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

Browse Items (185 total)

  • Subject is exactly "Modern square dance - general"
Moving Image

Bob Isaacs - Grid Square - Maze of Heys

Grid squares refers to a style of square dance where the choreography moves dancers from one square to another. Bob Isaacs is calling a dance he wrote, with music provided by the Clayfoot Strutters:… View item
Moving Image

Bob Isaacs - Grid Square - Balance The Grid

Grid squares refers to a style of square dance where the choreography moves dancers from one square to another. Bob Isaacs is calling a dance he wrote, with music provided by the Clayfoot Strutters:… View item
Sound

Shoo-Fly (clip) - Mac McKenrick

Singing square, called to the familiar children's song; not to be confused with the "Shoo-Fly Swing," a figure sometimes found at the end of big circle dances. View item
Sound

Doc Alumbaugh speaking to Al Brundage, 1957

Doc Alumbaugh, based in southern California, was one of the first traveling callers. In 1950, he founded Windsor Records, which became one of the foremost square dance record labels. (In addition to… View item
Website

50 Years of Square Dancing in Germany

The first square dance was held in Bremen on July 16, 1949, called by Paul Hartman and attended by five squares, mostly American servicemen and their guests. The event was a success and Hartman began… View item
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Marshall Flippo interview

Marshall Flippo is one of the most popular and durable of MWSD callers. This is a recent interview with him done at the Riverside County Square Dance Festival in November of 2011. View item
Website

How To Square Dance series

This square dance video teaches the following square dance calls on the mainstream list: Ocean Wave, Swing Thru, Run (Boys, Girls, Centers, Ends), Pass the Ocean, Trades (Boys, Girls, Ends, Centers),… View item
Moving Image

Mike DeSisto - Progressive Squares (MWSD)

Mike DeSisto calls a high energy "progressive squares" tip at the 26th annual IAGSDC square dance convention in Washington, DC on April 9, 2009. About 900 square dancers, their friends and families… View item
Still Image

Princess Elizabeth square dancing - 1951

These photographs of then Princess Elizabeth (and Prince Philip) square dancing took place during a visit to Canada in 1951. The press coverage helped spur the rapid growth of square dancing in that… View item
Document

MWSD - The First Ten Years

This article by Jim Mayo looks at the first ten years of what is usually called Modern Western Square Dancing. Jim traces the development of the activity in detail, citing specific callers and their… View item
Document

Calling for Modern Square Dancing - Jim Mayo

Author Jim Mayo writes:"This book is, I believe, the first "Caller Text" that was written for modern (as different from traditional) square dance callers. The draft was written in 1961 & 62 which… View item
Website

Ralph Sweet's Personal Square Dance History

This is a 2005 presentation by Ralph Sweet to NECCA (New England Council of Callers Associations), a group of MWSD callers. Reviewing his own interest in this activity provided Ralph with an… View item