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

Browse Items (1930 total)

Document

Allemande Alphabet

Allan Brozek, Oxford, CT: "Charles Crabbe Thomas, from Woodbury, NJ, was the publisher of American Squares during the magazine's early years. Most likely, some of these alphabet calls were made up by… View item
Still Image

Central City - photographs

This collection of photos documents the young dancers who performed in the summers in Central City, Colorado. As opera-goers left the theatre, the dancers would swoop down the main street and bring… View item
Website

Ed Thrall and the Story of His Most Contentious Hall

Thrall Hall in East Windsor is a lot of things. By most accounts, it's a fascinating example of vernacular or folk architecture, a 70' x 100' facility with a floor resting on tires that could be… View item
Sound

The Square Waltz (clip) - Carson Robison

music by the Pleasant Valley Boys View item
Sound

Yucaipa Roll Away - Carroll White

The dance was created by Ed Gilmore, who ran a hardware store in Yucaipa, CA, when he started his calling career. The dance was published in 1950 in Square Dancing: The Newer and Advanced Dances, by… View item
Sound

Allemande Hash - Carroll White

Another dance from "A Night at Sunny Hills," a series of records "for experienced square dancers," released in 1951. As the name suggests, the Allemande Hash contains variations on allemandes,… View item
Still Image

A Night at Sunny Hills

Album cover, inside text, and a related record label. This recording, from 1951, illustrates what was considered appropriate material for experienced square dancers at that time in southern… View item
Sound

Push Pa, Shove Ma (clip) - Caroline Oakley

Caroline Oakley, Portland, Oregon, learned to call from her mentor, Bill Martin. Here she is as a beginning caller in a piece by Oregon Public Broadcasting. In this audio clip, she's leading the… View item
Sound

The Old Square Dance Is Back Again - Carolina Cotton

For this 1949 recording,on the Mastertone label, Carolina Cotton (aka the Yodeling Blonde Bombshell) was joined by Fenton "Jonesy" Jones. The release was timely, as the late 1940s saw the dramatic… View item
Moving Image

"America" called by Mike Sikorsky

Filmed at WASCA 2010 in Alexandria, Virginia in March 2010, Mike Sikorsky calls the singing call "America" View item