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

Browse Items (1950 total)

Website

"Rubber Crutches" - YouTube channel

Dan Freligh calls a regular dance in Saegertown, Pennsylvania, 45 minutes south of Erie. He has created a YouTube channel with nearly three dozen dances from his series.Among the singing calls on his… View item
Moving Image

Bronc Wise, C-1

C-1; caller Bronc Wise View item
Sound

Crooked Stovepipe (clip) - Gene Gowing

This is the start of Gene Gowing's recording of a classic New England singing square. Gowing half sings, half chants the figures, in somewhat the same manner-- though less melodiously-- as his… View item
Moving Image

Black Lake 1

This square dance was filmed for a Quebec, Canadian television series called Soirée Canadienne that aired between 1960 and 1983. The show was hosted by Louis Bilodeau. View item
Moving Image

Quadrille Club, Les Lanciers or Duval's 2nd Set, Quadrilles No. 1, 2 &3

This video was intended as an introduction to Regency quadrille dancing for new members of Quadrille Club thus at one point in the first quadrille the ladies make a circle in the centre of the set… View item
Moving Image

Miss McLeod's Reel

Short clip showing outdoor dance, date and place not given though it's from Times ain't like they used to be [videorecording] : early rural and popular American music, 1928-1935. Four couple… View item
Moving Image

Square Dance, Raton, NM

Outdoor square dance. Calls include "lady round the lady and the gent follow, lady round the gent and the gent don't go." The tune is Waggoner, sometimes called Tennessee… View item
Moving Image

Take a Little Peek

Northwestern Pennsylvania version of Take a Little Peek, usually considered a southern Appalachian dance figure. Called and posted by Dan Freligh (aka RubberCrutches). The tune is Boil that Cabbage… View item
Moving Image

Square dance at the Tractor Tavern - Seattle

The Tallboys host a bi-monthly square dance at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood that is wildly popular with the under-30 crowd. Also featured is caller Charmaine Slaven. This… View item
Moving Image

3 Contredanses françaises

These three dances date to the late 18th century. They are reconstructed from the Manuscrit de Trois-Rivières, the earliest dance manuscript in Canada; click here for more information about the… View item
Document

Trois-Rivières manuscript, commentary

This is a Google translated version of the site describing the history of the dances shown in the Trois-Rivières video. View item
Moving Image

Danish Lancers, first figure

La Dorset, 1st figure of the Lancers as danced today in Denmark. Subsequent videos at this YouTube site show the other four figures. View item