Browse Items: 170

Grid square composed by Rick Mohr; dance directions on his website. Called here by Lisa Greenleaf; the tune is Julia Delaney, played by Daron Douglas (fiddle), Anna Patton (clarinet), and Karen Axelrod (piano). Recorded June 1, 2013.

Dance written by Rod Linnell; the video includes a variation created by the caller, Lisa Greenleaf. (Rod Linnell composed five double quadrilles, which are published in "Square Dances from a Yankee Caller's Clipboard.") In Linnell's original composition, the women chain through the stars; Lisa has modified that so that the men also get the…

Article about Catskills fiddler and caller Hilton Kelly, who has been playing and calling square dances in that region of New York for more than 75 years.

This is a detailed description of three Texas squares, presented by Rickey Holden as an exhibition dance at the fourth annual New England Folk Festival, November 15–16, 1947. Holden based much of his material on Herb's Blue Bonnet Calls (Herb Greggerson, 1946).Holden had originally wanted to present three dances intact, as they are described…

Tony Parkes, caller, recorded at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, January 12, 2007. The dance was called frequently by Ralph Page, and it's possible that Page got the figures from Connecticut caller Al Brundage.

The musicians are a reunion group of the Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra, and include Dudley Laufman (violin/ accordion),…

There are many versions of singing squares set to this popular tune. Here, Nils Fredland calls one from the repertoire of Keith Blackmon, an upstate New York square dance caller. A selection of Blackmon's dances has been published by Country Dance and Song Society under the title of "New River Train." Recorded for the Square Dance History Project,…

Nils Fredland calls a singing square from the repertoire of Keith Blackmon, an upstate New York square dance caller. The dance figures are the familiar Cut Off Six, also known as Divide the Ring. A selection of Blackmon's dances has been published by Country Dance and Song Society under the title of "New River Train." Recorded for the Square Dance…

Nils Fredland calls a singing square set to this well-known bluegrass song. The dance comes from the repertoire of Keith Blackmon, a square dance caller in the Twin Tiers region of southwest New York and northwest Pennsylvania. Blackmon began collecting and calling square dances at age 14, and continued until his death at age 84. Over his 70-year…

Nils Fredland led a workshop session that included many dances from the Keith Blackmon collection at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, Durham, NH, January 19, 2013. Here, he speaks briefly about Blackmon's calling career in western New York state and his dances, which have now been published by Country Dance and Song Society as "New River…

Last in a series of six Lisa talks about ways to keep modern square dancing alive in the future. She cites the Pacific Northwest Teen Competition as one promising model to involve young people, and suggests that a "Dirty Dancing" kind of movie focused on square dance competition would provide a boost. She also is excited by the new dance series…

Fifth in a series of six

Lisa is a well-known caller of contras and squares, usually working at events that are advertised for contra dancers. She discusses some of the challenges of incorporating squares into a program of contras.

Fourth in a series of six In this segment, Lisa offers some advice for individuals interested in learning to call squares. She also discusses where to find new material, and describes the difficulties she encountered when trying to incorporate into her repertoire some dances from Sets in Order in the 1950s and '60s.

Third in a series of six

Lisa is one of a relatively small number of individuals who dance both modern and traditional squares. Here she describes what she likes about each form.

Second in a series of six

Lisa described how she moved into squares, discovering exciting squares at Pinewoods Camp from the calling of Larry Edelman and Kathy Anderson. Later, also at Pinewoods, she got a taste of modern Western squares from Bob Dalsemer and went on to take MWSD lessons at Bay Path Barn in Boylston, MA. From there, she…

First in a series of six.

Lisa Greenleaf, a well-known caller of traditional squares and modern squares from the 1950s and 1960s, describes how she got started as a contra caller. She describes working with Larry Jennings, a Boston-area dance organizer and choreographer, who became her mentor.

Nils Fredland calls a contemporary composition as part of the "Square Dance" Retrospective session at the annual Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend in Durham, NH. The musicians are Old New England (Bob McQuillen piano; Jane Orzechowski, fiddle; and Deanna Stiles, flute); the tune is Mrs. Frasier's.The dance was choreographed by Ron Buchanan. In his…

To the tune of "There Is a Tavern in the Town," Dudley Laufman calls as part of the "Square Dance" Retrospective session at the annual Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend in Durham, NH. The musicians are Old New England (Bob McQuillen piano; Jane Orzechowski, fiddle; and Deanna Stiles, flute).Complete instructions for the dance will be found in the…

Dudley Laufman calls as part of the "Square Dance" Retrospective session at the annual Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend in Durham, NH. The basic figure is shown below, but you'll see the dancers starting to anticipate the calls and getting delightfully mixed up as Dudley throws in some unexpected directions. The musicians are Old New England (Bob…

Ray Smith was the "Caller of the Month" in Let's Dance magazine, published by the Folk Dance Federation of California, Northern Section.

Bob Dalsemer calls this singing square, with music provided by Notorious (Eden MacAdam Somer on fiddle, Larry Unger on guitar). Recorded January 18, 2013, at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, Durham, NH. The dance was created by Maine caller and choreographer Ron Linnell, using the Irish folk song "Dear Old Donegal" made popular by Bing Crosby.…