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

Browse Items (1938 total)

Moving Image

John Bill Allen - Big set, Berea, 1975

Note: The first minute of the video has garbled sound, but then it clears up. Notes from John Ramsay: Documentary of local square dancing in Berea, Kentucky circa 1975. The caller, John Bill Allen,… View item
Moving Image

Waltz Cotillion & Prince Imperial Quadrille

The Quadrille Club and others dancing at a Ball in Richmond, England. The Waltz Quadrille is the first item of three in this video; the Prince Imperial Quadrille begins about 05:53. View item
Moving Image

Quadrille Club at The Royal Pavilion

Videotaped excerpts from a series of dances: Jacky Tarr, a three-couple English country dance from a collection by Wilson 1816 02:55 Thethird figure, `La Poule' from a set of five in a quadrille.… View item
Moving Image

Lancers, 5th figure

The music for this group of dancers is by Spare Parts, from their compact disc, The Civil War Ballroom. View item
Moving Image

Paine's First Set Quadrille (1815) - Quadrille Club

Danced by the Quadrille Club, under the direction of Ellis Rogers. The fourth figure (Trenis) has been omitted here.For comparison, this collection also includes the same dance performed by Nederlands… View item
Website

Arkie Woodchopper

A biography of this colorful performer, from the Hillbilly-Music.com website. Also see the Wikipedia article View item
Website

Lawrence Loy - biography

Two items, both related to caller Lawrence Loy. A detailed biography can be found at Hillbilly-Music.com, which has a detailed website with information about performers, including a jukebox with audio… 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
Sound

Shoo-Fly (clip) - Mac McKenrick

Singing square, called to the familiar children's song; not to be confused with the "Shoo-Fly Swing," a figure sometimes found at the end of big circle dances. View item
Document

Ozark Square Dance, 1949 - newspaper article

Newspaper article (1949) describing dance traditions in Arkansas; includes references to local square dance patter. View item