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

Browse Items (198 total)

  • Subject is exactly "Modern square dance - general"
Document

Aqua Barn

Article describing Seattle's Aqua Barn, a floating dance hall. The hall was created by Jack Riley, whose obituary can be found here. Riley also released records on the Aqua lable; the Internet Archive… View item
Document

Arkansas Traveller variations

After several opening paragraphs in which the author decries the tendency toward ever more complex figures, he does admit that experienced dancers enjoy "a little variation." He takes one… View item
Document

Asilomar 1953 - Sets in Order Summer Institute

Note: There are four files included in this item. Only the first one shows up in the display window now; the others are listed in the Additional Files section. Several of these files are large and… View item
Document

Asilomar Dance Camp

This large set of photos and text all relate to Asilomar, the location in southern California where many dance camps were held. Included in this item are photographs of campers, camp rosters, and… View item
Document

Auctioneer (description and history)

The Auctioneerby David MillstoneJuly, 2012The Auctioneer is Ralph Sweet's signature number, and the dance has a storied history before him. The Auctioneer song was a 1956 hit, selling 2.5 million… 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
Moving Image

Big Can of Worms - Grid Square - Bob Isaacs

Bob Isaacs is calling a dance he wrote, with music provided by the Clayfoot Strutters:Pete Sutherland - fiddleMark Roberts - banjoLee Blackwell and Ben Davis - guitarsHarry Aceto - bassJeremiah McLane… View item
Moving Image

Big Can of Worms (Instructions) - Grid Square - Bob Isaacs

Bob Isaacs teaches his grid square at the Dance Flurry, Saratoga Springs, NY. See accompanying video for the actual dancing. View item
Moving Image

Bill Litchman - oral history

This is an interview conducted with Bill Litchman as part of the research into preparing a 2018 exhibit on "Square Dancing in the American West" at the University of Denver. Litchman discusses his own… View item
Sound

Bill Shymkus

This is a short clip of a tip called by Bill Shymkus at the 3rd National Square Dance Convention in Dallas , Texas. The choreography is the goal post pattern that was very common at that time. View item
Sound

Birdie in the Cage - Al Brundage

This is a short clip from a dance called by Al Brundage in 1952. View item