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

Browse Items (1940 total)

Still Image

West Newbury, VT - square dance competition

This is a newspaper account (and acccompanying poem) describing the 1941 success of a team from West Newbury, Vermont, in a dance competition. We often think of square dance contests in Texas, but… View item
Document

West Newbury, VT & Adam Boyce

West Newbury, VT: Adam leads a traditional dance in this tiny Vermont village, continuing a series that he inherited from his calling and fiddle mentor Harold Luce. From 1991–2011 Adam was active in… View item
Document

West Texans Do It Differently

In this 1949 article, caller Jimmy Clossin describes some of the distinguishing characteristics of west Texas square dance: "Many people think when Western Square Dancing is mentioned that we… View item
Document

Westchester's Famous Square Dance Expert

Article describing Elisha Keeler's approach to calling squares View item
Document

Western Square Dances at Fox Creek, Colorado (ca. 1880-1930)

Article based on conversations with Bessie Stafford from the San Luis Valley, western Colorado. "In these early days, the dances were held outside on the hard dirt, the music being supplied by… View item
Document

What's New in SD? (1955)

This 1955 article takes a brief look at some figures that were considered new at the time. Among them: Pass Through, Allemande Thar, Dopaso, Box the Gnat, Rollaway, and Throw in the Clutch. View item
Sound

Wheel and Deal (clip) - Les Gotcher

excerpt from a live recording in the early 1960s View item
Moving Image

When the Saints Go Marching In - Jim Mayo

Jim Mayo, caller. A dance in modern square dance style set to the well-known tune. Jim says this is the signature dance of his friend Joe Casey, another MWSD caller from New England. View item
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When the Work's All Done - Bob Dalsemer

At the Dare To Be Square dance weekend, Bob Dalsemer led a workshop on "Dances of Maryland Line," a small town in northern Maryland that he visited often in the 1970s. Attentive viewers will… View item
Sound

When The Work's All Done This Fall - Donald "Jake" Jacoby

Recorded by Bob Dalsemer, January 5, 1974 at the Maryland Line Fire Hall, Maryland Line, MD. Caller: Donald "Jake" Jacoby Band: The Saw Mill Boys The figure: the active couple separates… View item
Website

When Vermont barn dances were all the rage

"Someone's grandparents always seem to remember one, and sometimes you can still find the scuffs and scrapes of shoes and boots on the floors. But where'd those hoedowns go?" This… View item
Moving Image

When You're Smiling - Ralph Sweet

Recorded August 1, 2010, at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival, Burlington, Vermont, during a workshop on singing squares led by caller Ralph Sweet. Musicians are Thal Aylward, fiddle; Will Patton,… View item