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

Browse Items (118 total)

  • Subject is exactly "Transitional/Western 1940s"
Document

"So They Gave Up Football"

These two articles were written by Erna Egender, a member of the Cheyenne Mountain Dancers for that group's first trip east, in 1939. The title relates to a ful-page layout created by the Associated… View item
Document

Texas Dance Memories

This booklet was compiled by Betty Casey; it presents an overview of Texas square dance history. The booklet features short profiles of 14 "first pacesetters," figures who are important in the history… View item
Document

Arizona Style of Modern Square Dancing

This booklet, created by a consortium of 20 local square dance club, was sponsored by the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, testament to the rising popularity of square dance at that time.… View item
Document

Al Brundage and Allemande Thar

After Al Brundage went to Lloyd Shaw's summer school in 1949, he played an important role in introducing modern squares to his dancers in Connecticut. He went on to become an important caller in the… View item
Sound

Bluebonnet Squares with Melton Luttrell

These are recordings of two sessions led by Melton Luttrell at the 1987 National Square Dance Convention in Houston, Texas. The focus of his sessions was square dancing as led by Herb Greggerson in… View item
Document

Square Dance—Houston Style

This article, from Houston History magazine, offers a popular overview of square dance history in that region from the 1940s into the 21st century. The author was , with her husband, president of the… View item
Sound

Lady Round the Lady - Carl "Doc" Journell

This tip by Texas square dance caller Carl "Doc" Journell illustrates a series of variations on the Lady Round the Lady figure from southern Appalachian square dance. He has the ladies and gents… View item
Moving Image

How Squares Evolved – Tony Parkes

Dance caller and historian Tony Parkes leads a workshop on how square dancing changed from traditional forms to modern squares as found in MWSD clubs. He starts by looking at "swoopies," circular… View item
Document

MWSD Named Dances

In the world of modern western square dance today, most callers create the choreography for each dance. Even singing squares, where there is more repetition of figures, can vary each time through, and… View item
Still Image

Pioneer Promenaders - Denver University

These newspaper clippings and photographs document the Denver University Pioneer Promenaders Square Dance Club as they travel to Washington, DC, for the 1940 National Folk Festival and a separate trip… View item
Document

Square Dance Week - Austin, 1949

The photo shows Marlys Swenson giving a square dance lesson to Austin's "Mayor Tom," who has proclaimed the week of March 20-26, 1949, as "Square-Dance Week." The Additional File is the accompanying… View item
Still Image

Stepney Barn

The Stepney Barn was constructed by Al Brundage. (Stepney is a district in the town of Monroe, CT.) You can read more about Brundage and the barn on this site. In Brundage's comments below, note that… View item