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
Moving Image

Northern Lights - Bill Litchman

Dance written by Floyd Parker, Colorado, danced at the 2011 Dare To Be Square dance weekend in Brasstown, NC, called by Bill Litchman. Dance directions are available, as is an audio clip of the… View item
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Darling Nellie Gray (clip) - George Wade

Notice the tempo of this version! View item
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Lady Round the Lady - George Wade

Played by George Wade and his Cornhuskers. The tune is Lord Saltoun's Reel. You'll note that the introduction to Wade dance recordings is longer than many others. View item
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Half Way Round (clip) - Rod Linnell

Maine caller with his composition, a singing call set to the RCA VIctor recording of "Back Up and Push." Linnell's version is published in View item
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Farmer's Daughter (clip) - Ed Bossing

Ed Bossing was director of the Rocky Mount Folk and Square Dance Summer School in Denver, and was employed regularly by the Chicago public school system. He authored the Handbook of Square Dancing,… View item
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Two Three Hand Stars (clip) - Frank Kaltman

The tune is Big John McNeil. Frank Kaltman founded the influential magazine American Squares and (with Dan Wolfert) created the Folkraft record label after World War II. View item
Website

Frank Fortune and the Bradford (NH) Barn Dance

Back in the 1930s and 1940s in many of the villages of New England were held dances referred to as "Barn Dances" or "Round and Square Dances" or "Eastern Barn Dance Style Square Dances". As people did… View item
Still Image

Frank Fortune

Frank Fortune with the Myron Colby Orchestra, Bradford, NH View item
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Vermont square dancers - 1950s

A series of photographs, mostly from the big square dance gatherings in Northfield and Montpelier, Vermont. View item
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Ted Sannella - photographs

After Ralph Page's death, Ted Sannella was widely regarded as the dean of New England callers. In addition to being one of the most prolific choreographers of squares, contras, and dances in… View item
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Grandma Slid Down the Mountain - Tod Whittemore

Caller Tod Whittemore with his yodeling square dance, "Grandma Slid Down the Mountain." As Tod says in his introduction, "This is a dance by Ted Sannella... but he never called it exactly like this."… View item
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Auctioneer - Ralph Sweet

This is the opening of Ralph Sweet calling his version of Marshall Flippo's classic singing square, Auctioneer. Ralph is calling a basic goal post pattern; compare other versions of the dance and read… View item