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

Browse Items (1924 total)

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Best Things in Life Are Free - Jim Mayo

This song was used by Jim Mayo for his first recording which was on Mac Gregor Records (#2055) in 1963. The figure used here was created for this group of dancers to show how MWSD singing calls are… View item
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Betsy Gotta - patter

Betsey Gotta callng a MWSD Mainstream Patter call to the tune of Hernando's Hideaway. View item
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Between Those Ladies (clip) - Ray Smith

This 1953 clip features Texas caller Raymond Smith introducing the seeds of modern Western square dance style at Camp Becket in Massachusetts. He's calling "Between Those Ladies" by… View item
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Beulah Samec - patter

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Bible Grove Square Dancers, Bethel, Missouri, 1989

Dancers from Bible Grove in Scotland County, MO at the Bethel Fiddle Convention, Bethel, MO. June 1989. Fiddling by Chirps Smith and Charlie Walden. Others in the band are Forrest Rose on bass, Dennis… View item
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Big Can of Worms - Grid Square - Bob Isaacs

Bob Isaacs is calling a dance he wrote, with music provided by the Clayfoot Strutters:Pete Sutherland - fiddleMark Roberts - banjoLee Blackwell and Ben Davis - guitarsHarry Aceto - bassJeremiah McLane… View item
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Big Can of Worms (Instructions) - Grid Square - Bob Isaacs

Bob Isaacs teaches his grid square at the Dance Flurry, Saratoga Springs, NY. See accompanying video for the actual dancing. View item
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Big circle dance - Manny Wiener & American Square Dance Group

Caller Manny Wiener leads a big circle dance—here introduced as a Kentucky running set—with members of Margot Mayo's American Square Dance Group. This is a portion of a half hour radio… View item
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Big Circle Dance from Carcassonne, KY - Phil Jamison

Phil Jamison led a workshop session on square dances from the southern Appalachians, focusing on dances from different communities in that region. In this video, Phil introduces the big set formation… View item
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Big Circle square dance - Glenn Bannerman

Glenn Bannerman, caller, leads a big circle at MerleFest, 2014 View item
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Big Set - Berea Country Dancers, 2011

The Berea Country Dancers perform a version of the southern mountain Big Set. (Searching for that term will bring up several dozen additional Related Items.) Paul Adkins called the dance from the… View item
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Big Set - Bob Dalsemer

Recorded at Dare To Be Square, Seattle, in 2009. For a more complete view of dances from the weekend, see the audio and video files posted here. View item