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

Browse Items (1926 total)

Website

New England Fiddles

Caller William Chaisson calls the changes and Joe Cormier's fiddle leads the band in two quadrilles recorded at the French American Victory Club in Waltham, MA. The link takes you to a… View item
Document

New England Contras from a Western Caller's Point of View

This is the third in a series by Jack McKay, California square dance caller. Written in 1952, it's an attempt to look at the challenges of calling New England contras compared to Western squares,… View item
Document

New Call Problems in the Mid 1970s

This is an excerpt from the book Step by Step Through Modern Square Dance History by Jim Mayo. It describes the situation that had been created by a flood of new calls in the mid 1970’s. Related… View item
Sound

Nellie Bly (clip) - Charlie Bardwell

Charlie Bardwell, caller, with Bardy's Orchestra, recorded in Putney, Vermont in the late 1970s by Steve Green. This website contains several other examples of this popular singing square. View item
Moving Image

Nellie Bly - Ralph Sweet

Recorded at the February 2, 2004, at the Guiding Star Grange, Greenfield, MA, on the occasion of recording "Shindig in the Barn," an album of singing squares. Musicians are the Ralph Sweet All-Stars:… View item
Moving Image

Nellie Bly - George Hodgson

Veteran dance caller George Hodgson leads the classic singing square in this 2004 appearance at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend. Dancers at that event over the years became familiar with George's… View item
Moving Image

Nellie Bly - Bob Livingston

Bob Livingston calls at the Killingly, CT, dance, a regular series he has been doing (second Saturdays) since 1988, although he reports that there have been dances there "forever." The musicians are… View item
Website

Neil Barden - Square and Contra Dance Figures and Definitions

(The link above will take you to the website of the Square Dance Foundation of New England, where you can download a copy of Barden's booklet.)Square & Contra Dance Figures & Definitions was… View item
Document

Nebraska Dance Calls - series 3

Third in the series of square dance calls collected in Nebraska in the 1930s, with roots going back to the previous century. View item
Document

Nebraska Dance Calls - series 2

This is the second in a series of three booklets of square dance calls collected in Nebraska in the late 1930s. As with other booklets in the series, the authors provide background information about… View item
Moving Image

Navy Two Step

There are many examples of couple dances included in the SDHP collection.Click on this linkto go to a listing.Fall dance of the Canadian Olde Tyme Square Dance Callers' Association, a group formed in… View item
Still Image

National Square Dance Convention attendance

The National Square Dance Convention has been held annually since 1952, with the exception of 2020 (the Covid year). Attendance rose steadily over the early years as club square dancing became… View item