I really should have checked in earlier on this thread because what I
have to say is somewhat related.
I have a friend and his wife who love square dancing and are part of a
dance group here in Hawaii. The town and area around Makawao, in
upcountry Maui, is known as paniolo (cowboy) country and we have rodeos
a number of times a year. The paniolos mostly work for the Haleakala
Ranch which has raised cattle for well more than 100 years.
In any case, he tells me that square dancers and callers used to prefer
78rpm records because they tracked true when everyone was jumping and
swinging and stomping around the floor; the other record speeds would
dance and jump too, and that didn't work so well, so they used 78s even
after 1960.
The hula halaus (schools) still use 45s (not so much stomping - body
movements are generally far more fluid) because they're easier to cue
than CDs or tape. In fact, until 5 years ago when they ceased operation
one could go down to Hokamas Appliance in Wailuku and purchase 49th
State hula 45s for $2 each for that very purpose.
Square dance 78s are still in use and traded within the square dance
communities and you can also find them on eBay upon occasion.
Malcolm R
*******
On 8/23/2011 11:55 PM, Andrew Hamilton wrote:
>>> On 8/22/2011 11:58 PM, Graham McDonald wrote:
>>> Folks,
>>>
>>> A question for the brains trust. We have discovered a stash of square
>>> dance records on 33rpm 7" microgroove acetates.
> And here I thought you were talking about square (shaped) Dance records.
> Seriously... (:
>
>> The 33 takes two seconds to get back to the place,
> We're only seeing about 1.8 seconds' rotation time, here, for 33.333... rpm
> (;
>
>
>
> Cheers,
> Andrew
>
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