Country Dance & Song Society > About CDSS

Category: About

In this episode of From the Mic, we hear from the most wonderful David Smukler. A dance caller, scholar, organizer, choreographer, teacher, champion of chestnuts…the list goes on. David joined Mary over zoom from his home in Syracuse, New York. He grew up singing folk songs with his mom and began dancing contras in New Hampshire as a teen. In 1981 he was drafted to call for his local dance and has been calling ever since. David calls contras and squares, English country dances, and family and community dances.

Sally Rogers presents a recording by Gordon Bok of “The Handsome Cabin Boy,” a classic with a gender twist.

We are delighted to announce that Sharon Green of Oakland, CA, is the 2024 recipient of the CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award. Sharon is an English country dancer, caller, teacher, choreographer, and tireless promoter of the talents of others.

She has been an integral and joyful part of the New York and San Francisco Bay Area dance communities in which she has lived (and danced). Most recently, she and Kalia Kliban founded the Odd Sundays Zoom dance, connecting dancers from everywhere and keeping the spirit of the dance alive during pandemic isolation.

Read more about Sharon in the December 2023 issue of the CDSS News!

Award Celebration

Sharon was honored with an award celebration in April 2024.

Watch a video of the celebration.

Read the Zoom chat messages from Sharon’s celebration.

The Green Light, an English dance written in celebration of Sharon’s LCA by Renée Camus, with tune by Jon Berger:
Dance instructions
Dance demo video

The 2022 CDSS Annual Report is now available! Take a look back at our programs and financials.

At CDSS, our online and in-person program staff use a variety of calling terms, including gendered and non-gendered role terms, as well as positional language. We will be transparent about the terminology used in our programming to help participants find what they are looking for.

Non-gendered approaches to teaching and calling—including positional calling and non-gendered role terms—are established branches of the living traditions we love. Our programming that explores these branches is part of our mission to steward living traditions, and is in line with our core values of stewardship, creativity, innovation, and participation.

We hope our programs and resources will:

provide options to dancers for whom gendered or non-gendered language is a barrier to participation
create space and resources for individuals and organizations to explore calling options beyond gendered role terms
increase the number of non-gendered calling resources available in the wider world

CDSS Affiliates make their own decisions about terminology at their events. An affiliate’s choice of terminology for teaching and calling has no impact on the support and resources we provide to them. We are committed to serving all our affiliates because thriving local dance communities are essential to the living traditions we steward.

In this episode of From the Mic, we head to northern California for a conversation with the wonderful Susan Petrick. An avid dancer for many years, Susan started calling for contra dances in 2000 and teaching couple dances, including waltz, cross-step waltz, and hambo, shortly thereafter. She is known for her clear teaching, efficient guidance, and expert pacing, making even complex dances accessible to all.

Our song for October is “Seal Lullaby,” with lyrics from a poem by Rudyard Kipling and music by Cindy Mangsen.

Are you 18-44 years old? Do you participate in folk music or dance? Take our survey!

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The Fall 2023 CDSS News is now available! Hear how Hoggetowne Fancy keeps ECD music fresh in Florida; play a tune in remembrance of Rosemary Lach; dance online with Symmetry ECD; learn how the CDSS Educators Task Group is bringing dance, music, and song to the next generation; and much more.