What’s New

Want to preserve the legacy of your folk organization or team? Susan Creighton and Pat MacPherson have created a guide to help your group gather, process, and archive the history, personal anecdotes, and material culture of your unique corner of the folk world. Explore the Toolkit!

It’s Christmas in March! Denise and Stuart Savage present “Come All You Worthy Christians,” also known as “The Lodsworth Carol.” The song is a reminder that “you can’t take it with you.”

We’re delighted to sponsor 2026 FWAAMFest and African American Dance Caller Pathways, a program supporting Black-identified aspiring dance callers. Hope to see you there!

Sally Rogers introduces “Mathey Groves,” a Child ballad also called “Matty Groves” and “Little Musgrave.” It describes an adulterous tryst between a young man and a noblewoman that is ended when the woman’s husband discovers them.

This week, we talk to Benjamin Foss and Bennett Konesni in Belfast, both hailing from Waldo County, Maine. Throughout the episode, they reflect on their deep commitment to nourishing our local culture of participatory music and dance, their love of contra music new and old, and the value of social connections of playing and dancing, including the links among various cultures of music and dance (those branches we love exploring in this podcast). Listen and subscribe!

We’re excited to share that the December issue of the CDSS News is returning! This issue will feature ads for 2027 events, plus dances, puzzles, and other fun! Ad reservations for all three 2026 issues are available now. See deadlines and rates here.

Judy Cook introduces “Three Men of Gotham,” a poem by Thomas Love Peacock set to the tune “Courtiers.” The three men set sail in a bowl to try to rake the moon from the sea—but are they foolish or wise?

This episode, Chrissy sits down with the wonderful Carol Compton and Thal Aylward of Trip to Norwich to talk about the wild paths each of them have taken to playing English country dance and contra and contra music. Listen and subscribe!

Support staff positions are now open at all of our camp locations. Most jobs are for single camp sessions, which are 4-7 days long. If you’re interested in a longer commitment, check out the two 6-week positions at Pinewoods.
We’d love to have you join our 2026 camp team! Learn more about open positions and apply here.

This episode of From the Mic features Bill Olson, a contra and square dance caller, guitarist, and dance composer. It’s a fascinating look into the mind of someone who has dedicated himself to keeping these traditions alive in Maine and everywhere.

Episode 4 of the Flying Shoes Radio Hour involves chatting (and laughing) with the Quebecois band Genticorum. Listen and subscribe!

We are delighted to announce that David Millstone of Lebanon, NH, is the recipient of the 2026 CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award. David is a dancer, caller, teacher, historian, and leader specializing in contra dance, New England squares, and English country dance.