Photo by Armelle Lorcy, ContraQuebec Spring Buds.
We connect and support people in building and sustaining vibrant communities through participatory dance, music, and song. We steward the living traditions of English country dance, contra and square dance, morris and sword dance, and the music that is an integral part of these traditions. Learn more
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Photo by Laura Lewis, Cleveland Butterfly Twirl, CDSS Community Grant recipient.
From the Mic Episode 23: Cis HinkleThe latest guest on From the Mic is Cis Hinkle. Cis has delighted contra and square dancers since 1985 with her skilled teaching, welcoming manner, playful enthusiasm and masterful selection of dances. She talks with Mary about the first time she stumbled into a contra dance in her native Atlanta; shares how she overcame stage fright and began calling all over the world; and brings us right up to her most recent pursuit, learning to call modern western squares.
From the Mic Episode 22: David MillstoneMary’s guest on this episode of From the Mic is David Millstone. David started contra dancing with Dudley Laufman in the early 1970s and has been calling dances for forty-five years: contras old and new, squares from different regional traditions, English country dances, and plenty of family-friendly events.
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April 2024 Song of the MonthSara Grey presents “Cobweb of Dreams” by Joy Masefield and Leon Rosselson. This love song is not dedicated to a person—it’s to the town of Towersey, Oxfordshire, England.
Spring 2024 CDSS NewsThe 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.
March 2024 Song of the MonthMary 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.
fostered 110 years of tradition
sold well over 50,000 morris bells
published 121 hours of podcasts
bestowed 34 Lifetime Contribution Awards
hosted over 1,174 campers
added 7 resources for callers and organizers
published over 700 calendar events
awarded 20 grants for local communities and special projects
Thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their generous support.
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