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

Browse Items (42 total)

  • Tags: interview
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Lisa Greenleaf 6 - the future of squares

Last in a series of six Lisa talks about ways to keep modern square dancing alive in the future. She cites the Pacific Northwest Teen Competition as one promising model to involve young people, and… View item
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Sandy Bradley 1 - Getting started

Sandy Bradley interviewed by Bob Dalsemer. After a brief discussion of the fun of watching the room come together in a dance, Sandy discusses how she got started as a musician and then a square… View item
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Sandy Bradley 2 - Keeping it fun

"The thing that I thought was crippling people's attitude toward dance was rules. 'You have to do THIS, you have to swing like that, you have to get it right!'" It… View item
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Sandy Bradley 3 - Why'd you stop?

Sandy Bradley was a dynamic and exciting guitar player and caller who gave many northern dancers in the 1970s and early 1980s their first taste of fast-moving traditional western squares. She stopped… View item
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Tony Parkes 1 -
New England Squares

In this videotaped interview, caller Tony Parkes discusses the typical characteristics of northeastern traditional squares in general, and New England squares in particular. View item
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Tony Parkes 2 - Quadrilles and Visiting Couple Squares

In this interview, caller Tony Parkes describes the basic structure of quadrilles, the 19th century dance form that set the pattern for traditional New England squares, and contrasts that with… View item
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Tony Parkes 3 - Changes in New England squares

Caller Tony Parkes discusses some changes that took place in New England squares, particularly in the years after World War II as the modern square dance movement developed. View item
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Bill Litchman 1 - Traditional Western Squares

Caller Bill Litchman discusses characteristic features of traditional western square dances, incorporating his memory of Colorado dances that he encountered starting in the 1950s.For a more detailed… View item
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Bill Litchman 3 - Dorothy Shaw

Lloyd Shaw is the name that is widely recognized as an important figure in square dance history; here, caller Bill Litchman describes the crucial role played by Dorothy Shaw, his wife, and says that… View item
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Bill Litchman 2a - Lloyd Shaw, part 1

An interview with caller Bill Litchman about educator Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw and the important role he played in square dance. Many see Shaw as a defining figure in the transition from… View item
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Bill Litchman 2b - Lloyd Shaw, part 2

Bill Litchman continues his discussion about educator Lloyd "Pappy" Shaw and the important role he played in square dance. Here, he focuses on the impact that Shaw's Cheyenne Mountain… View item
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Larry Edelman 1: Social Context of Square Dancing

What role does an evening of dancing play in the lives of the people who live in that community? Caller Larry Edelman discusses the social context in which the dancing takes place in traditional dance… View item