Rickey Holden Interviews
These are six interviews conducted with Rickey Holden— dance caller, organizer, author, editor and publisher. He was the author (or co-author) of several important books:
- The Square Dance Caller (1951) was subtitled "some ideas and definitions dealing with the science of his art, and a reminder of his various responsibilities". In addition to a detailed look at the "technical responsibilities of the caller," Holden includes numerous detailed observations comparing Eastern and Western square dancing.
- The Contra Dance Book (1956), credits technical and research assistance by Frank Kaltman and Olga Kulbitsky. Holden describes the book as "a compilation of all the contra and progressive circle dances which have appeared in readily available American literature between 1850 and 1953."
- Instant Hash (1962), co-written with Lloyd Litman, is aimed at the modern square dance caller. Subtitled "An Advanced Text on Modern Square Dance Figures, with Over 230 Practical Examples and Also Hints on how to Analyze and Simplify Hash, and to Change Figures Quickly and Easily for More Dancing Fun," the book presents a systematic approach to hash calling, a change that came to cominate MWSD as it developed.
detailed biography can be found on the Phantom Ranch website.
Here are transcriptions of four interviews with him conducted over the years:
- Ron Houston (Society of Folk Dance Historians), 1992
- Hilde Dewaelheyens (Anglo-American Dance Service, Belgium), 2005
- Bob Brundage, 2004
- Stig Malmo (Danish square caller), 2005
- Tony & Beth Parkes, 2008
- David Millstone, 2014
Holden is one of the subjects of an 2004 interview with Bob Brundage, part of the Brundage collection at the Square Dance Foundation of New England. At that site, you can listen to the interview and follow along on the transcription.
Traditional squares, East and West; contra dances; international folk dance; editor and published; one of the most widely-traveled callers in his day; keen observer of local dance styles; world traveler... Rickey Holden wore many hats in his 91 years. He summed up that life in his interview for AADS in Belgium, where he lived his last years:
To summarize it, I've been almost 50 years in this business. It started pure square dancing and it developed into international folk dancing. That's the true story of my career that I didn't plan. I studied mathematical physics at the university. If computers at that time had been what they are today, I wouldn't have anything to do with dance, save enjoy it as a hobby. But now I worked professionally in 75 countries, in every province of Canada (except Newfoundland), every state in the USA (except Idaho). To quote Ted Sannella (with whom I was at university): "It has been a marvellous life".
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“Rickey Holden Interviews,” Square Dance History Project, accessed February 23, 2025, http://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/1395.
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Rickey Holden Interviews
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Description
These are six interviews conducted with Rickey Holden— dance caller, organizer, author, editor and publisher. He was the author (or co-author) of several important books:
detailed biography can be found on the Phantom Ranch website.
Here are transcriptions of four interviews with him conducted over the years:
Holden is one of the subjects of an 2004 interview with Bob Brundage, part of the Brundage collection at the Square Dance Foundation of New England. At that site, you can listen to the interview and follow along on the transcription.
Traditional squares, East and West; contra dances; international folk dance; editor and published; one of the most widely-traveled callers in his day; keen observer of local dance styles; world traveler... Rickey Holden wore many hats in his 91 years. He summed up that life in his interview for AADS in Belgium, where he lived his last years:
To summarize it, I've been almost 50 years in this business. It started pure square dancing and it developed into international folk dancing. That's the true story of my career that I didn't plan. I studied mathematical physics at the university. If computers at that time had been what they are today, I wouldn't have anything to do with dance, save enjoy it as a hobby. But now I worked professionally in 75 countries, in every province of Canada (except Newfoundland), every state in the USA (except Idaho). To quote Ted Sannella (with whom I was at university): "It has been a marvellous life".
- The Square Dance Caller (1951) was subtitled "some ideas and definitions dealing with the science of his art, and a reminder of his various responsibilities". In addition to a detailed look at the "technical responsibilities of the caller," Holden includes numerous detailed observations comparing Eastern and Western square dancing.
- The Contra Dance Book (1956), credits technical and research assistance by Frank Kaltman and Olga Kulbitsky. Holden describes the book as "a compilation of all the contra and progressive circle dances which have appeared in readily available American literature between 1850 and 1953."
- Instant Hash (1962), co-written with Lloyd Litman, is aimed at the modern square dance caller. Subtitled "An Advanced Text on Modern Square Dance Figures, with Over 230 Practical Examples and Also Hints on how to Analyze and Simplify Hash, and to Change Figures Quickly and Easily for More Dancing Fun," the book presents a systematic approach to hash calling, a change that came to cominate MWSD as it developed.
detailed biography can be found on the Phantom Ranch website.
Here are transcriptions of four interviews with him conducted over the years:
- Ron Houston (Society of Folk Dance Historians), 1992
- Hilde Dewaelheyens (Anglo-American Dance Service, Belgium), 2005
- Bob Brundage, 2004
- Stig Malmo (Danish square caller), 2005
- Tony & Beth Parkes, 2008
- David Millstone, 2014
Holden is one of the subjects of an 2004 interview with Bob Brundage, part of the Brundage collection at the Square Dance Foundation of New England. At that site, you can listen to the interview and follow along on the transcription.
Traditional squares, East and West; contra dances; international folk dance; editor and published; one of the most widely-traveled callers in his day; keen observer of local dance styles; world traveler... Rickey Holden wore many hats in his 91 years. He summed up that life in his interview for AADS in Belgium, where he lived his last years:
To summarize it, I've been almost 50 years in this business. It started pure square dancing and it developed into international folk dancing. That's the true story of my career that I didn't plan. I studied mathematical physics at the university. If computers at that time had been what they are today, I wouldn't have anything to do with dance, save enjoy it as a hobby. But now I worked professionally in 75 countries, in every province of Canada (except Newfoundland), every state in the USA (except Idaho). To quote Ted Sannella (with whom I was at university): "It has been a marvellous life".