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

Browse Items (353 total)

  • Collection: Northern squares
Sound

Monadnock Muddle (clip) - Ralph Page

Ralph Page calling with music provided by Dick Richardson on fiddle, Junior Richardson on bass, and Johnny Trombley on piano, joined by Norm Smith on banjo. Released on Disc 363, the flip side of the… View item
Sound

Mountain Music Madness (clip) - Rod Linnell

The tune is "I Like Mountain Music," here adapted into a singing call. Recorded on the Apex label, #9-26431. The band is Don Messer's Islanders. In her notes to the dance in Square Dances from a… View item
Moving Image

My Little Girl - Adam Boyce

Traditional singing square dance, recorded in West Newbury, VT, on July 24, 2010. The caller and fiddler is Adam Boyce, accompanied by piano player Donna Weston. View item
Moving Image

My Little Girl - singing square - Gene Ward

Singing square dance called by Gene Ward; recorded at the Original Dulcimer Players Non-Electrical Funfest, Evart, Michigan, July 18-22, 1990. Ward, a caller from Durand, Michigan (near Flint), was… View item
Moving Image

My Little Girl - Tony Parkes

Tony Parkes calls the final square at the Dare To Be Square weekend held November 18-20, 2011, at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC. Musicians are Steve Hickman and Jim Morrison,… View item
Moving Image

Nellie Bly - Bob Livingston

Bob Livingston calls at the Killingly, CT, dance, a regular series he has been doing (second Saturdays) since 1988, although he reports that there have been dances there "forever." The musicians are… View item
Moving Image

Nellie Bly - George Hodgson

Veteran dance caller George Hodgson leads the classic singing square in this 2004 appearance at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend. Dancers at that event over the years became familiar with George's… View item
Moving Image

Nellie Bly - Ralph Sweet

Recorded at the February 2, 2004, at the Guiding Star Grange, Greenfield, MA, on the occasion of recording "Shindig in the Barn," an album of singing squares. Musicians are the Ralph Sweet All-Stars:… View item
Sound

Nellie Bly (clip) - Charlie Bardwell

Charlie Bardwell, caller, with Bardy's Orchestra, recorded in Putney, Vermont in the late 1970s by Steve Green. This website contains several other examples of this popular singing square. View item
Website

New England Fiddles

Caller William Chaisson calls the changes and Joe Cormier's fiddle leads the band in two quadrilles recorded at the French American Victory Club in Waltham, MA. The link takes you to a… View item
Document

New England Quadrilles and How To Call Them

This self-published booklet is a look at how to call traditional style New England dances. An accomplished dance caller himself, Dalsemer explains the basic structure of New England style dances,… View item
Moving Image

New England Squares workshop sampler

This is a sampler of the dances presented by Tony Parkes in his workshop on New England Squares, November 19, 2011. Each dance is presented in more detail, including many with walkthroughs, in other… View item