and the Squares") will provide a… View item
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Washington Square Dance

The song by Irving Berlin comes from Call Me Madam, a 1950 production. The plot of the musical is, according to a London review, "nonsensical fluff," concerning a Washington society matron appointed… View item
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To Hear Your Banjo Play - 1947
 with Pete Seeger and Margot Mayo's American Square Dance Group

Filmed in 1947 with Pete Seeger as the host, this show explores the banjo in particular, including plenty of attention to American traditional music and dance. Starting at 12:05, the film includes the… View item
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Promenade (Margot Mayo)

Margot Mayo was the leader of the American Square Dance Group, based in New York City.Promenade, the group's monthly magazine, was subtitledA Magazine of American Folk Lore, hinting that the coverage… View item
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Piute Pete - Village Barn

Piute Pete called squares regularly at the Village Barn in New York City. This newspaper columnist took a less-than-enthusiastic view of the proceedings. The SDHP collection has numerous items… View item
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Let's Square Dance! - Richard Kraus

This series of five albums was recorded in 1956 featuring the calling of Richard Kraus, a caller and professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. This item serves as a general introduction to… View item
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Let's Square Dance! - instruction booklet - Richard Kraus

This a sample instruction booklet from Album 3 in the "Let's Square Dance!" series, aimed at ages 12-14, Grades 7-8. View item