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

Browse Items (110 total)

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

Pappy's Kids - SIO, 1948

The Cheyenne Mountain Dancers were featured on the cover and the lead story of the first issue ofSets in Order, published to coincide with the appearance of the group in southern California.The… 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
Sound

Bud Udick - Hash #1

This 1949 audio clip features Bud Udick calling with "Cactus" Tait's Orchestra, recorded live "at the regular weekly square dances at the beautiful Broadmoor Hotel" in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A… View item
Sound

Bud Udick - Hash #2

This 1949 audio clip features Bud Udick calling with "Cactus" Tait's Orchestra, recorded live "at the regular weekly square dances at the beautiful Broadmoor Hotel" in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A… View item
Document

Square Dances of the Southwest

This 1951 booklet, by caller Butch Nelson, is a useful collection of calls from that region. You can hear Nelson calling Oklahoma Cyclone here.The Related Items provide audio or video clips, called by… View item
Sound

Half Sashay - Butch Nelson (clip)

"Pull up your pants and tighten the tracesAll join hands, we're off to the races."With opening patter like this, we know we're in traditional western square dance territory. Thirty seconds later, when… View item
Sound

Chain Lightning - Butch Nelson (clip)

Another example of Butch Nelson's calling, with fast-paced patter keeping dancers moving briskly. Again, the patter clearly shows the caller's western roots. The music is played by the… View item
Moving Image

Rocky Mountain Dancers - Lloyd Shaw tribute

The Colorado Rocky Mountain Dancers formed in 1999 to represent Lloyd Shaw's Cheyenne Mountain Dancers in a historical pageant to be presented at the 50th National Square Dance Convention. The pageant… View item
Moving Image

Pappy's Do-Si-Do – Rocky Mountain Dancers

This video shows the group dancing to a recording of Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw calling. The calls are designed to showcase a series of different figures.Performed by the Colorado Rocky Mountain Dancers. 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
Document

Texas Squares at Pinewoods

In the late 1940s, the Country Dance and Song Society was best known for its work focused on English country dances and ritual dances. Starting in 1949 (see cover of the CDSS newsletter) and then at… View item
Still Image

Square dance photos, Austin, TX, 1948

Two photographs taken at a square dance in Austin, TX View item