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

Browse Items (499 total)

  • Collection: MWSD
Moving Image

Dancing's Dilemma - Dancing Around Denver

Dianne Gum hosted a public access show in Denver for some 15 years. In this hour-long program, recorded in 1996, she is joined by veteran caller Cal Campbell to discuss challenges facing modern square… View item
Still Image

Oldest Square Dance Club?

Pictured above, taken when the Kilowatt Eights danced at the PSC Garage from 1939-1942, (L to R): Andy Anderson-Violin & Bass, Stew Clark-Banjo, Russ Levine-Piano, Jim Cook-Violin, Tom… View item
Sound

False Hearted Girl - Dick Jones, 1965

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Sound

Dick Jones - Patter, 1970

This hash routine is based on pretty standard (for 1970) Goal Post choreography. The final break uses the call Catch All Eight which was quite common at that time. View item
Sound

Patter Call - Dick Jones

This is a short clip of Dick Jones calling a patter call at a dance in 1970 at the Bay Path Barn in Boylston, Massachusetts View item
Document

High Level Dancing – One Man's Opinion

Technical Note: If this item does not display, click on the download arrow at the top of the screen to get a copy on your computer.In the mid-1950s, twenty years before the formation of CALLERLAB,… View item
Sound

Silver Bell (clip) - Dick Leger

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Document

Square Dance Timing for Callers: Philosophy

New England caller Dick Leger, "the man with the guitar," believed strongly in fitting calls to the musical phrase. In this, he was sometimes an outlier in the modern square dance community… 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
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
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
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