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

Browse Items (502 total)

  • Collection: MWSD
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Les Gotcher's Text Book for Square Dance Callers

One of the leading callers in promoting the use of sight calling, Les Gotcher went his own way as modern square dance developed. Frequently described as "The Hash Master," Gotcher was not part of the… View item
Website

Les Gotcher recordings

Les Gotcher, the self-described Hashmaster, was a prominent figure in the development of modern square dance. (See various entries about him here on the Square Dance History Project or his entry in… View item
Sound

Les Gotcher - caller talk, 1962

Talk given by Les Gotcher to Tri-State Callers Association (New England) in March of 1962. Les emphasizes the importance of callers understanding the action of each call and describes early forms of… View item
Website

Miami Valley Dance Council archives - Ohio

This archive contains records of clubs in the Dayton, Ohio, area as well as the regional dance council. The Miami Valley Dance Council was formed in 1955, with representatives from 15 dance clubs. A… View item
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Shredded Hash - Lloyd and Myrtis Litman

Several years after the 1962 publication of Instant Hash by Lloyd Litman and Rickey Holden, Shredded Hash was created by Litman and his wife, Myrtis. An unusual aid for callers seeking choreographic… View item
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Roughness and Speed - Lloyd Shaw

Fast tempos were apparently much on the mind of the editor of Balance & Swing magazine. After putting a front-page essay on the subject in one issue, the very next issue carried this piece by… View item
Document

Lloyd Shaw Christmas Letter

Lloyd and Dorothy Shaw sent out a post-Christmas letter to members of their "Square Dance Fellowship," participants in the summer institutes and others whom they met. The poetic language… View item
Moving Image

Duluth Stomp

Square dance figure originally created by Lloyd Yesberger (Duluth, MN) and published in Sets in Order, March, 1953. Caller Jim Saxe took the dance and modified it, keeping the key figure, the series… View item
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Duluth Stomp (original choreo)

Original description of Duluth Stomp View item
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International Square and Round Dance Convention

The International Square and Round Dance Convention is a unique cooperative event. 2014 was the 54th and last year that this convention was put on by callers and dancers from the plains states and… View item
Still Image

Some Practical Considerations

This short essay was part of Square and Round Dance, Calls and Explanations, a bookled created by MacGregor Records and distributed along with some of the albums of square dance recordings. We've been… View item
Document

Brussels World's Fair - 1958

This article describes the square dance presence at the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels. View item