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

Forward Up Six - Adrian Hull

The author discusses regional variations of the common square dance formation of three facing three, with lone dancers at the heads. View item
Still Image

The Singing Caller

This book went through three editions from 1944 to 1951, testimony to the popularity of singing square dance calls in that period. The Table of Contents shows many familiar dances; others are set to… View item
Document

Fall Lake George - outing clubs

This 2007 newspaper article describes an annual gathering of outing clubs at Lake George, New York. For many decades, young people interested in outdoor activities-- hiking, canoeing, rock climbing,… View item
Still Image

Square Dance Camps - 1957

This is a listing of square dance camps in 1957. Interested viewers can compare it with the Sets in Ordereditorial from 1951. View item
Document

Fast tempos - Texas, 1954

This article (and the following item in the SDHP site) discusses a common problem facing square dancers in the mid-1950s—tempos that are too fast for good dancing. As the author explains, "If any… View item
Document

Roughness and Speed - Lloyd Shaw

Fast tempos were apparently much on the mind of the editor of Balance & Swing magazine. After putting a front-page essay on the subject in one issue, the very next issue carried this piece by… View item
Website

Balance & Swing (TX)

This magazine was edited and published in Dallas by Swede Soderberg and Jim White. (Dallas hosted the National Square Dance Convention in 1954; see the exhibit on this site for detailed information… View item
Document

Squares and Rounds (Delaware Valley)

Squares and Rounds was originally published by the Montgomery District of the Federation of Deleware Valley Square and Round Dancers. It later expanded to be the official publication of the Mid-East… View item
Still Image

Cal Golden calling at the 1958 World's Fair

Caller Cal Golden performing at the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels, Belgium. He was featured 18 times during that event. The other photos are publicity photos of Cal Golden, taken later than… 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
Document

Jimmy Clossin - personal scrapbook

Jimmy Clossin, of El Paso, was one of the most influential Texas callers in the 1930s and beyond. Author ofWest Texas Square Dances, he also produced numerous albums though as far as we know, he never… View item
Still Image

Central City - more photographs

Janie Chandler writes: "My mother, Carol Case, formerly Carol Chandler, originally Carol Angevine, was a Colorado square dancer from way back.The video I watched (from 1955) was a year before my… View item