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

Browse Items (1940 total)

Sound

Maryland Line Square Dance, 1974: Grand Square (Bye, Bye, My Baby)

Recorded by Bob Dalsemer, January 5, 1974 at the Maryland Line Fire Hall, Maryland Line, MD. Caller: Donald "Jake" Jacoby Band: The Saw Mill Boys This version is a bit unusual in that… View item
Sound

Golden Slippers - Donald "Jake" Jacoby

Recorded by Bob Dalsemer, January 5, 1974 at the Maryland Line Fire Hall, Maryland Line, MD. Caller: Donald "Jake" Jacoby Band: The Saw Mill Boys This a standard "divide the… View item
Sound

Bile Them Cabbage Down (Duck and Dive) - Donald "Jake" Jacoby

Recorded by Bob Dalsemer, January 5, 1974 at the Maryland Line Fire Hall, Maryland Line, MD. Caller: Donald "Jake" Jacoby Band: The Saw Mill Boys Note that when couples 1 and 3 lead the… View item
Sound

Maryland Line Square Dance, 1974: Little Brown Jug (Birdie In the Cage)

Recorded by Bob Dalsemer, January 5, 1974 at the Maryland Line Fire Hall, Maryland Line, MD. Caller: Donald "Jake" Jacoby Band: The Saw Mill Boys This visiting couple square has a quick… View item
Document

Singing Calls - a short history

History of Singing Squaresby Tony ParkesThe earliest description of a singing square I've found so far (in fairly shallow digging) appears in the first edition (1925) of Good Morning, prepared by Mr.… View item
Document

Box the Gnat - a short history

Box the Gnat - a short historyby Tony ParkesNobody seems to know when "box the gnat" took on the standardized meaning it has today inrecreational square and contra dancing. In Instant Hash (1962),… View item
Sound

Al Brundage - dance history

Note: The audio file sometimes takes a while to load, so be patient.This recording documents a presentation by Al Brundage about the history of square dancing. The tape label has no information about… View item
Moving Image

Just Because - Walter Lenk

Caller Walter Lenk, backed up by Tony Parkes, leads dancers through the singing square Just Because. Recorded at the Saturday night Grand Dance, January 1988, at the first Ralph Page Dance Legacy… View item
Website

Edson H. Cole - website

In her 1939 Folk Songs of Old New England, Eloise Hubbard Linscott writes, "Edson H. Cole of Freedom, New Hampshire, has been fiddler, caller, and dancing master for more than 30 years. When he was a… View item
Website

Edson Cole

This site looks at the career and music of Edson Cole, a New Hampshire fiddler and dancing master in the early part of the 1900s. Here, from a 78rpm recording, he is directing the changes for the… View item
Website

DOSADO.COM website

This is a vast site, formerly hosted by Hanhurst's Music Review Service and now (2016) owned by Paul and Mary Ellen Cote. It is a clearing house for all manner of dance information and resources,… View item
Moving Image

Ragtime Lonesome Me - Ted Lizotte and Paul Cote

These two modern square dance callers enjoy working together, billed as "The Duo." This video presents a collection of some of their singing square dance duets, recorded at a weekend at East Hill Farm… View item