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

Browse Items (1941 total)

Moving Image

Four in Line - Bill O'Brien

Fall dance of the Canadian Olde Tyme Square Dance Callers' Association, a group formed in 1954 to preserve and promote Canadian square dancing. Recorded November 17, 2001, Etobicoke (near Toronto),… View item
Sound

El Paso Star - Bill McGrath

Bill McGrath was one of the leading callers in Australia, a self-taught patter caller based in Melbourne. View item
Document

A Few Square Dance Calls from Bill McAdoo

Editor Larry Edelman writes: "I collected these figures in the mid-1980’s at the Independence Grange Hall Dance in Independence, Washington County in southwestern Pennsylvania. During my visits,… View item
Sound

Bill McAdoo – Independence, PA – 1979

These are recordings of caller Bill McAdoo at the Independence, PA dance in 1979. Bob Dalsemer writes, "Most are from 4/21/1979 and a few from 9/8/1979. I always thought Bill was one of the best of… View item
Document

A Look at Southern Squares - Document by Bill Martin

Bill Martin was a pivotal figure in the revival of old-time square dancing in the Pacific Northwest and, by extension, elsewhere throughout the U.S. This information was originally posted on the … View item
Website

A Look at Southern Squares

Bill Martin writes: "These many pages represent all the information I could find about Southern mountain square dancing. Over the years I continue to find errors and clueless guesswork here and there.… View item
Document

Square Dance sources

Bill Martin was an active promoter of square dancing, inspiring musicians and callers to revive older squares and to establish new series. His Bubba Guitar website was a hub of terrific resources,… View item
Document

Square Dance Magazines

This short article from 1996 provides a brief summary of the leading square dance magazines, as well as background information about the founders. View item
Document

Pam McKeever - biography

Biographical information about caller Pam McKeever, Albuquerque View item
Moving Image

Bill Litchman - oral history

This is an interview conducted with Bill Litchman as part of the research into preparing a 2018 exhibit on "Square Dancing in the American West" at the University of Denver. Litchman discusses his own… View item
Moving Image

Blue Tail Fly / Jimmy Crack Corn - singing square

Bill Litchman calls the figures for this singing square, presented in 1991 at a dance workshop in Belgium. Bill comments: "I used the figure called by Melton Lutrell on the Square L recording… View item
Document

Western Square Dances at Fox Creek, Colorado (ca. 1880-1930)

Article based on conversations with Bessie Stafford from the San Luis Valley, western Colorado. "In these early days, the dances were held outside on the hard dirt, the music being supplied by… View item