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

Appalachian Big Set - Berea- 1993

The Berea Festival Dancers, with caller Teresa Lowder, perform an Appalachian Big Set demonstration at the 1993 Mountain Folk Festival, Berea, Kentucky. The group is introduced by their director, John… View item
Moving Image

Another Square Dance Caller - Jim Mayo

Jim Mayo calling a dance created by Marshall Flippo and released on Chaparral 710. Recorded Memorial Day weekend, 1993, by Tim Stanger at the Papoose Pond square dance weekend, N. Waterford, Maine. View item
Sound

Annie Lurie (clip) - David Park Williams

The dance figure here is the familiar Head Two Men Cross Over, changing to the name tune, and a different meter,for the promenade and break. From the CD set "Mostly Quadrilles,"… View item
Moving Image

Annen Polka Quadrille

The caller is Bill Johnston, Skippack, PA, who created the dance in November, 1984. Bill wrote, "This quadrille especially written for the music "The Annen Polka" by Johann Strauss and recorded by… View item
Moving Image

Andy Allemao - Hexagon Squares

The video shows Andy Allemao calling and explaining Hexagon Squares at the California State Square Dance Convention. April 8-10, 2011 in Balboa Park, San Diego. If you've never seen this you will… View item
Website

And They Danced - Cape Breton dance

This documentary (47 minutes) is a rich portrait of stepdancing and square dance traditions in Cape Breton Island, particularly in Inverness County. View item
Document

An Old-Time Dance, Missouri, 1929

An account from a 1929 newspaper of what the author deemed "what was probably a duplication of the real, old-time hill country dance." Interestingly, the words "square dance"… View item
Website

An Invitation To Dance: A History of Social Dance in America

This online exhibit on the history of social dance in America draws on documents in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society to offer a multi-faceted portrait of the changing nature of… View item
Moving Image

An Evening with Lloyd Shaw

Richard Marold was director of theCheyenne Mountain Heritage Centerat the time of this presentation. He developed this one man show in which he appears as Dr. Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw, speaking directly to… View item
Website

Amish Barn Dance

Article from Pennsylvania Folklife (winter 1962-63) describing how a traditional community with no electricity hosts events with large crowds: "The most disturbing technical problem that faces the… View item
Document

American Square Dancing in Three Sections of Maryland and the District of Columbia - 1943

This is a Master's thesis based upon observation at three locations in Maryland:1. Salisbury and vicinity, particularly Public Landing, on the Eastern Shore2. Oakland and vicinity, particularly… View item
Document

American Square Dancing - 1976 NSDC historical pageant

This is the program, prepared by Cal Campbell, that accompanied the square dance historical pageant at the 1976 National Square Dance Convention in Anaheim, CA. See the next item in the SDHP… View item