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
Document

Youth in Square Dancing

This is a thorough look at how to involve younger dancers in square dancing, prepared by Sets in Order and published in the 1960s. The handbook opens with an essay by Ralph and Zora Piper on… View item
Sound

Your Home Town - Fenton "Jonesy" Jones

A rare live recording of Jonesy calling, this time a singing square. View item
Document

Women Callers - article

Article presumably written by Bob Osgood, describing the challenges and opportunities for women square dance callers View item
Sound

Woman in Love - Red Bates, 1961

The singing call, Woman In Love, is a classic and Red uses the figure as it was recorded by Dick Leger on Grenn record #12128. Tempo is a characteristic of calling that underwent considerable change.… View item
Still Image

Winfield P. Niblo

Photographs of Winfield P. Niblo, widely credited with bringing American square dance to Japan after World War II. In one photo he can be seen calling with cupped hands; there simply was no PA system… View item
Moving Image

When the Saints Go Marching In - Jim Mayo

Jim Mayo, caller. A dance in modern square dance style set to the well-known tune. Jim says this is the signature dance of his friend Joe Casey, another MWSD caller from New England. View item
Sound

Wheel and Deal (clip) - Les Gotcher

excerpt from a live recording in the early 1960s View item
Document

What's New in SD? (1955)

This 1955 article takes a brief look at some figures that were considered new at the time. Among them: Pass Through, Allemande Thar, Dopaso, Box the Gnat, Rollaway, and Throw in the Clutch. View item
Moving Image

We're Gonna Have a Ball - Jim Mayo - MWSD 5

This is the final dance from Jim Mayo's Modern Western Square Dance workshop, recorded November 19, 2011, as part of the Dare To Be Square Weekend held at the John C. Campbell Folk School,… View item