Square Dance History Project

Time 2021-10-10 09:07:43

Web Name: Square Dance History Project

WebSite: http://squaredancehistory.org

ID:200221

Keywords:

Dance,Square,Project,History,

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

Princess Elizabeth square dancing - 1951 Charley Thomas selling records Birdie in the Cage - Radiolab Tracie Hunte Dancers at Frank Fortune dance Old Folks Frolic About theSquare 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, butthere 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.

Still ImageRadio spots musicThis is a record with music of the right length for producing radio spots. See the related item for three examples. View itemSoundSquare Dance Radio SpotsThese are three radio ads that promote "modern American square dance." Each features a different well-known caller at the time:Don ArmstrongArnie KronenbergerAl BrundageThey were created View itemStill ImageBennie Cuje Bertramfrom the website of the Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historical Park "I was born August 24, 1894, in Fentress County on the Three Forks of the Wolf. Alvin York was our next door neighbor. His daddy was a View itemStill ImageGeorge Van Kleeck - Catskills callerThree photos of Catskills square dance caller George Van Kleeck. The third one was taken at the Catskills Folk Festival, c. 1941.For more information about Camp Woodland, see this site. The View itemStill ImageAl Brundage and Pete SeegerToday, it's easy to think of Al Brundage and Pete Seeger as inhabiting two different world, Brundage the popular caller of modern square dances and Seeger the singer and banjo player associated with View itemDocumentQuadrilles in Harlem - 1946Rod LaFarge was a caller, publisher, and dance historian, interested in all manner of dances. In this account, he describes visiting Harlem on several occasions-- LaFarge lived in New Jersey--to View itemSoundBob Dean - dances from Pocahontas County, WVBob Dean was invited to be on staff for the 1980 program at American Dance Music Week at Pinewoods Camp, a week sponsored by Country Dance and Song Society. This half hour recording by Ed Durham View itemSoundFenton Jonesy Jones - interviewThis lengthy interview (nearly three hours) with Fenton Jones was conducted by Bob Dalsemer and Drew Tronvig in Los Angeles in 1985. Dalsemer recalls: "In November, 1985 I toured the West Coast View itemDocumentHenry Ford Old Time Dances in VermontWhen thinking about Henry Ford's project to revive old-time dancing, it's easy to focus on his influence in the Midwest, reaching out from Benjamin Lovett's presence in Dearborn. These five newspaper View itemMoving ImageDean Edwards interviewDean Edwards was a square caller based in Colorado Springs for some 50 years. In this interview, he talks about his Fun Finders group and his approach to square dancing. Toward the end, he is asked View itemDocumentSquare-Dance Figures from Northern New York State, 1931Maud Karpeles was a close associate of Cecil Sharp, the English folksong collector and founder of the English Folk Dance Society. While in Appalachia in 1917, Sharp and Karpeles had their first View itemDocumentHipsters and Traditional/Old- Time Square DanceThe author looks at the rising popularity of square dance among young hipsters and sees in it, and its Appalachian roots, a desire for a homeplace :"For one such group, the ill- defined, often View item

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