Lesson Plans for Educators
The CDSS Educators Task Group presents a new set of Lesson Plans to introduce students to a variety of topics in traditional music and dance. Check out the sample plans, and contribute your own at education@cdss.org.
From the Mic Episode 12: Wendy Graham
In episode 12 of From the Mic, Wendy Graham tells Mary, “My only job is to help people have fun. Fun, F-U-N, three letter word. That’s it!” Wendy’s passion for music, song and dance caught fire in 1991 on a Danish-American Exchange (DAE) youth dance tour to Denmark. Today, Wendy leads English and American community folk dances and teaches social couples dance across the country and around the world.
April 2023 Song of the Month
Denise and Stuart Savage present “Reynardine,” an English ballad in which a young woman is led astray by a stranger who may or may not be a tricky fox.
An old jig in a new office!
“CDSS Jig” by Bob McQuillen, played by some of the CDSS staff to celebrate moving to our new office and Mac’s centenary this year.
Have you heard about the project to play all of Bob McQuillen’s (nearly 2000!) tunes this year? Learn more in the latest issue of the CDSS News or at mcquillentunes.com.
Spring 2023 CDSS News
The Spring 2023 CDSS News is now available! Meet this year’s Lifetime Contribution Award winners; hear how Jacob Chen passes on traditions to the next generation with Folk Song Fridays; learn how a dance camp in Washington state kept Covid in check; celebrate Bob McQuillen’s centennial at KwackFest; and much more.
We moved…down the hall!
Hello from our new office, just down the hall from the old one! If you’d like to visit the CDSS store in person, check out the new directions for finding us in the building.
“…whatever Laurel touches turns to morris gold.”
How lucky we are to have Laurel Swift as a co-Program Director at CDSS Family Week at Agassiz Village this summer! Laurel is leading classes on tin whistle and clog dance and a special performance class just for teens, and she was just featured in this article from Tradfolk. Find out more and register for camp.
Check out the last Web Chat: Recruiting and Keeping Volunteers!
The slideshow, video, resources, and transcript from our March 2023 Web Chat are now available. Executive Director Katy German hosted this discussion about volunteer management and addressed key volunteer-related questions.
March 2023 Song of the Month
Sue Burgess introduces “Free and Easy to Ramble Along.” Sue writes: “A man goes on his rambles in Ireland and Scotland, having a good time meeting women, and perhaps breaking a few hearts along the way. In 2007, I was interested to hear well-known singer Peta Webb sing a version where the genders are reversed and the story told from a woman’s point of view.”
From the Mic Episode 11: Will Mentor
In episode 11 of From the Mic, Mary talks with Will Mentor, who began his calling career in Fairfield, Iowa, in 1995. Since then, he has called dances, dance weekends, and weeklong dance camps all over the United States. Canada, and Europe. His guiding principle as a caller is “It’s about the dancers!”
CDSS Receives $75,000 Grant
CDSS has received a $75,000 Cultural Sector Recovery Grant from the Mass Cultural Council. Mass Cultural Council, an independent state arts agency, is charged with bolstering Massachusetts’s creative and cultural sector. MCC’s efforts advance economic vitality, support transformational change; and celebrate, preserve, and inspire creativity across all Massachusetts communities.
2023 Lifetime Contribution Award Recipients: New England Dancing Masters
We are proud to announce that Mary Alice Amidon, Peter Amidon, Mary Cay Brass, and Andy Davis—collectively known as the New England Dancing Masters—are the 2023 recipients of the CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award. For the past four decades, they have spread the joy of traditional music and dance across North America.