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

Browse Items (1930 total)

Sound

Three Texas squares - Herb Greggerson

These are three examples from Texas caller Herb Greggerson. 1) In Do-Si-Do Fun, hecalls a square that relies heavily on the western docey-do: partner left hand turn, corner right hand, repeated.… View item
Document

Appalachian Squares

This document comes from the Dixie Folk Institute, 1951, and presents a concise description for many common figures that can be used in a big set. View item
Document

Advancing in Dancing  – Mary and Fred Collette

This is a lengthy syllabus describing some 400 dances, along with occasional commentary. It appears to represent a program presented by the Collettes, Ralph Page, and Don Armstrong at a Dixie Folk… View item
Document

Mary Jo (Bradford) Brearley - interview

Teenager Mary Jo (Bradford) Brearley and her younger brother John were the first teems to attend Lloyd Shaw's summer institute in Colorado. Her mother, also Mary Jo, was a physical education… View item
Moving Image

Fenton "Jonesy" Jones calling square dance

Fenton "Jonesy" Jones made numerous appearances as a square dance caller in Hollywood movies. This is one example; if a viewer can identify the source, we'll update that information in this site and… View item
Moving Image

1976 NSDC - highlights

The National Square Dance Convention in 1976, the US Bicentennial year, was the largest in the history of that event. The convention took place in Anaheim, California, and included a historical… View item
Moving Image

1976 NSDC - history pageant

The National Square Dance Convention in 1976, the US Bicentennial year, was the largest in the history of that event. Part of that event was a historical pageant coordinated by Dorothy Stott Shaw, the… View item
Moving Image

National Square Dance Convention 1976 - TV coverage

The National Square Dance Convention in 1976, the US Bicentennial year, was the largest in the history of that event. The convention took place in Anaheim, California, and this video is coverage by a… View item
Document

Honest John - 1950

This collection of newspaper articles all focus on the dance "Honest John," a specialty of dancers in the Upper Connecticut River Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont. Comments in italics are… View item
Still Image

NH/VT squares, 1940s & 1950s

This is a collection of articles from the Hanover (NH)Gazette and the Bradford (VT) United Opinion, reporting on square dances in the area (New Hampshire and Vermont) in the 1940s and early 1950s.… View item
Document

Round Dances, 1949

Round dances, or dances for couples rather than for groups of couples who interact with each other, have been a part of traditional country dance for ages. In the modern square dance movement, they… View item
Website

Miami Valley Dance Council archives - Ohio

This archive contains records of clubs in the Dayton, Ohio, area as well as the regional dance council. The Miami Valley Dance Council was formed in 1955, with representatives from 15 dance clubs. A… View item