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

Browse Items (1938 total)

Document

Ed Austin's Life in Dance

This autobiography by Ed Austin focuses on his lifetime involvement with traditional dance, including a detailed description of the dances he filmed in Central City, Colorado. Click here to watch his… View item
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Central City, Colorado - 1955

The caller featured here is Ray Smith; we have not yet identified the fiddler and piano player. By 1960, Al "Tex" Brownlee was the caller and he used recorded music.Dancers:Couple 1: Dave Chandler and… View item
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Jean Alve

Jean Alve has been calling squares for more than 50 years. She lives in upstate New York and now calls a weekly two-hour session of "Square, Round, Line & Polka Dancing" at a local senior center.… View item
Sound

Patter Call - Earl Johnston

This is a short clip from a dance called by Earl Johnston in 1970 at the Bay Path Barn in Boylston, MA View item
Sound

Earl Johnston - Patter, 1962

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Sound

Tipperary - Earl Johnston, 1962

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Shindig in the Barn - Earl Johnston - introductory dance

This is a video clip taken from a promotional video made by Earl Johnston for the Manchester, CT Square Dance Club. Earl was their club caller and the video was made for public television in 1988. In… View item
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Beseda quadrille

These are two videos demonstrating the Czech Beseda quadrille from mid-19th century, here performed by a group that rehearsed with noted Czech dance leader Jitka Bonušova. The date of composition for… View item
Sound

First Two Ladies Cross Over - Duke Miller

This audio recording features the singing calls of Duke Miller. The noted New Hampshire musician Bob McQuillen played accordion or piano for Duke Miller for 26 consecutive summers and grew tired of… View item
Moving Image

Dudley Laufman - Monadnock Muddle

This dance comes from the repertoire on the great New England caller, Ralph Page, and is called here by Dudley Laufman in the "Retrospective" session at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, January… View item
Sound

Doo Dar - Dudley Laufman

The dance is a singing square set to Camptown Races. This audio file begins with an introduction about Linn Cady, and then additional comments from Dudley Laufman, who was the Farm & Wilderness… View item
Sound

The Slow One - Dudley Laufman

Dance as called by Lin Cady, though Dudley said he's at a loss as to the title since it was always done at the same speed as every other square. He identifies the tune as Solomon Levi, though the… View item