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Country Dance and Song Society
Celebrating a Living Tradition of English
and Anglo-American Folk Dance
and Music since 1915
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| What's New: |
- 5/13/08: There is a nice article in Making Music about our Family Camps.
- 5/7/2008: Take a look at our new Youth Projects page and see what Ethan has been up to!
- 4/28/2008:We are delighted to welcome Jeff Martell of Greenfield, MA, as our new Sales and Services Manager. Jeff comes to us with many years' experience in sales and marketing, community organizing and outreach, and a long history with traditional music and dance. Jeff is a performer, playing clubs and festivals throughout the northeast, and is also a seasoned event producer and sound technician, notably for the Green River Festival and the Franklin County Fair. He invites you to please stop by and say hello if you are in the area!
- 4/15/08: CDSS is supporting and promoting two exciting
dance weekends focused on youth participation and leadership: Whipperstompers' Weekend, June
6-8 2008 in South Carolina and Youth Dance Weekend, September 12-14,
2008 in Vermont.
- 3/15/08: CDSS is pleased to announce the hiring of our first Youth Projects Intern: Ethan Hazzard-Watkins (Brattleboro Vermont) from a tremendously talented pool of applicants. Ethan is a fiddle player and promoter, booker and publicist for three nationally touring bands; teaches fiddle to adults and children; promotes and sells his own books of music; and has produced and promoted his own and other musicians’ CDs. He is a member of the committee that is producing the Youth Weekend in Vermont in September of 2008. We are all looking forward to a very exciting year!
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| CDSS Events of Note: |
- 4/12/08: Some of our summer programs still have space! See CDSS 2008 Summer Camp Schedule for details.
- 3/20/2008: Election Results: The following people were chosen as Board members at large in the recent run-off election: Carol Barry, Gaye Fifer, Brian Gallagher, Scott Higgs, Rosemary Lach, Pat Petersen, Gretchen Preston and Lisa Sieverts. They, and newly-elected secretary David Chandler, will take office at the Annual Meeting in May.
- 2/15/08: The long-awaited guide for event organizers is now up and running: Make It Happen! A Manual for Creating Leadership Training Events
- 2/8/08:CDSS announces the availability of Outreach Grants which can support a leadership training event in your area! See guidelines and application.
- CDSS announces a new matching scholarship program for youth attending BACDS summer music and dance camps! (pdf)
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| Site Updates: |
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Directions to the Office
The Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) is an association of people
and groups with a common interest in English and Anglo-American folk dance,
music and song. Our members are recreational dancers, musicians, singers,
teachers, callers, dance historians and people just having fun. The activities
of our affiliated groups include dances, concerts, song gatherings, festivals
and residential camps.
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Ring O'Bells Morris Team
photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution |
Our interests include a broad range of dance and music rooted in English
and Anglo-American traditions. Generally social and participatory, the
dances include traditional dances (contras, New England and Appalachian
squares, traditional English community dances, English and American step
and clog dances); historical dances (English country dances from the 17th
to 20th centuries and Early American country dances from the Revolutionary
era); and seasonal display dances (morris, rapper, longsword and garland).
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| photo by Nikki Silva |
Our musical interests include folk music, ballads and songs; traditional
and historical dance music; regional styles of vocal and instrumental
music; and early music for period instruments and voice.
CDSS leads workshops and leadership sessions at our summer camps and
occasionally with various groups throughout the country; we publish books
and recordings, a newsletter, occasional monographs and a directory of groups
throughout the USA and Canada; our sales department has a large selection
of materials available by mail order; and we provide information and advice
for the dance and song community.
A full-time director and staff work out of the CDSS headquarters in Haydenville,
Massachusetts. CDSS is a 501(c)(3) organization and is supported by membership dues, donations, program fees and sales.
Directions:
From South of Northampton on I-91: Take I-91 North to Exit 19
(Amherst/Northampton/Route 9). At the bottom of the exit ramp, go through
the light onto Damon Road and go 1 mile until the next light at King Street.
As you cross King, Damon Road becomes Bridge Road; stay on Bridge until
it ends (about 2-1/2 miles).
At the stop sign, turn right onto Route 9 and go 2-1/2 miles or
so into Williamsburg/Haydenville -- we're in an old brick building called
The Brassworks. Pass by the first parking area and the building; turn left
into the second parking area and park near the main building (the entrance
faces away from the road). Go through the large glass doors, past the elevator,
and turn right. Our office is at the end of the hallway. See you there!
From North of Northampton on I-91: Take I-91 South to Exit
20. This will put you on King Street. Take the first right onto Bridge
Road, go 2-1/2 miles to the stop sign and continue as above.
From Northampton: We're 6 miles from the center of Northampton.
Take Route 9 West, past Look Park and the VA Hospital into Williamsburg/Haydenville.
We're on the left, in The Brassworks.
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Phone: 413-268-7426
Fax: 413-268-7471
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Country Dance and Song Society
132 Main St/PO Box 338
Haydenville, MA 01039-0338
Office Hours M-F 9:30am - 5:00pm EST |
http://www.cdss.org/
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Maintained and updated by
Updated: