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

Browse Items (349 total)

  • Collection: Northern squares
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My Little Girl - Tony Parkes

Tony Parkes calls the final square at the Dare To Be Square weekend held November 18-20, 2011, at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC. Musicians are Steve Hickman and Jim Morrison,… View item
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Nellie Bly - Bob Livingston

Bob Livingston calls at the Killingly, CT, dance, a regular series he has been doing (second Saturdays) since 1988, although he reports that there have been dances there "forever." The musicians are… View item
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Nellie Bly - George Hodgson

Veteran dance caller George Hodgson leads the classic singing square in this 2004 appearance at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend. Dancers at that event over the years became familiar with George's… View item
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Nellie Bly - Ralph Sweet

Recorded at the February 2, 2004, at the Guiding Star Grange, Greenfield, MA, on the occasion of recording "Shindig in the Barn," an album of singing squares. Musicians are the Ralph Sweet All-Stars:… View item
Sound

Nellie Bly (clip) - Charlie Bardwell

Charlie Bardwell, caller, with Bardy's Orchestra, recorded in Putney, Vermont in the late 1970s by Steve Green. This website contains several other examples of this popular singing square. View item
Website

New England Fiddles

Caller William Chaisson calls the changes and Joe Cormier's fiddle leads the band in two quadrilles recorded at the French American Victory Club in Waltham, MA. The link takes you to a… View item
Document

New England Quadrilles and How To Call Them

This self-published booklet is a look at how to call traditional style New England dances. An accomplished dance caller himself, Dalsemer explains the basic structure of New England style dances,… View item
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New England Squares workshop sampler

This is a sampler of the dances presented by Tony Parkes in his workshop on New England Squares, November 19, 2011. Each dance is presented in more detail, including many with walkthroughs, in other… View item
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New River Train

Nils Fredland calls a singing square set to this well-known bluegrass song. The dance comes from the repertoire of Keith Blackmon, a square dance caller in the Twin Tiers region of southwest New York… View item
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Newfoundland square dance - an introduction

Woody Wilson offers some introductory comments about square dancing, Newfoundland style. The occasion was a dance party at Dan's Hall, a beloved local venue, showcasing many styles of dance and… View item
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Newfoundland square dance - first figure

This is the first figure of a square dance set from the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. Woody Wilson is the caller; the fiddler is Jim Sadlish and the guitar player is Kevin Gardner, with… View item
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Newfoundland Square Dance - Fogo Island

Traditional Newfoundland square dancing in the early 1990's. Tunes played on the accordion are: Off She Goes, Mussels in the Corner, and Rode up in a Dory. The dances are performed by many of the… View item