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

Browse Items (1929 total)

Document

The Country Dance Goes To Town (1940 article)

Article from 1940 extolling the virtues of country dances—square dances, circle dances, and contra—and describing their recent rise in popularity. The author declares that country dances "provide… View item
Moving Image

The Roberts - couple dance

Couple dance that was part of the regular program of dances at many New England dances. Here it's being danced by the New England Chestnuts performance group at the berth of the USS Constitution in… View item
Moving Image

Hambo

Traditional square and contra dance series often include a variety of couple dances as part of their program. Depending on location and time, dancers might enjoy waltz, polka, or schottische, among… View item
Moving Image

Polka

Traditional square dance series and some contra series have often included couple dances as part of the evening program. This polka was recorded at the contra dance at the VFW, Cambridge, MA. You'll… View item
Moving Image

Gay Gordon's - couple dance

This couple dance was recorded at a Valentine's Day contra dance in Nelson, NH. Such couple dances—along with waltz, polka, schottische, hambo, and others—are frequently found in the program of… View item
Moving Image

Canadian Breakdown - Ernie Shoebridge

Fall dance of the Canadian Olde Tyme Square Dance Callers' Association, a group formed in 1954 to preserve and promote Canadian square dancing. Recorded November 17, 2001, Etobicoke (near Toronto),… View item
Sound

Devils Dream (clip) - Ernest Legg & Kessinger Brothers

Ernest Legg (1904-1970) was from Charleston, WV (Kanawha County) Kessinger Brothers were fiddler Clark Kessinger (1896-1975) and his nephew, guitar player Luches Kessinger (1906-1944) "Devil’s… View item
Document

"So They Gave Up Football"

These two articles were written by Erna Egender, a member of the Cheyenne Mountain Dancers for that group's first trip east, in 1939. The title relates to a ful-page layout created by the Associated… View item
Website

The Slave Roots of Square Dancing

This is an easily-read summary of a scholarly article by Phil Jamison on the African-American roots of southern Appalachian dance and, in particular, the pivotal role played by African-American… View item
Sound

Comin' Round the Mountain - Eric Clamons

Third of three clips from Minnesota caller Eric Clamons, this one a traditional singing square. View item
Sound

Arkansas Traveler - Eric Clamons

Second in a series of three clips of Minnesota caller Eric Clamons. There are other examples of Arkansas Traveler on this website for comparison. 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