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

Browse Items (357 total)

  • Collection: Northern squares
Sound

Duck for Oysters (clip) - Burns & Wheeler

"Duck for the Oyster, Dig for the Clams" is surely one of the most common traditional square dance figures. There are many examples of this dance on the SDHP website. Here it's "Duck for Oysters,… View item
Document

Duck for the Oyster - origins

This discussion of Duck for the Oyster was an e-mail from the author, Tony Parkes, to the coordinator of the Square Dance History Project. A search on this site for "oyster" will bring back numerous… View item
Moving Image

Dudley Laufman - Monadnock Muddle

This dance comes from the repertoire on the great New England caller, Ralph Page, and is called here by Dudley Laufman in the "Retrospective" session at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, January… View item
Website

Duke Miller website

Duke Miller was a square dance caller (and a wrestling coach) in Gloversville, NY, and later became a popular caller for summertime dances in the Monadnock region of southwestern New Hampshire. His… View item
Sound

East Meets West (clip) - Lawrence Loy

Lawrence Loy was from western Massachusetts but this recording, with its apt title, shows the influence of the western style of dance, with changing choreography. After generic opening figures, two… 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
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
Moving Image

Engine #9 - Bob Livingston

Bob Livingston, caller, with the Falltown String Band: Jack Arensmeyer, acoustic guitar and mandolin; Jason Burbank, keyboard, fiddle; Jack Nelson, bass; Champ Dickinson, electric guitar, and Linwood… View item
Document

Fall Lake George - outing clubs

This 2007 newspaper article describes an annual gathering of outing clubs at Lake George, New York. For many decades, young people interested in outdoor activities-- hiking, canoeing, rock climbing,… View item
Sound

Farmer's Daughter (clip) - Ed Bossing

Ed Bossing was director of the Rocky Mount Folk and Square Dance Summer School in Denver, and was employed regularly by the Chicago public school system. He authored the Handbook of Square Dancing,… View item