About the Square Dance History Project
Square dancing has been an integral part of American social life for centuries. Traditional square dance was vital for generations of Americans, especially in rural communities; in the post-World War II era, modern square dance similarly enjoyed participants numbering in the millions.
Despite its popularity, the history of square dance has not been well documented. Scores of books explain specific figures and calls, but there are few current sources that offer a detailed discussion of the development of this form of American social dance. We hope this site helps to fill that need.
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Junior Kentucky Briar Hoppers
Estil McNew was a caller who led a group called the Kentucky Briar Hoppers. They danced at the Renfro Valley Barn Dance and appeared (as The Midwesterners) on Midwestern Hayride on WLW radio and… View itemSound
Quadrilles with Calls
This 1941 recording (78rpm) features the American Square Dance Group headed by Margot Mayo, with prompting by Manny Wiener. The Lancers:
Figures 1 & 2
Figures 3 & 4
Figure 5
Plain… View itemDocument
The Dance Beat: The Kentucky Running Set
This article is the first of a series of columns found in the magazine The Old-Time Herald, published from 1987 to 2023. As of May 1, 2026, the entire Old-Time Herald archive is available via The… View itemSound
Ed Durlacher - Square Dance Calling Course
In this series of three LP records, Ed Durlacher presents an introduction to square dance calling. He usually introduces each topic with a lengthy discussion, then follows with a series of exercises,… View itemSound
Bumps-A-Daisy
The figures of this dance mirror the basic pattern found in Solomon Levi, Nelly Bly, and others; each couple in turn stands back to back, dances around the outside of the set-- in this one, just… View itemDocument
No Swing Hash
In the early 1950s, callers were delivering prearranged sequences. The pages of Sets in Order were filled with such routines, generally short with a distinctive gimmick in each. In this example,… View itemDocument
Community Squares - Ed Durlacher
Writing for Sets in Order, Ed Durlacher looks back at his successful program of outdoor dancing in New York City parks.===The first evening was more or less a nightmare. ... From the hundred or so the… View itemDocument
Saturday Night in Central Park
This song is from a 1947 musical, Make Mine Manhattan, and refers to the popular Saturday night square dances led by Ed Durlacher in Central Park. Clearly, the dances were enough of a phenomenon that… View itemWebsite
First Lady to the Right - Joe Robertson
The recording comes from a Fretless album, 1973, with Robertson accompanying himself on electric guitar. Robertson, a stone mason from White Creek, NY, close to the Vermont border, was also an… View itemDocument
Polonaise - Grand March
This is a detailed look at the history of the Polonaise, known in the US as the Grand March. Thee name "polonaise" speaks to Polish roots. The author cites a 1685 description of the dance,… View itemWebsite