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
Website

Duke Miller website

Duke Miller was a square dance caller (and a wrestling coach) in Gloversville, NY, and later became a popular caller for summertime dances in the Monadnock region of southwestern New Hampshire. His… View item
Sound

East Meets West (clip) - Lawrence Loy

Lawrence Loy was from western Massachusetts but this recording, with its apt title, shows the influence of the western style of dance, with changing choreography. After generic opening figures, two… View item
Sound

Ed Charette – French-Canadian Squares, #1
Chicopee, MA, mid-1950s

The tune is Les Fraises et les Framboises. Live recording made by Dudley Laufman, and released on cassette as "Traditional and Ethnic Square Dance Music of New England –… View item
Sound

Ed Charette – French-Canadian Squares, #3
Chicopee, MA, mid-1950s

The tune is My Little Girl Live recording made by Dudley Laufman, and released on cassette as "Traditional and Ethnic Square Dance Music of New England – 1955-1957." Dudley Laufman… View item
Sound

Ed Charette – French-Canadian Squares, #2
Chicopee, MA, mid-1950s

The tune is Miss MacLeod's Reel. Live recording made by Dudley Laufman, and released on cassette as :Traditional and Ethnic Square Dance Music of New England – 1955-1957." Dudley… View item
Still Image

Ed Durlacher - Central Park, photos

Photographs documenting Ed Durlacher's series of dances in Central Park, New York City. These date from August, 1946. View item
Moving Image

Engine #9 - Bob Livingston

Bob Livingston, caller, with the Falltown String Band: Jack Arensmeyer, acoustic guitar and mandolin; Jason Burbank, keyboard, fiddle; Jack Nelson, bass; Champ Dickinson, electric guitar, and Linwood… View item
Document

Fall Lake George - outing clubs

This 2007 newspaper article describes an annual gathering of outing clubs at Lake George, New York. For many decades, young people interested in outdoor activities-- hiking, canoeing, rock climbing,… View item
Sound

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
Sound

Festival Quadrille (clip) - Ted Sannella

This clip is part of a series of eight square dances called by Ted Sannella at the Chesapeake Spring Dance Weekend, sponsored by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington. (Ted called another four or… View item
Sound

First Two Gents Cross Over - Harold Luce

Harold Luce started fiddling with the Ed Larkin Dancers in north central Vermont in the 1930s and played with them until his death at age 95 on August 13, 2014. In this recording, he is accompanied on… View item
Sound

First Two Ladies Cross Over - Duke Miller

This audio recording features the singing calls of Duke Miller. The noted New Hampshire musician Bob McQuillen played accordion or piano for Duke Miller for 26 consecutive summers and grew tired of… View item