What's New

• 9/20/08: Ethan attended the Swallowtail 30th Anniversary Celebration and led a discussion about the Next 30 Years to highlight the importance of recruiting new dancers, musicians, callers and organizers to keep dance and music traditions strong into future generations.
• 9/14/08: Youth Dance Weekend was a tremendous success, with around 160 people from all over the US and Canada getting together to dance, sing, play, discuss youth leadership, and get to know each other. We had lots of contra, English, and swing dancing, camper-led late night activities, shape note singing, wonderful food, and an excellent group of people involved. Look for more in the CDSS News later this fall...
  
• 8/27/08: I dropped by Pinewoods English and American week to participate in "Big Themes" discussions about Youth and Outreach, and to make myself known to the E&A crowd. I spoke with a number of people looking for ideas about reaching out to young people in their own communities, and offered advice I've gleaned in my travels so far.
• 8/16/08: I attended CDSS' concurrent Family/English and American weeks at Timber Ridge, where I met a slew of talented up-and-coming leaders currently occupying positions on crew or in scholarship jobs helping make the camp run. The future looks bright in this scene. We brainstormed some ideas about Camp programs for young adults, which may evolve into a specialized leadership course next year. Stay tuned!
• 8/8/08: I attended Maine Fiddle Camp, a gathering of fiddlers and other traditional musicians in the woods of central Maine. MFC excels at attracting musicians of all ages and varying abilities, and offering opportunities to learn musical skills in an exciting, challenging and fun context. People there were excited to hear about youth programs at CDSS, and I had some great discussions about what makes MFC successful at attacting young people.
• 7/29/08: I dropped by Family week at Pinewoods and had some great discussions with campers, crew and staff. A major theme of these conversations: what happens to teenagers in the dance and music scene who feel too old for family-oriented programs and a little too young for adult dances? Want to weigh in? Email me!
• 6/9/08: I braved the heat and humidity to attend the first Whipperstomper's Weekend at Table Rock State Park in SC. More than 100 folks from all over the east coast and midwest gathered for a weekend of sweaty dancing, great music, leadership discussions, and dance skills workshops. Age range? Let's just say I was bringing up the average:) Here's a little video clip, featuring music by the Corn Stalkers:
  
  
  Whipperstompers 2008 - Sunday - Video 1 from Steve Terleski on Vimeo.
• 5/7/08:I gave a brief presentation to the CDSS Board outlining the work I plan to do in the coming year. Members of the Board provided some useful contacts and suggestions, as well as a very enthusiastic vote of confidence in our new initiatives.
• 4/26/08: I attended NEFFA where I danced with people I haven't seen in years, hung out at the CDSS booth and participated in Julia and Brian's "Contra Dance: The Next Generation" discussion. Brian and Julia have many useful ideas about promoting dance events on college campuses and making dances accessible to young people. I'll post some of their notes soon...
• 4/19/08: I attended the Dandelion Romp at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH. This incredible festival is organized by the Oberlin Contra Club, a group of students with strong ties to CDSS and Pinewoods. I facilitated a discussion about young people in contra dance, and recruited some eager volunteers to help develop Starter Kits for college contras and Morris teams.

Projects

Ethan is working on a number of projects, including:

• Starter Kits: Let's say you want to start a brand new contra dance on your college campus, or a Rapper team at your high school. We want to provide you with everything you need to do it, and do it well. A Starter Kit from CDSS will be a package of materials, resources, contacts, and supplies that will take you through the whole process. If you have experience organizing events or groups and want to be involved in creating Starter Kits, get in touch.
• Youth Talent Database: So you got that college dance started, but how will you find a talented, charismatic young caller to lead the next dance? Now that your Rapper team has a few dances under its belt, why not look for a real live teacher to instruct you on a more complex figure? Consult the CDSS youth talent database! We're developing a listing of young people with exceptional talent, those doing important work, people with relevant expertise, and mentors of all ages who are eager to help. If you or someone you know would like to be included in the database, let me know.
• Wandering Youth Guru: As Youth Projects Intern I'll be traveling around the US and Canada to dance and music events, looking to make connections with people in different communities, learn about success stories, and offer assistance where possible. If you think I should make an appearance where you live, drop me a line.

Map of Ethan's travels

Take a look at the map below to keep track of where Ethan has been (blue) and is going (red). Click on a marker to get more info, or click below to go to the Google Maps site, where you can access more features and post your comments.