Dancers in the grass

Country Dance & Song Society

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 traditions that have roots in English and North American culture. Learn more

What’s New

  • Dancers taking hands across a line 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.

  • Handwritten score for "I've Lived in Service" 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.

  • A person reading the CDSS News on an e-reader outdoors 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.

  • CDSS T-shirt design, showing a person playing recorder surrounded by musical instruments 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!

  • Working on digitizing old documents 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.

  • From the Mic with Chris Page From the Mic Episode 7: Chris Page

    In episode 7 of From the Mic, Mary talks with caller and choreographer Chris Page, who has called contras and English country dance in San Diego for about 15 years.

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CDSS: Country Dance & Song Society Communities strengthened by dancing, singing, and making music together.