What’s New

The Spring 2024 issue of CDSS News has sprung! Give a hand to the bands that sparked the contra revival; try a new dance with Princess Katie; take a folk dance tour through the Czech Republic; and much more.

Mary Garvey introduces “The Badger Drive,” written in 1912 by John V. Devine. Although the name suggests that it is about hunting badgers, the song instead sings the praises of log drivers—lumber workers who risked their lives wrangling logs through the rivers near Badger, Newfoundland, Canada.

You can see the first items—historic posters, maps, broadsides, and other print memorabilia—online now. The collection will eventually include around 8,000 items. Check it out.

Bob McQuillen (1923-2014) wrote over 1,700 tunes in his lifetime. In 2023, over 750 people in more than 140 places around the world played Bob’s tunes and sent in notes, remembrances, and photos. We’ve now added the archive of this centenary celebration to our Online Library.

On this episode of From the Mic, Mary talks with dance caller, composer, organizer, and devotee Penn Fix. Penn learned to dance in the Boston area and grew to love it in the Monadnock Valley of New Hampshire. After three years of dancing five nights a week, he moved back to his native home in Spokane, WA. There, he says, he had no choice but become a caller and help build the dance community he wanted to be part of.

Derek Piotr presents “I Wonder When I Shall Be Married.” The best-known version is by the Ritchie family of Viper, Kentucky, but writer Roxana Robinson sings it to a different tune, learned from her family in Pine Mountain, KY.

We are in search of a new Director of Development and several camp staff for summer 2024. Please check the Jobs page for details on the positions and how to apply.

Mary’s guest this month on From the Mic is Susan Kevra, a dance caller, musician, and singer who makes her home in Nashville, Tennessee. Dancers on both sides of the Atlantic appreciate her diverse repertoire of singing squares, Western patter calls, contras, and English country dances. Susan is noted for her warmth, clear teaching, and lovely voice.

Andrew Calhoun plays and sings “The Hills of Tandragee,” a traditional ballad from Northern Ireland. The song was collected by James Carmichael of Ballymena, Ulster and printed in Sam Henry’s Songs of the People.

We’re delighted to welcome Karen Axelrod (piano) and Sarah-Hadley Yakir (violin) to CDSS for the second episode of the Pack & Wrap Sessions! They talk about how they met and what they take to every gig and play two English country dance tunes. Help support CDSS programs (including these videos!) by donating to our year-end appeal.

Cozy up with the Winter 2023 issue of CDSS News! Read about our new Strategic Plan and other updates from the Board; learn more about Sharon Green, our 2024 Lifetime Contribution Award recipient; take inspiration from the Dancing Bears of Alaska; and much more.

In this episode of From the Mic, Mary is joined by contra dance caller and community organizer Ben Sachs-Hamilton. Ben started contra dancing at 12 and started teaching dances at 15. Since then, he has called and organized for dances across the northeast, with a focus on LGBTQ and gender-role-free dance communities.