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

Browse Items (499 total)

  • Collection: MWSD
Moving Image

MWSD Pacific Northwest Teens – Senior Final

The Pacific Northwest Teen Square Dance Festival (PNTSDF) provides opportunities for young people up to and including 19 years of age to meet and enjoy competition in Square Dancing, Calling, Round… View item
Website

How To Square Dance series

This square dance video teaches the following square dance calls on the mainstream list: Ocean Wave, Swing Thru, Run (Boys, Girls, Centers, Ends), Pass the Ocean, Trades (Boys, Girls, Ends, Centers),… View item
Sound

Ed Gilmore - Ends Turn In, live recording. 1958

In this clip Ed Gilmore uses a shortened version of the original Ends Turn In figure that was published in 1951. At that time the Square Thru call that he uses here to set up the lines did not exist.… View item
Website

Square Dancing - Bob Osgood film, 1951

Film made by Bob Osgood / Sets in Order in 1951 to popularize square dancing.A discussion among square dance enthusiasts on the history of the film can be found here. As that discussion reveals, a… View item
Sound

Les Gotcher - hash - 1958

live recording - note the fast tempo, about 138 bpm Les Gotcher was one of the early full-time traveling callers. He was known as the "Hash Master" and this clip from a 1958 dance… View item
Sound

Hash with stars - Ed Gilmore, 1956

live recording Jerry Reed - Ed Gilmore was one of the early full time traveling callers. He also was an early teacher of callers. He urged callers to keep their patter calls organized and this clip… View item
Moving Image

Grand Colonel Spin - demonstration

The Grand Spin call is no longer on the standard lists of MWSD calls. The dancers here are tapping but the figure itself can be clearly seen, starting at :35. The dancers are the Air Cap Tappers at… View item
Website

50 Years of Square Dancing in Germany

The first square dance was held in Bremen on July 16, 1949, called by Paul Hartman and attended by five squares, mostly American servicemen and their guests. The event was a success and Hartman began… View item
Sound

Blue Eyes (clip) - Al Brundage

This is an excerpt from Al Brundage's recording on the Windsor label. You'll hear the second time through the figure and then the middle break. View item
Sound

Puttin' on the Style (clip) - Al Brundage

This is an excerpt (opener and first figure) from Al Brundage's recording of the dance on the Windsor label. View item
Sound

Doc Alumbaugh speaking to Al Brundage, 1957

Doc Alumbaugh, based in southern California, was one of the first traveling callers. In 1950, he founded Windsor Records, which became one of the foremost square dance record labels. (In addition to… View item
Document

Ed Gilmore - Square Dance Callers Instruction Course - 1949

[Buddy Weaver has digitized an hour-long audio recording of Gilmore leading a callers' class. It can be found here.]This is the text of the syllabus of Ed Gilmore's class. It contains plenty of… View item