“5 Things: Inside the Dancing Mind of…” is an online video series featuring movers and shakers in the English country dance community. Each guest discusses the five things they feel are most important to their passion for ECD. “5 Things…” is hosted by the Historical Tea & Dance Society and archived by CDSS.

Songs That Speak is a monthly YouTube series by Saro Lynch-Thomason, supported in part by CDSS. Learn about the history, folklore, and modern-day relevance of traditional songs, and sing along as Saro teaches each song through sing-and-repeat.

Dance It Yourself is a multigenerational dance video series, originally produced during the pandemic. The six interactive videos feature well-known traditional dance callers, musicians, and a wide variety of dance styles, all of which can be done solo or in a couple.

Can Songs Kill? The Leo Frank Trial and the Ballad of Little Mary Phagan

The Meaning of the Cherry Tree Carol Folksong: Old Christmas, Sacred Trees and Fertility Goddesses

Easy Folk Songs to Sing: The Cherry Tree Carol

Can I Sing That? Catawba Indian Nation Songs, Context and Colonization:

Learn to Sing Two Catawba Language Songs:

Learn to Sing “I Am Going to the West:”

CDSS is pleased to support “Songs that Speak,” a monthly YouTube series by Saro Lynch-Thomason. Learn about the history, folklore, and modern-day relevance of traditional songs, and sing along as Saro teaches each song through sing-and-repeat.

Most recent:


Past Songs

“5 Things…Inside the Dancing Mind of…” is a one-hour chat with Q&A from movers and shakers in the English country dance community from across the country about the 5 things that they feel are important to our passion for ECD and why. Hosted by the Historical Tea & Dance Society.

  • Dr. John RamsayDecember 19, 2022Leader, organizer, researcher, dancerVideo
  • Ann SchauOctober 24, 2022Pianist and band leaderVideo
  • David MacemonJuly 20, 2022Caller, dancer, former CDSS board memberVideo
  • Wendy GrahamMay 18, 2022Contra callerVideo
  • ECD ChoreographersApril 15, 2022Alan Winston, David Smukler, Jenny Beer, Sharon Green, and Gary RoodmanVideo
  • Deborah DenenfeldMarch 15, 2022Dance educator and leaderVideo
  • Andy Davis & Peter AmidonFebruary 15, 2022Performing and teaching artistsVideo
  • Mike RichardsonJanuary 18, 2022Musician, dancer, caller, composer, choreographer and organizerVideo
  • Bob DalsemerDecember 21, 2021Caller, teacher, musician, organizer, former CDSS PresidentVideo
  • Alan Roberts & Sande GilletteNovember 16, 2021Sound engineer, fiddle players, organizerVideo
  • Steve HoweOctober 19, 2021Former Director of CDSS Camp Programs, dancerVideo
  • Our 5 Things TeamJune 29, 2021The stories of some of the folks behind the scenes who made it all happenVideo
  • Our Online PioneersJune 22, 2021Creating new opportunities for us to share and experience the joy of music, dance, and song!Video
  • Alex CummingJune 19, 2021In conjunction with Hey Days Dance CampVideo
  • Various directorsJune 15, 2021Behind the scenes at dance campVideo
  • Val MedveJune 8, 2021Caller (English), teacher, organizer, and choreographerVideo
  • Bob GreenJune 1, 2021Caller, choreographer, videographerVideo
  • Nikki HerbstMay 25, 2021Teacher (English and contra) and organizerVideo
  • Frederick ParkMay 18, 2021Caller (English, contra, square, and folk), teacher, choreographer, organizer, storytellerVideo
  • Barbara GreenbergMay 11, 2021Musician (English and contra)Video
  • Philippe CallensMay 4, 2021A tribute to the renowned caller, teacher, and choreographerVideo
  • Dave BartleyApril 27, 2021Musician (English and contra) and composerVideo
  • Rosemary LachApril 20, 2021Caller (English and contra) and organizerVideo
  • Mary DevlinApril 13, 2021Caller (English and contra), choreographer, and former CDSS Board PresidentVideo
  • Jim MorrisonApril 6, 2021Musician, caller, researcher, former Director of CDSSVideo
  • Audrey KnuthMarch 30, 2021Musician (contra)Video
  • Graham ChristianMarch 23, 2021Caller (English), researcher, writerVideo
  • Paul HutchinsonMarch 20, 2021Accordionist in any style you’d like to nameVideo
  • Dan BlimMarch 16, 2021CallerVideo
  • Jacqueline SchwabMarch 9, 2021Pianist and caller (English)Video
  • Alisa DodsonMarch 2, 2021Caller and dance writer (English)Video
  • Karen AxelrodFebruary 23, 2021Musician (English and contra)Video
  • Nicolas BroadbridgeFebruary 20, 2021Caller and teacher (English), accordionist, researcher, composer, choreographerVideo
  • Alex CummingFebruary 16, 2021Traditional singer, musician (accordion & piano), and callerVideo
  • Jeff SperoFebruary 9, 2021Pianist, caller, and choreographer (contra)Video
  • Barbara FinneyFebruary 2, 2021Caller and teacher (English), organizerVideo
  • Elizabeth GoossenJanuary 26, 2021Caller (English), choreographer (English and Scottish), composer, musician, organizerVideo
  • Gaye FiferJanuary 19, 2021Caller (English and contra)Video
  • Wayne HankinJanuary 12, 2021Multi-instrumentalist (also Cirque du Soleil), inventor of the Jubo (see link).Video
  • Danny WalkowitzJanuary 5, 2021Dancer and professional historianVideo After-talk
  • Darlene HamiltonDecember 22, 2020Caller and multi-talented organizerVideo
  • Alan WinstonDecember 15, 2020Caller, choreographer, and dance organizerVideo
  • Heather ClarkeDecember 8, 2020Researcher and dancerVideo
  • Dave WieslerDecember 1, 2020“Exploring Dance Tunes”Video
  • Chris SackettNovember 24, 2020Caller, composer and, Choreographer (English)Video
  • Jenny BeerNovember 17, 2020Caller and choreographer (English)Video
  • Jonathan JensenNovember 10, 2020Musician and composerVideo
  • Many guestsNovember 3, 2020 Video
  • Martha GriffinOctober 27, 2020Caller and choreographer (English)Video
  • David SmuklerOctober 20, 2020Caller and dance writer (English, contra, and square)Video
  • Walter NelsonOctober 17, 2020Organizer and lecturer (Historical)Video
  • Gene MurrowOctober 13, 2020Caller, musician, and producer (English)Video
  • Susan Kevra and Rachel BellOctober 6, 2020Caller (Susan) and musicians (both) for English and contraVideo
  • Lisa GreenleafSeptember 22, 2020Caller (English, contra, squares)Video
  • Paul CooperSeptember 19, 2020Researcher (Regency)Video
  • Louise SiddonsSeptember 15, 2020Caller (English and contra) and organizerVideo
  • Chip PrinceSeptember 8, 2020Musician (English and contra)Video
  • Anna RainSeptember 1, 2020Caller (English and contra) and  musicianVideo
  • Shira KammenAugust 25, 2020Musician and composerVideo
  • Olivia BarryAugust 18, 2020Caller (English, contra, Irish), organizer, and researcherVideo
  • Allison ThompsonAugust 15, 2020Historian, dance writer, musician, and bloggerVideo
  • Gary RoodmanAugust 11, 2020Dance writerVideo
  • Beverly FrancisAugust 4, 2020Caller (English)Video
  • Bridget WhiteheadJuly 28, 2020Caller and organizerVideo
  • Brooke FriendlyJuly 21, 2020Special theme: Global Terminology / Positional CallingVideo
  • Colin HumeJuly 18, 2020Caller (English, contra, square…), dance writer, composer, and researcherVideo
  • Dave WieslerJuly 14, 2020Pianist and composer (English, contra, and Scottish)Video
  • Paul RossJuly 7, 2020Caller (English), videographer, and  organizerVideo
  • James HutsonJune 30, 2020Caller and dance writer (English and contra)Video
  • Katy GermanJune 23, 2020CDSS Executive Director 2017-presentVideo
  • Brad FosterJune 16, 2020CDSS Executive & Artistic Director 1983-2011Video
  • Jenna SimpsonJune 9, 2020Caller (English) and dance writerVideo
  • Scott HiggsJune 2, 2020Caller (English and contra) and dance writerVideo
  • David MillstoneMay 26, 2020Caller (English), videographer, writer, Past CDSS Board PresidentVideo
  • Orly KrasnerMay 19, 2020Caller (English), dance writer, tune composer, and academicVideo
  • Susan de GuardiolaMay 16, 2020Historical dance teacher and researcherVideo
  • Brooke FriendlyMay 12, 2020Caller (English) and dance writerVideo
  • Bruce HamiltonMay 5, 2020Caller (English), Scottish teacher, and thought-provoking speakerVideo
  • Sharon GreenApril 28, 2020Organizer, caller (English), and dance composerVideo
  • Kate BarnesApril 21, 2020Multi-instrumentalist (English and contra), composer, and publisherVideo
  • Cécile LayeApril 18, 2020French teacher of English danceVideo
  • Rebecca KingApril 14, 2020Pianist (English and contra) and composerVideo
  • Kalia KlibanApril 7, 2020Caller (English and contra) and dance writerVideo
  • Joanna ReinerMarch 31, 2020Caller (English)Video
  • Graham ChristianMarch 24, 2020Caller (English), researcher, and writerVideo

Download the Dance It Yourself Teacher’s Guide 
(1.4 MB PDF)

Dance It Yourself, the CDSS multigenerational dance video series, is our response to dancing at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Are you a teacher or a homeschool parent, looking for resources to share with your students? Would you like them to be able to dance and sing at home, under your supervision? Would you like someone else to do all the teaching and explaining of the dances for you? You’ve come to the right place!

We hope that this seven-video series will help you and your students to share the love of traditional dance and music, even through the Zoom screen!

The Dance It Yourself series features well-known traditional dance callers, musicians, and a wide variety of dance styles, all of which can be done solo or in a couple.

Dances are demonstrated for you and your students dancing both singly and in pairs. All dances are done in small spaces, showing you how it can be done in your own homes.

Dance along with us—and dance it yourself!


What Music Teachers Are Saying

  • “The CDSS Dance It Yourself video series is fabulous! I’ll be using it to teach on-line Kodály training courses this summer. The classroom applications for post-COVID are immeasurable. Please keep making more!”

  • “During this difficult time of COVID, it is so inspiring to see CDSS continuing their mission. So happy to be a member of CDSS and seeing a collaborative effort of musicians, callers, and dancers working together to offer these amazing opportunities. The joy I felt from watching the father and son dancing together warmed my heart. With the ongoing work of CDSS, I remain hopeful that dancing will happen soon.”

  • “Thank you for your work on this! The absence of folk dance in my classroom is as bad as the absence of singing. This will help so much!”

  • “Thank you (Robbin L Marcus!) I find sharing a dance video where someone else teaches is the perfect breather I need to get through my online classes. Also evens the playing field when I have virtual and in-person students together.”

  • “Thank you SO much!!! What a gift to our profession.”

  • “How wonderful! This will definitely fill a need. It inspires me to do some of my own virtual folk dance videos, too!”

  • “I’m watching the videos and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!!”

  • Dance It Yourself! Dance It Yourself

    Dance It Yourself is a multigenerational dance video series, originally produced during the pandemic. The six interactive videos feature well-known traditional dance callers, musicians, and a wide variety of dance styles, all of which can be done solo or in a couple.

  • Saro Lynch-Thomason Songs That Speak

    Songs That Speak is a monthly YouTube series by Saro Lynch-Thomason, supported in part by CDSS. Learn about the history, folklore, and modern-day relevance of traditional songs, and sing along as Saro teaches each song through sing-and-repeat.

  • Darlene Hamilton with guests in a Zoom chat 5 Things: Inside the Dancing Mind of…

    “5 Things: Inside the Dancing Mind of…” is an online video series featuring movers and shakers in the English country dance community. Each guest discusses the five things they feel are most important to their passion for ECD. “5 Things…” is hosted by the Historical Tea & Dance Society and archived by CDSS.