Guide to the David Millstone Collection 1964-2016

Collection number: MC 305 [partially offsite]
Size: (10 boxes) (5 cu.ft.)

About David Millstone

David Millstone is a folk dance teacher, caller, and historian from northern New Hampshire, and a prolific author and documentarian on contemporary and historical New England contra and square dance. He curates the Square Dance History Project and is a past president of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS). Millstone maintains an active calling, teaching, and research schedule throughout New England and beyond.

Notable publications and documentaries include:

Paid To Eat Ice Cream: Bob McQuillen and New England Contra Dancing (documentary, 2001)
What's Not To Like?: A Community Contra Dance (documentary, 2002)
The Other Way Back: Dancing With Dudley (documentary about caller Dudley Laufman, 2007)
Cracking Chestnuts (with David Smukler), Easthampton, MA: Country Dance and Song Society, 2008
"Contra Dance History," a chapter in Dance a While (10th ed.), Anne Pittman, Marlys Waller, Cathy Dark, eds. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2008.
We Find No Harm In Dancing: Shaker Marches and Dances (documentary, 2008)
Sweet Talk (documentary about caller Ralph Sweet, 2008)

About the David Millstone Collection

This collection contains interviews, photographs, audiovisual recordings, correspondence, lecture notes, articles, posters, and similar material related to Millstone's calling, dance organization, documentary production, and historical dance research between 1964 and 2019.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

This collection is open.

Please note: Boxes 9-10 of this collection are stored in the library's offsite storage facility and require 48 hours' notice to access. Please contact Special Collections staff for further information.

Copyright Notice

Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], [Folder Number], [Box Number], David Millstone Collection, 1964-2016, MC 305, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.

Acquisitions Information

Multiple donations of the creator, 2016-2019

Collection Arrangement

Collection is in original order as received.

Collection Contents

Series 1: Research, Dance Publicity, and Photographs, 1964-2006
Series 2: Audio/Visual Materials [stored offsite], 1967-2008

Series 1: Research, Dance Publicity, and Photographs, 1964-2006

(8 boxes/2.5 cubic feet)

Series 1 contains historical dance research, dance programs from events and dance camps Millstone called or otherwise participated in, information on specific New England musicians and callers including Ralph Page, Ralph Sweet, Dudley Laufman, Ted Sannella and others, and photographic prints and negatives documenting several decades of musicians and dancers.

Box 1
		Correspondence and Interviews, 1992-2007 Correspondence, 2014 Rickey Holden, 1992 Dudley Laufman, 2004 Andy Davis, 2006 Sylvia Miskoe, 2006 Sarah Bauhan, 2000 Tafi Brown, n.d. Fred Breunig, 2009 Kate Barnes and Peter Barnes, 2006 Jack Beard, 2006 Dillon Buston, 2004 Susen Elberger, 2004 Steve Hickman, 2006 Sarah Gregory Smith and Bill Smith, 2006 Julianan Stevens, 2006 Ralph Sweet, 2007 Marianne Taylor, 2006 Kate Spencer, 2006 Ed Durham (obituary), 1995
Box 2
		Memorabilia, ca. 1980-2016 Programs covering Millstone's calling activities throughout New England and beyond, listing the bands, venues, and other details. Muskeg Music (Folk music and dance organization that David helped found in 1978). Includes copy of the Unwritten Rules that he created for the Muskeg Board.
Box 3
		Memoriablia/Calling Gigs ca. 2000-2006 The first part of this box contains items related to the Northern Spy contra dance band from northern New Hampshire, interviews with Millstone, articles he wrote, photographs, and related materials. The second part of the box focuses on calling gigs. Northern Spy (2 folders). Includes article about Spy2K, Northern Spy's 20th anniversary in 2000 Documenting a Dance with Video – article Contra choreography for demonstrations e-mail from Ben Bergstein from Green Mountain Volunteers Vermont Folklife mentor/apprenticeship with Delia Clark, 2004-2005 DHM's liner notes for Contra Roots and Branches, 2004 (includes correspondence with musicians) Photos from Genny and Jack Shimer's albums (CD) Is Nelson the Center of the Contra Dance Universe? (Notes for a talk in 2008) Contra dance e-mail publicity- signup list Dancing with children – thank you notes and artwork Contra Dance – paper focused on Norwich dance by four Dartmouth students, 2001 DHM interviewed by Bob Brundage, 2004 DHM interviewed by Valley News, 2004 DHM profiled by George Stern, 2005 “Contra Calling,” DHM's first article in CDSS News, 2000 “Contra Dancing: The Upper Valley's Swing Set” - Here in Hanover, 2002 “The Lure of the Dance, New Hampshire Magazine, 20 Calling Gigs, 2006-2012 DHM gigs 2011 and 2012 English and American Week at Pinewoods Camp, 2010 Winter Dance Week, John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC, 2009 CDSS Family Camp, Timber Ridge, High View, West Virginia, 2009 Star Hampshire, 2009 Country Dance Tour, Czech Republic 2008 CDSS Family Camp, Timber Ridge, High View, West Virginia, 2008 Denmark dance calling, 2007 Camp Wannadance, Washington state, 2007 Spring Dance Weekend, Circle Lodge, Hopewell Junction, NY, 2007 Old Songs festival, 2007 We Find No Harm in Dancing – Shaker dance documentary video by DHM (folder includes a DVD of the finished film) Murray Lerner video footage of Newport Folk Festival (this footage was used in The Other Way Back, Dudley Laufman documentary) English Week, Pinewoods, 2007 Star Hampshire, 2007 Fandango, English country dance weekend, Atlanta, 2007 Winter Dance Week, John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC, 2006 CDSS Family Week, Ogontz camp, Lyman, NH 2006 Country Dance Tour, Czech Republic, 2006 FolkMADness camp, New Mexico, 2006
Box 4
		Calling Gigs, 1999-2005 Country Dance Festival, Prague, 2005 – first time DHM called in Prague Notes for Callers' Class, 2005 Flock promo video, 2005 An Artist's Truth – video about Sol Levenson, 2005 Star Arts conference, Star Island, 2005 Revels North – Solstice Festival, 2005 Denmark, 2005 – notes for dance history lecture Norway & Denmark, 2005 – exchange trip with Maple Leaf Morris team teenage girls' morris team trip to Telemark in February; DHM calling in Denmark immediately afterwards CDs of photographs – exchange between teenage Norwegian & US dancers Christmas Revels video, 2004 Fall Dance Weekend, John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC, 2004 Fall Weekend camp, Monte Toyon, CA, 2004 Star Hampshire, 2004 Northwest Passage Camp, Oregon, 2004 Champlain Folk Festival, Burlington, VT, 2004 CDSS Family Week, Ogontz Camp, Lyman, NH, 2004 (separate folder for Binghamton Stick Dance taught to kids) Winnipeg Dance Weekend, 2004 — English country dance and contra dance Cracking Chestnuts workshop, Fayetteville (Syracuse), New York, 2004 NH State Council on the Arts, grant to Ralph Page weekend, 2004 Christmas Revels video, 2003 Summer Solstice Revels, Revels North, 2003 Folk Arts Center of New England, camp at Pinewoods, 2002 Celebrate Bob McQuillen, 2001 – DHM's notes planning the Retrospective session Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington, DC, 1999
Box 5
		Dance History Resources and Articles Dance Bibliography – Michael McKernan (Annotated Bibliography on social dance history, 2004) Miscellaneous articles Contra Dance History: items that were included in the Contra Dance Diaspora collection. Square Dance in Movies Dancing in Movies Square Dance History Project Puritans and Music Cotillon / Cotillion / Quadrille Cotillion / Quadrille Misc. Dance History Dancing at the Dawn of Agriculture CDSS history Dance History – Michael McKernan Dance History – The Newport La Contredanse – Guilcher Czarnowski – Dances of Early California Arthur Murray – Social Dancing Mormons and dancing
Box 6
		Dance History Resources (cont.) Linscott – Folk Songs of Old New England Ira Laby – personal history & Old Joe Clark's John Newton biography David Park Williams Come and Trip It - liner notes African-American roots Afro-Chesapeake Inventions of American Dance (book chapter) American Square Dancing in Three Sections of Maryland and the District of Columbia (Ruth A. Jehle, master's thesis, 1943) – photocopy of unpublished thesis Berea Country Dancers Southern Missouri Jig Dance Square Dances and Fiddle Tunes of New England (unpublished ms by Eloise Hubbard Linscott; photocopy from American Folklife Center, Library of Congress) Mary McNair ms (UNH) – New England Dances Monadnock Dance History – Ralph Page Nelson, NH Monadnock Dance History (research paper by Katey Zeigler, Hampshire College, 1974) New England Taverns Danville & Peacham, Vermont Pomfret, Vermont, 1905 French Canadian to Franco-American: A Study of the Music Culture of Derby, Vermont, honors thesis, Wesleyan, 1981 Sashay – Emerson Lang, Danbury, Vermont Upstate New York – James Kimball Jack Arehart's Square Dance Calls – upstate New York
Box 7
		Dance History Resources (cont.) Contra Chestnuts – video Hull's Victory Money Musk “Chestnuts” Retrospective – Ralph Page weekend, 2004 Contra dances, older versions, Ed Larkin dancers, etc. Contra – dress codes, costume Dance History – old flyers, brochures Bad contra contest, 1983 NEFFA sites Dance – archival information “How To Play for a Dance” - Phil Jamison DoSiDo history – Phil Jamison Historic callers Dudley Laufman Ted Glabach Ralph Page Ralph Page bio Glenn Pease – Orford, NH Ted Sannella interview Ralph Sweet – history and NECCA talk Tod Whittemore Correspondence with Ted Sannella and Larry Jennings
Box 8
		History; Documentary Transcriptions; Photographs Square Dance Family Tree Calling Squares Ted Sannella – squares manuscript Ted Sannella CD published by CDSS May Queen – Allison Thompson Oyster Suppers – Michael McKernan Transcriptions and logs from Paid To Eat Ice Cream Photographs including the following individuals and events: Spring Dance Weekend, Circle Lodge, Hopewell Junction, NY (May 30 – June 1, 2003) - band number one Mary Lea, Lise Brown, Kate Barnes and Peter Barnes, Goldcrest (band, members Daron Douglas, Paul Oorts, Dave Wiesler), callers Sue Rosen and Scott Higgs, and dancers including Sheila Moran. Local Musicans: Carol Compton, Byron Smith, Doug Creighton, Chris Levey, Andy Stewart, Thal Aylward CDSS Board and staff: Brad Foster, Marian Rose, Linda Henry, Joan Hellman, Brooke Friendly, Joseph Pimentel, Tom Siess, Roger Diggle, Mary Jane Schladweiler Others: Steve Zakon-Anderson, Deanna Stiles, Jane Orzechowski, Northern Spy and Lamprey River Band members, Peterborough dance, Harvey Tolman, Bob McQuillen, members of Northern Spy, many others

Series 2: Audio/Visual Materials [stored offsite], 1967-2008

(2 boxes/2.00 cubic feet)

Audio/visual materials in VHS, CD, DVD, mini-DV, and minidisc formats documenting important events in the dance community's history, historical footage from archives, informal events, raw material from Millstone's documentaries, and much more.

Box 9
	Documentaries This box contains the raw footage for several of Millstone's documentaries, informational community dance footage, and dance-related audiovisual materials from other sources.
	We Find No Harm in Dancing (Millstone, 2008) Footage that was the basis of documentary about Shaker Dance. Interviews with Mary Ann Haagen, director of Enfield Shaker Singers. 5 reels of dance footage and B roll
	An Artist's Truth: The Shaker Murals of Sol Levenson (Millstone, 2005) Footage that was the basis of documentary about famed muralist. Levenson was the recipient of several Fulbright awards to teach mural painting.
	Paid To Eat Ice Cream (Millstone, 2001) Documentary about famed dance musician Bob McQuillen of western NH. Interviews: Bob McQuillen (5 tapes); Dudley Laufman; Ernie Spence; Sylvia Miskoe; Rodney Miller; Russell, Sophie & Jane Orzechowski; Jim Kennedy; Marianne Taylor; Tafi Brown; Peter Barnes; Jeremiah McLane; Sarah Bauhan; Deanna Stiles; Francis Orzechowski. Other contemporary footage: Orzechowski family playing music; Mike Gowell piece from NHPublic TV about Canterbury Orchestra; Dudley busking at fair with Sylvia Miskoe, Patty Laufman, April Limber; Michael Herman footage from NY Public Library – incl. Ralph Page. Older dance footage of McQuillen: Cambridge VFW, 1983; Canterbury Orchestra, Fitzwilliam; Old TV program on Dudley Laufman; Tod Whittemore, New Year's Dance; Nelson dance, 1986; VFW Halloween party; Peterborough 1967; Sarah Bauhan on Zoom TV show, 1973; Canterbury Orchestra reunion; Canterbury Orchestra at Wolf Trap Folk Festival, 1974; Stills and misc. video clips.
	Community Dance Footage & Others' Documentaries: The Complete Bascom Lamar Lunsford Bluegrass Story, David Hoffman Together in Time, Steve Alves Medicine Fiddle (Métis fiddle and dance), Michael Loukinen also accompanying booklet Jean Carignan, violoneux, National Film Board of Canada (in French) Paid To Eat Ice Cream, David Millstone What's Not To Like?, David Millstone Talk with George Hodgson, 2004 George Hodgson, Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, 1997 Ralph Page Sampler of seven contra bands, Bob Caouette Four VT videos, including Green Mountain Land by David Flaherty. This includes footage of Brattleboro caller Ted Glabach New England Fiddles, John Bishop New England Dances, John Bishop Two English country dances from The Christmas Revels, Revels North, Hanover, NH Jenny Pluck Pears (Playford) and The Joker (Michael Ciccone) Contra Dance, David Hoffman (Dudley Laufman et. al., recorded in Veterans Memorial Hall, Richmond, NH, 1964 Fiddles on the Tobique, 1998 New Hampshire Chronicles feature on contra dancing New Hampshire Crossroads, program on contra dancing New Hampshire Crossroads, program on contra dancing, 1989 - includes Tod Whittemore, Bob McQuillen & Rodney Miller, Marianne Taylor Two animated films with dance sequences: Crac!, by Frédéric Back, 1981 and Log Driver's Waltz, National Film Board of Canada, 1979 music by Kate & Anna McGarrigle and the Mountain City Four Bannerman Camp 1984, incl. footage of Ralph Page teaching Money Musk Country Corners, Dick Nevell and Bob Fiore Lamplighter's Hornpipe, five versions taught by Fred Breunig, RPDLW, 2004 Samples of dances in Hollywood films, collected by Allan Brozek “Dancing Through the Ages” - RPDLW 2000 Bob McQuillen Retrospective, RPDLW 2001 Tribute to Bob McQuillen, filmed by Fred Sheldon Square Dance Retrospective, led by Tony Parkes, RPDLW 2003 Pourparler conference, Colrain, MA, 2001 – three tapes (Pourparler is an annual gathering of teachers of traditional dance who work in school and community settings) Paid To Eat Ice Cream, David Millstone, 2001 The Visible Anthem, Lloyd Shaw Foundation, 1972 Dance Sampler, PAL format Documenting a Dance, David Millstone, film clips to show various options Dance Flurry, 1993 Contra sampler, including some Hollywood footage Duke Miller dance, from Ernie Spence David Millstone & Old New England, July 2, 1994 Dance at Green Mountain Film Festival; David Millstone & Old New England; March 23, 2002; dance held in conjunction with screening of Paid To Eat Ice Cream Contra Dancing, Henry Morgenstein, 1996 Ted Glabach calls 3 dances, August 8, 1997, Dover Common also Ted Glabach, September 9, 1997 also Bob Livingston, October 17, 1997 Fall Dance, Canadian Olde Tyme Square Dance Callers' Association, 2001 Dance Flurry sampler, 1993, including Tony Parkes and Yankee Ingenuity, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, many more DVD, Pourparler conference, Willliamsville, VT, 2007
Box 10
	Raw Footage: Documentaries and Community Events 229 digital videotapes, mostly 60 minutes, including original footage for dances and interviews incorporated into documentaries by David Millstone:
	Documentaries: Paid To Eat Ice Cream What's Not To Like? Sweet Talk We Find No Harm in Dancing (Shaker dance) Maple Leaf Morris Dancers Visit Norway (2003) (Exchange trip from Upper Valley teenage girls morris team to Telemark, Norway) Dancing in Westport, MA
	Further materials: Additional interviews include Renn Tolman, Kathy Anderson, Rickey Holden, Lisa Greenleaf, Pierre Chartrand, Westport dancers Footage at various dance events and other music/dance related items, including New England Folk Festival, Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, Pinewoods, Kwackfest in Peterborough, Central City CO (archival footage!), Tech Squares dance weekend, Dance Flurry (Saratoga Springs), Dudley Laufman's 80th birthday party, West Newbury (Adam Boyce calling), Peterborough Snow Ball, Cracking Chestnuts session in Syracuse, Wentworth NH (Lester Bradley), Money Musk party, Tunbridge World's Fair (Ed Larkin Dancers), Northern Spy dance in Norwich, and many more venues