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 been sparsely documented. Only a few currently published and available books offer any detailed discussion of the development of this form of American social dance. Four of those are described here in the KnowledgeBase:

• A Step in Time - The American Square Dance, by Dick Severance
• Step By Step Through Modern Square Dance History, by Jim Mayo
• As I Saw It - Bob Osgood, by Paul Moore
• Just Another Square Dance Caller, by Larada Horner-Miller

The Square Dance History Project (http://squaredancehistory.com) site offers hundreds of documents, sound clips, and videos that further illustrate this history.