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

Browse Items (1933 total)

Moving Image

Southern Highlanders – square dance, 1947

This dance sequence is an excerpt from the film "Southern Highlanders," 1947, created as part of Form Motor Company's "America at Home" series. The film was directed by Lawrence Madison. The full… View item
Website

Southside Squares and Swersie Norris

This was a feature story on television feature-- with the video now no longer available-- about the Southside Squares, Chicago's last remaining black MWSD group and the pioneering work of caller… View item
Sound

Spinning Wheel - description and audio

This figure appears here in two formats. The written description comes from Betty Casey in Foot 'n' Fiddle managzine; Casey published several collections of square dance figures and decades later… View item
Sound

Spinning Wheel - Selmer Hovland, 1954

Excerpt from another live recording of Selmer Hovland at Kirkwood Lodge View item
Moving Image

Split the Ring & Cut Off Six - Larry Edelman - Dances of Jerry Goodwin:

Larry Edelman led a workshop session on dances he learned from the calling of Jerry Goodwin, originally from West Virginia but living and calling in western Pennsylvania when Larry studied with him in… View item
Still Image

Square Acres - square dance barn

This set of photos documents the construction of Howard Hogue's large square dance barn in E. Bridgewater, MA. It was one of the first and certainly the most active of the commercial square dance… View item
Website

Square and Contra Dance Posters

A collection of 43 flyers and posters collected by Steve Green that advertise contra and square dance events in northwestern Massachusetts, southwest New Hampshire, and southeast Vermont dating from… View item
Document

Square and Couple Dances with Directions and Calls - Lloyd Shaw

This is a supplement to Cowboy Dances and Good Morning that was used in a 1947 summer session at the University of Colorado. "Most of these dances have been taken from the mimeographed material… View item
Moving Image

Square Dance - Ary, KY - 1963 (4 cpl square)

see previous item A search for "Grapevine Twist" in this project's digital collection will return references, audio clips, and video clips showing that figure, including Elizabeth Burchenal's silent… View item
Moving Image

Square dance - Ary, KY - 1963 (big set)

The caller is Corbett Grigsby, with music provided by fiddler Marion Sumner and guitarists Martin Young and Roscoe Holcomb. Grigsby introduces the figure as "around behind, lady in the lead."This… 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
Moving Image

Square Dance - George Balanchine ballet

This video documents the marriage of square dance with ballet. According to the George Balachine Trust's website: "InSquare Dance, Balanchine joined the traditions of American folk dance with… View item