Let's Square Dance – Claude Chadwick

This 24 page booklet was produced by Claude S. Chadwick, a Texas native and a professor of biology at  Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He begins with an overview of the activity: "All we need for an evening of real fun is a number of willing couples, a place to dance, some music and a caller." He amplifies each of these requirements, noting that the success of the evening depends more upon the caller than any of the other factors.

He then reviews three basic patterns: contra dance (though he cites as an example the Virginia Reel, a longways dance though not a true contra); the quadrille, a four couple square dance; and then the Southern big set. Throughout he uses clear and simple pictures to illustrate basic figures and patterns.

[Several observations: In his discussion of quadrilles, Chadwick states, "If the caller is dancing he is always the number one gent and assumes the head position. ... There are five general quadrille patterns and fifty or more figures." Also noteworthy is that the illustrations for "Dos a dos" clearly shows dancers with arms crossed in front of their chest.]

The last category is the meat of the book Chadwick declares, "The Southern Big Set has two outstanding advantages over the contra-dance and the quadrille, namely, all of the couples dance all of the time, and there is no limitation to the number of couples in a set." After an overview of the Big Set, Chadwick describes in detail more than twenty figures:

Figures for Small Rings – Circles of Four
    Right Hands Across
    Four Hands Across
    Ladies Twirl
    Buffalo Loop
    Four Leaf Clover
    Duck that Oyster
    Dos a Dos (Do Si Do)
    Cage the Bird
    Single Shuck the Corn [Ed: similar to Double Bow Knot]
    Double Shuck the Corn
    Lady Around the Lady
    Lady 'Round the Lady and the Gent Around the Gent
    Chase that Rabbit, Chase that Squirrel
    Lady Around Two and the Gent Go Through
    Pass Your Lady Thru
    Adam and Eve
    Georgia Rang Tang
    Cowboy Loop
    Scramble the Egg
    Old Arkansaw

Figures for Big Rings
    Hands Up All, and Circle the Hall
    Dance to the Center
    Promenade and Move Up Two
    Single File and Swing the Lady Behind
    The Open Tunnel
    Grand March
    Duck and Dive
    Postman's Holiday
    Star Figure
    The Irish Trot
    Make the Basket
    In and Out the Window
    Thread the Needle
    Wind the Clock
    Grapevine Twist
    Ring Reel
    Shoo Fly Swing
    Shoot the Dominecker