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

Browse Items (1952 total)

Document

Polonaise - Grand March

This is a detailed look at the history of the Polonaise, known in the US as the Grand March. Thee name "polonaise" speaks to Polish roots. The author cites a 1685 description of the dance,… View item
Website

Grand March

Many square dance events start with a Grand March. The author provides general guidelines, followed by a detailed series of figures,. View item
Moving Image

Canadian Olde Tyme Square Dance Callers' Association 50th Anniversary Dance

This video presents the full two-hour recording of the Canadian Old Tyme Square Dance Callers’ Association Spring Dance, held on April 17, 2004, at Westway United Church in Etobicoke, Ontario.… View item
Document

"Kitchen Junket"

This evocative portrait of a New England kitchen junket ran over the first four issues of Ralph Page's Northern Junket magazine. Page draws on his own memories to paint a detailed picture of the… View item
Document

Jim Hopkins Remembers The Neighbourhood Dance Parties Of The 1940s

Detailed recollections of dancing in central Ontario in the 1940s, including neighborhood house parties, dancing at larger halls, and teaching square dance in schools. In other regions, these house… View item
Document

The Good Old Days - Jack Powelson

Jack Powelson wrote: "This was to have been Chapter 1 of a History of American Folk Dancing, but the other chapters were never written."Larry Edelman writes: "I met Jack Powelson sometime in the fall… View item
Document

Square Dancing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland

This is a detailed description of square dancing in the mid-1940s in the area around Salisbury, Maryland, located on the Eastern Shore, in particular dances that took place at Fruitland, four miles… View item
Document

Asilomar Dance Camp

This large set of photos and text all relate to Asilomar, the location in southern California where many dance camps were held. Included in this item are photographs of campers, camp rosters, and… View item
Website

Square Dancing on the South Side

THis radio program looks at the history of modern square dancing within the Black community in Chicago, with many groups leading up to the formation of Southside Squares. It includes an interview with… View item
Moving Image

Hillbilly Hare

In 1950, the same year that the Santa Monica square dance attracted 15,000 dancers, Warner Brothers released a new Bugs Bunny cartoon,Hillbilly Hare, testimony to the rising popularity of square dance… View item
Website

Gone West Out East

Modern square dance was frequently transported to other nations through American servicemen. This video documents the effects of US airbases in East Anglia, England, on the cultural life of the area,… View item
Website

Les Gotcher recordings

Les Gotcher, the self-described Hashmaster, was a prominent figure in the development of modern square dance. (See various entries about him here on the Square Dance History Project or his entry in… View item