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

Browse Items (1930 total)

Website

Eastern Kentucky Folk Dancing Oral History Project

This is a collection of recorded interviews that document the development of traditional square and related dance activity in southeastern Kentucky. The interviews were with mostly elderly residents… View item
Document

Easy Key Handbook of Square Dance Fundamentals

In the 1950s, square dancing in many locations was changing from traditional to modern squares, moving away from a complete set of patterns to a system in which dancers would learn basic figures that… View item
Document

Ed Austin's Life in Dance

This autobiography by Ed Austin focuses on his lifetime involvement with traditional dance, including a detailed description of the dances he filmed in Central City, Colorado. Click here to watch his… View item
Sound

Ed Charette – French-Canadian Squares, #1
Chicopee, MA, mid-1950s

The tune is Les Fraises et les Framboises. Live recording made by Dudley Laufman, and released on cassette as "Traditional and Ethnic Square Dance Music of New England –… View item
Sound

Ed Charette – French-Canadian Squares, #3
Chicopee, MA, mid-1950s

The tune is My Little Girl Live recording made by Dudley Laufman, and released on cassette as "Traditional and Ethnic Square Dance Music of New England – 1955-1957." Dudley Laufman… View item
Sound

Ed Charette – French-Canadian Squares, #2
Chicopee, MA, mid-1950s

The tune is Miss MacLeod's Reel. Live recording made by Dudley Laufman, and released on cassette as :Traditional and Ethnic Square Dance Music of New England – 1955-1957." Dudley… View item
Moving Image

Ed Durlacher - Central Park Newsreel

Newsreel footage of square dancing in Central Park, New York City, in the 1940s. Ed Durlacher called to crowds in the thousands. Famed news photographer Weegee was one who documented this series; a… View item
Still Image

Ed Durlacher - Central Park, photos

Photographs documenting Ed Durlacher's series of dances in Central Park, New York City. These date from August, 1946. View item
Still Image

Ed Durlacher - World's Fair, 1940

The description on this publiicity photo from the 1940 New York World's Fair reads: FAIR STAGES WORLD'S BIGGEST BARN DANCE More than 700 square dancers, hill billy bands and square… View item
Still Image

Ed Durlacher (photos)

Two photos of New York caller Ed Durlacher, one showing him in regular clothing behind the microphone and one where he's in full dance caller regalia. Both photos are from newspaper files; one is… View item
Sound

Ed Gilmore - live recording - 1958

This live recording of three dances called by Ed Gilmore comes from Don Ward's Podbean site.After a musical introduction, the recording starts with Ward's comments and then moves to the dances: 3:15… View item
Still Image

Ed Gilmore - albums

These album covers show two recordings by the influential California dance caller Ed Gilmore. In the first cover, Chip Hendrickson is on the left dancing with wife Elaine and Al Brundage on the right… View item