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

Browse Items (1941 total)

Moving Image

The Lloyd Shaw Foundation in Action

This 1972 film describes the many activities of the Lloyd Shaw Foundation at that time. The movie was written and narrated by Don Armstrong, and produced and edited by Truett Myers. In addition to… View item
Sound

Don Armstrong - progressive squares

Don Armstrong calls a tip that moves dancers from one square to another. At the start of the clip, he alerts dances how this will be done and warns them that when they reach the outside of the hall… View item
Sound

Bell Bottom Trousers (clip) - Don Armstrong

View item
Sound

Trail of the Lonesome Pine (clip) - Don Armstrong

Armstrong took the figures from Ralph Page's "Gents and Corners" dance and set them to a popular tune, creating a well-known singing square. We've also included here a clip of Ted Sannella prompting… View item
Sound

Trail of the Lonesome Pine - Don & Marie Armstrong

Don and Marie Armstrong call Trail of the Lonesome Pine. Recorded live at the Downeast Western Square Dance Club in Kittery, Maine.A clip of Don's commercial recording of this dance can be found here,… View item
Sound

In My Adobe Hacienda - Don and Marie Armstrong

Recorded live, Don and Marie Armstrong call a singing square. The tune was recorded by such country artists as Hank Snow, Gene Autry, and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. View item
Moving Image

Square Dance - Dolores Heagy, 1986

Portion of a square dance called at Tod Whittemore's contra dance series at the VFW in Cambridge, MA. Tod introduced Dolores Heagy by saying how much he values having contra dancers become… View item
Document

Doc Alumbaugh - styling

Alumbaugh's "Styling Suggestion for Square Dancing" is a systematic approach to what he sees as the five components: • Poise • Bearing • Rhythm • Timing • Local Mannerisms The… View item
Document

Square Dance Lessons - Doc Alumbaugh

A series of photographs with text illustrating basic square dance figures. This set, incomplete at the moment, appeared in a Rochester, New York, newspaper in 1950; Alumbaugh led a series of… View item
Sound

Doc Alumbaugh speaking to Al Brundage, 1957

Doc Alumbaugh, based in southern California, was one of the first traveling callers. In 1950, he founded Windsor Records, which became one of the foremost square dance record labels. (In addition to… View item
Sound

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry (clip) - Doc Alumbaugh

This dance is based on a song that was made popular by the Andrews Sisters in 1949. A YouTube recording is available here. View item
Still Image

Square Dance attire

This is panel #21 of the set of Square Dance History panels created for the Square Dance Foundation of New England. It illustrates the various styles of clothing worn by modern western square dancers… View item