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

Asilomar 1973 - Frank Lane

Three films from Bob Osgood's collection showing dancers at the 1973 gathering at Asilomar, California.The first film shows dancers practicing allemande thar, followed by a round dance sequence (Left… View item
Still Image

Astro-Nauts and Convair Hoedowners

This set of pictures is from two clubs in San Diego, CA whose members were involved with two plants run by General Dynamics Corporation. The timeline is late 1950’s through late 1960’s. This was… View item
Sound

Auctioneer (1958 original - clip) - Marshall Flippo

This is an audio clip of the first of three recordings Marshall Flippo made of this tune; this is the recording that launched his career as a square dance caller. Transcription provided by Jeff… View item
Sound

Auctioneer (remake - clip) - Marshall Flippo

This is a remake in the 1970s by Marshall Flippo of his big hit. For this version, he changed the choreography to reflect changes in MWSD, and the music also has a very different sound. This is Blue… View item
Moving Image

Australia Square Dance Boom, 1952 - Jim Vickers-Willis

Drawing on audio clips, still photographs, newspaper clippings, and other illustrates, this short piece describes the enormous interest in square dancing in Australia in the 1950s. The primary focus… View item

Australia Square Dance History

An overview of how American square dance became popular in Australia View item
Sound

Baby Face - Jack Jackson

This is a short clip of Jack Jackson calling the singing call Baby Face (Windsor Records #4877 by Al Brundage) at a dance in New England in 1962. View item
Document

Barn Owls square dance club

Items connected with one mid-1950s square dance club: • Program for 3rd anniversary dance, 1954, including club roster • Invitation to 5th anniversary party • invitation for regular dance •… View item
Sound

Barnacle Bill (clip) - Cal Golden

Cal Golden was a prominent modern caller; another audio clip on this website shows him at the giant 1950 Santa Monica square dance, being introduced by Lloyd Shaw. He was a caller with deep Arkansas… View item
Document

Basic Movements of Square Dancing

This early handbook from Sets in Order provides detailed instructions for 20 basic figures, "the foundation movements for most square dancing." As such, it offers an overview of what was considered… View item
Document

Beatnik square dance

All forms of social dance reflect changes in the broader society in which they take place. This call, found in an unidentified caller's notebook, dates from the 1950s and shows a common set of… View item
Document

Beginners Square Dance - plan for ten lessons (Don Armstrong)

This handout by caller Don Armstrong explains in detail the material to be covered in a ten-session introduction to square dancing. For each lesson, Armstrong suggests figures to be taught and… View item