The portal contains a vast range of resources by and for the dance, music, and song community. From expert tips from fellow organizers and callers, to databases of dances and songs, find what you need to help engage with the traditions you love!
Resources added before 2022 do not all have explicit permission from the authors. If your resource is in the portal and you’d like it removed, please email us.
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Use the search box and filters below to find resources.
Tip: Selecting multiple checkboxes will give you more specific results. For example, to see specific resources for contra dance callers, select both Callers and Contra Dance.
68 Results
Shared Weight: English Country Dance Discussion List
The Shared Weight ECD listserv (email group) is for discussion of all aspects of modern and historical English Country Dance and related forms as they have relevance to the discussion. (Related forms include contra, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, contradanza, Victorian longways dances, quadrilles, cotillions, etc.). The list is intended for callers, dancers, organizers, and musicians, who are all part of one community. Join the discussion!
Categories: Callers, English Country Dance, Musicians, Organizers
This website includes a large collection of English barn dances as well as tips for playing, resources for beginners, descriptions of terms, and more.
From Thomas Green
Categories: Callers, Community/Family Dance, Musicians
This online collection of approximately 100 English country dances comes from some earlier collections (e.g., Thompson; Wilson; Wright) as well as dances composed by Ken Sheffield. Both the music notation as well as instructions for the dance are provided.
From CDSS
Categories: Callers, English Country Dance, Musicians
In this blog post, Jeff explores the challenges of phrasing when calling for techno contras.
From Jeff Kaufman
Categories: Callers, Contra Dance, Musicians
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.
Categories: Callers, Community/Family Dance, Contra Dance, Dancers, Musicians, Singers, Square Dance
Madison’s Tuesday Night Dances: Fostering Talent for More Than 20 Years
This article by Carol Ormond describes Madison’s approach to developing talent through weekly dances that feature newer callers as well as an open band.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Dancers, Musicians, Organizers
How to Get Gigs as a Dance Musician
This two-page resource contains a number of great ideas on how to get gigs as a dance musician. Many of the ideas are also applicable to callers as well as other types of musicians.
From CDSS
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Musicians, Novices
Traditional Music Today Facebook Group
This Facebook group “attempts to be a safe(r) space to discuss traditional music, culture and our lives as members of it.”
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Musicians, Organizers, Singers
Juneberry 78s: Early American Roots Music
Collection of recordings from the 1920s and on in an online listening library. Many genres of early US folk as well as Cape Breton, Calypso, Irish, and more.
Categories: Musicians, Singers
This collection provides access to digital images for over 3,000 pieces from the collection, published in the United States between 1850 and 1920.
From Duke University Libraries
Categories: Musicians, Singers
GEMS: The Best of The Country Dance and Song Society Diamond Jubilee Music, Dance and Song Contest
This online collection contains American (e.g., contra, mixer, triplet) dances, English dances (with music), tunes, and songs composed by the country dance and song community.
From CDSS
Categories: Callers, Contra Dance, Dancers, English Country Dance, Musicians, Singers
Digital Library of Appalachia (Music Collection)
A searchable database of several thousand non-commercial sound recordings that document much of Appalachian music’s geographic, ethnic, vocal, and instrumental diversity.
From the Appalachia College Association
Categories: Musicians, Singers
The Full English Project is the world’s biggest free digital archive of traditional folk music and dance tunes, and songs.
From EFDSS
Categories: Dancers, Musicians, Singers
The Mudcat Café is an online discussion group and song and tune database, which also includes many other features relating to folk music.
Categories: Musicians, Singers
MDDL Morris Dancing Discussion List
The MDDL (“Muddle”) is an unmoderated listserv (email group) devoted to discussions, debates, and rants on all things morris, including: Cotswold, border, garland, Northwest, etc.; sword dancing, both long sword and rapper; mumming, mumming plays and other ritual drama; molly dancing, Abbots Bromley, plough dancing; winter festivals such as wassailing, caroling and Twelfth Night; May Day celebrations, including May poles and other rural festivities; and anything else we can think of that might be even the slightest bit morris related.
Categories: Musicians, Organizers, Ritual Dance
This online collection contains an extensive set of dance notes from various traditions as collected by Roy Dommett. It also includes articles on other topics such as sport injuries, playing music for morris, clowning in morris, and more.
by Dr. Anthony Barrand
Categories: Musicians, Ritual Dance
Tunes from Bacon’s “A Handbook of Morris Dances”
Hundreds of morris dance tunes as appeared in Lionel Bacon’s “A Handbook of Morris Dances”.
From The Morris Ring
Categories: Musicians, Ritual Dance
Creating a Thriving Open Band
September 20, 2018
Please join us if your group encourages sit-in musicians at your dances, or if you’re interested to learn more about including this opportunity at your dances. We’ll hear from open band leaders in Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, and Massachusetts, and have a Q&A at the end.
Categories: Musicians, Organizers, Web Chats
Thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their generous support.