Country Dance & Song Society

Individuals nourished and communities strengthened by dancing, singing, and making music together

We connect and support people in building and sustaining vibrant communities through participatory dance, music, and song. We steward the living traditions of English country dance, contra and square dance, morris and sword dance, and the music that is an integral part of these traditions. Learn more

Giving to CDSS is a vote for joy and positivity.

Donate to our spring appeal today

Help us reach our goal of 100 donors!

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Total raised so far towards our goal of $40,000!

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What’s New

From the Mic Episode 8: Chris Ricciotti
In episode 8 of From the Mic, Mary talks with Chris Ricciotti, a pioneer in gender-free contra dancing. Chris says, “There’s no greater love than bringing new people into a dance and having them smile and say, I love this, I want to come back. That gives me the biggest thrill and the biggest feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction and joy.”
Check out the last Web Chat: Building Cultural Equity in Communities
The slideshow, video, transcript, and resources from our October 2022 Web Chat are now available. We heard from organizers who have used CDSS grants to provide diversity, equity, and inclusion training for their groups. Email us with questions.
October 2022 Song of the Month
Margaret Walters sends us her rendition of “I’ve Lived in Service,” as well as a version by Vic Gammon. The song was collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and it tells the tale of a young servant who strikes a hard bargain with his employer over the maid he loves.
Fall 2022 CDSS News
The Fall 2022 CDSS News is now available! Stroll through some English country dances with Paul Ross and Philippe Callens; learn how the Bloomington Old-Time Music and Dance Group celebrated their first 50 years and launched their next; hear Armand Aromin’s cheeky response to the question “Have you got a girlfriend yet?”; learn by ear with Lissa Schneckenburger; get ready to Welcome Yule with Louise Doud; and much more.
2022 CDSS T-shirt
We’re excited to show off our 2022 shirt design! Created by illustrator Marian Bailey, the design is printed on high-quality, 100% cotton, Bella + Canvas shirts, made in the US. Also printed in the US using environmentally-friendly practices and vibrant water-based inks. Get one while they last!
Digitization of the CDSS archives has begun!
During our 2015 Centennial Campaign, the CDSS community raised $50,000 to fund digitization efforts for the CDSS collection at the University of New Hampshire. In June of this year, after two and a half years of putting so much on hold for pandemic-related business, CDSS and UNH were able to return attention to the work of making the CDSS archives digitally accessible, and the project is now underway! Read more in the CDSS News.