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

Browse Items (1938 total)

Website

Old-Time Dancing Traditions in Missouri

(excerpt from start of article) It is nearly impossible to discuss old time fiddling without referring to old time dancing at some point. In Missouri, the development, maintenance, and preservation… View item
Website

Ozarks - Old Time Fiddling

Article about Ozark fiddling traditions, including a long section on fiddler Bob Holt, heard playing on videos elsewhere on this site. View item
Moving Image

le quadrille Américain - late 19th century

Tune composed and dance choreographed by François Paul in 1888, this dance was done up until World War I. It is composed of five figures: promenade, the basket, wooden horses, the visits and "The… View item
Moving Image

Contredanse française - pot-pourri of dances

This selection of dances from the period of the French Revolution begins with an introduction (in French). The actual dancing begins about 2:20. View item
Moving Image

La boulangère - dance of French Revolution

Dance from the period of the French Revolution. La Boulangère was the only dance mentioned by name by Jane Austen, and it is related to an American dance figure of the south called the Shoo-Fly Swing. View item
Document

Shoo-Fly Swing and La Boulangère

Compilation of sources that reveal the similarity between La Boulangère, a European dance around 1800 and the only dance mentioned by name by Jane Austen, and the Shoo-Fly Swing, its American… View item
Document

John Ramsay - Set Running, a Southern Folk Dance

This article, written in 1987 and updated in 2013 by longtime dancer, caller, and organizer John Ramsay, presents his views on what has been termed "set running," a style of dance that was… View item
Moving Image

Royal Scotch Quadrilles - 5th figure

Comments from Susan de Guardiola: The Royal Scotch Quadrilles were written by London dancing master Thomas Wilson in response to the (in his opinion, undeserved) success of The Caledonian Quadrilles,… View item