Square Dance Foundation of New England

1976 Portland, ME Convention

2012 Hartford, CT Convention

1976 Portland, ME Convention

2012 Hartford, CT Convention

Welcome to the Square Dance Foundation of New England!

The Library/Museum of the Square Dance Foundation of New England (SDFNE) has been closed, however the SDFNE continues to exists as an online entity at: http://www.sdfne.org. It is important to realize that a large collection of materials from the SDFNE collection are available on the SDFNE.org web site. Most important among these are the full set of Bob Brundage interviews with more than 100 leading square dance people from the past 60 or more years and the complete digitized issues of the New England Caller/Northeast Square Dancer magazines. The complete publications of five major caller note services are also available on the web site. There are many other items available for viewing.

The collection of historical materials has been transferred to the University of New Hampshire. The Milne Special Collections Library there has what is probably the largest collection of square dance related material anywhere in the world. As we closed our museum we moved a huge amount of books, documents, recordings, photographs and other items to the UNH Library. These added to the already substantial collections we had been sending over the past decade. The task of organizing and cataloging this material will take years. To help support the University’s work on this task the SDFNE has recently made a contribution of $5000 and we hope to continue this support in the future.

Many of the books and records that we have shared with UNH over the past decade have already been cataloged and are listed on the UNH web site. To search for books use the web address: https://www.library.unh.edu/ then enter the keyword SDFNE. Click here to look for records and enter the collection name SDFNE. Other types of materials will require a more specific identification and help with searching the very complete donation lists that the Foundation has on our computers. If you are searching for something like that, contact Jim Mayo: jmayo329@aol.com or John Wedge: jbwedge@gmail.com.

In November of 2016, the SDFNE transferred much of the remainder of it's museum documents and artifacts to the Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, NY. At this time, Square Dancing is not yet mentioned on the web site of the Museum of Dance, however they have informed us that they will be featuring a special page and a display on Square Dancing in the near future. Our contact is programming and outreach director coordinator, Jessica Munson. Her email address is: info@dancemuseum.org. They're web site is: http://www.dancemuseum.org/.

Also, check out the Square Dance History Site at: https://squaredancehistory.org/.

1995 – Bill & Jill Calderone

Round dance Cuers & Teachers Bill and Jill Calderone are known nationwide as the composers of the Round Dance “Cab Driver”. At home they are known particularly for their compassion and willingness to use square and round dancing as a means to provide pleasure for the elderly and emotionally …

1995 – Dick & Judy Severance (NH)

Square Dance Leaders Dick and Judy graduated in 1971 from Queen City Promenaders in Manchester, N.H. and, typically, started the Club’s Newsletter the next year. They’ve been making news ever since, as writers of the “Square Beat” column in the Manchester Union Leader and Northeast Square Dancer, as well as …

1995 – Earl & Marion Johnston (CT)

Square Dance Caller & Teacher Pioneers in bringing modern western square dancing to New England, Earl and Marion Johnston became household names to thousands of dancers. Such a team of leaders, the unmistakable voice of the skillful choreographer on the one hand, and the ever present business partner and “Girl …

1994 – Fred & Betty Smith

Square Dance Leaders The strength of our activity is dancer leadership and dedication. These special attributes are clearly shown in the couple we pay homage to, Fred & Betty Smith. Fred & Betty Smith not only enjoy the dancing but work to ensure that others may also enjoy our activity. …

1994 – Bill & Angie Sutherland (MA)

Square Dance Leaders Bill and Angie Sutherland entered the wonderful world of square dancing in 1967 with the Fairtown Squares where they became President in 1973-74. Annual club anniversary celebrations became habit forming as they were involved with many. Out of their initial involvement they emerged as Vice Chainman of …

1994 – Howard & Marian Hogue (MA)

Square Dance Caller & Teacher Howard Hogue, affectionately known as “Hogie”, had a major influence on the advancement of Square Dancing in New England. His generosity, unselfishness and thoughtfulness were his hallmark. For over a decade Howard’s energy and influence played a very large part in the growth of square …