English Country Dancing During the Pandemic
This site includes an archive of one-person dances for online dancing.
From the Carolina English Country Dancers
Contra Dance Choreography: A Reflection of Social Change
This book (available free online) is based upon Mary McNab Dart’s research into the changing choreography of contra dance, including how dances are composed, what aesthetic principles underlie their composition, and how the evolution of the choreography reflects changes in the preferences and priorities of the people who dance them.
The Origins of English Country Dance
Mary Peralta Railing provides a brief history of how English country dance came to be.
From Colin Hume
This blog contains some historical information about square dancing in the US.
From Fred Feild
Northern Junket was a square dance magazine published from 1949 until 1985 by Ralph Page, a renowned figure in New England folk dancing. Each issue contains directions and tunes for squares, contras and folk dances, as well as folk songs, recipes, riddles, tongue-twisters, old wives’ tales, and other folklife traditions.
The Hatchlings—Developing Callers in St. Louis
Martha Edwards describes a model for developing callers that she feels will work in many different community contexts.
From the CDSS News
Dela Murphy describes Portland, Maine’s approach to training and mentoring new callers, including how they source funding for that work.
From the CDSS News
Training New Contra Callers in Portland, ME
Dugan Murphy describes Portland, Maine’s experience in training new contra callers.
From the CDSS News
Tom’s Contra Page – Choreography
Tom Lehmann’s thoughts on composing contra dances.
Cary Ravitz’s Rules on Choreography
Cary Ravitz provides a list of the rules he follows when writing a dance.
Thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their generous support.