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

Browse Items (1935 total)

Sound

Forward Six and Back (clip) - Harold Luce

This audio clip features the fiddling and calling of Harold "Chuck" Luce, who started playing in the mid-1930s and was still playing in 2012. He has been associated with the Ed Larkin… View item
Sound

Forward Six and Back - Pistol Packin' Mama - Donald "Jake" Jacoby

Recorded by Bob Dalsemer, January 5, 1974 at the Maryland Line Fire Hall, Maryland Line, MD. Caller: Donald "Jake" Jacoby Band: The Saw Mill Boys This popular and widespread old time… View item
Moving Image

Forward Six and Back - Lester Bradley

Lester Bradley (caller and guitar) with Paul Amey, fiddle, joined by other musicians: Bob Reed, banjo; David Colburn, guitar; George Randall, 12 string guitar, spoons; Mike Hebb, fiddle; Sylvia… View item
Moving Image

Forward Six and Back - Bob Dalsemer

Bob Dalsemer calls a traditional square dance -- Right Hand High, Left Hand Low-- with music provided by Notorious (Larry Unger and Eden MacAdam Somer) and Old New England (Bob McQuillen, Jane… View item
Moving Image

Forward Five - Tony Parkes

The dance is based on one used by Ralph Page. Tony's shortened version goes as follows: A1 All go forward and back Go forward again, gent #1 bring two ladies home A2 At the heads, go… View item
Sound

Forward Eight and Chain Around (clip) - Les Gotcher

The main figure of this dance involves ladies chaining across and along a line, mixed in with grand chains. Unlike the visiting couple pattern of I'll Swing Yours, for example, in which just one… View item
Moving Image

Forward 6, Fall Back 8 - Bill Litchman

Bill Litchman, caller, in the traditional western style of square dance. This clip includes a walkthrough. The dancewaspublished by Lloyd Shaw in Cowboy Dances (1939).Recorded at Dare To Be Square,… View item
Sound

Forward 6, Fall Back 8

Colorado caller Gib Gilbert calls a traditional western square dance for a New England audience. Caller Bill Litchman comments, "He took his calling style directly from his father and Marvin Shilling.… View item
Sound

Forming squares - Eric Clamons

Eric Clamons was a square dance caller in Minnesota in the 1940s and 1950s. A chance conversation with his son in 2013 revealed that Eric had taped numerous recordings of square dances from the early… View item
Sound

Form an Arch - Richard Kraus

Let's Square Dance!, Album 2 View item
Document

Folk & Square in Manitoba and Ontario

Broad look at dance traditions in both provinces. As the article's title suggests, square dancing is discussed as are folk dances from different countries. The Ontario portion of the article… View item
Website

Fogo Island, Newfoundland - A Wedding and a Party

A Roman Catholic wedding (1967) in the church in Joe Batt's Arm South on Fogo Island, Newfoundland; then a party afterward with music and dancing in Joe Batt's Arm North. There appears to… View item