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"
Document

'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
Document

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
Moving Image

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
Moving Image

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
Sound

Cut Off Six - Tiny Clark

Recorded in the early 1940s; music by Mr. and Mrs. Siller. Compare the calls for this dance with others in the collection doing the same figures. The liner notes to his album on Asch Records 344… View item
Still Image

Ed Durlacher - Central Park, photos

Photographs documenting Ed Durlacher's series of dances in Central Park, New York City. These date from August, 1946. View item
Still Image

Ed Durlacher (photos)

Two photos of New York caller Ed Durlacher, one showing him in regular clothing behind the microphone and one where he's in full dance caller regalia. Both photos are from newspaper files; one is… View item
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 item
Document

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
Still Image

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
Document

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
Still Image

Square Dance with Soul

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