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.
116 Results
In this article, Jeff Kaufman shares his thoughts on how to have conversations with individuals identified as having bad behavior.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Organizers
In this blog post, Jeff shares the signs that BIDA posts around the hall which reflect the values of their dance series.
From Jeff Kaufman
Categories: Organizers
What IS a vision/mission? How do we craft and implement a unique mission statement for our dance series? Why is this a crucial step in the growth of each dance? Whether your dance already has a mission statement, or you’re just starting to think about this, or you’re somewhere in between, this all-conference session will offer practical tools and thought-provoking perspectives for addressing this pertinent topic. Together we will explore these vital questions, generating answers to inform and guide our participation throughout the SWROC weekend.
From SW Regional Organizers Conference 2014 by Annie Laskey, Linda Henry, & Michael Barraclough
Categories: Organizers
Session notes on how to make a welcoming dance community for everyone.
From Sophia Donforth & Julia Bennett
Categories: Organizers
How Community Culture Impacts Dancer Experience
Slides from an excellent presentation on how community culture impacts dancer experience.
From Emily Addison & Tara Bolker
Categories: Organizers
Revitalization: How Do You Make a Dance Come Back to Life?
In this article, Joyce Fortune writes about the steps that her community took to revitalize their flagging series.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Organizers
Vision Workshop Materials with Examples
David Millstone’s session handout on how to create a vision. Includes examples of mission statements from NEFFA and Belfast Flying Shoes.
Categories: Organizers
The How and Why of Creating a Vision
A concise explanation from Max Newman of the why and how of creating a vision.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Organizers
Tips and distilled wisdom from CDSS for how to craft a vision for your event, series, team, or group.
Categories: Organizers
Making Jam Sessions Great, a guide for participants and leaders
An article from Dave Firestine about how to create a great jam session, both as a participant and leader.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Musicians, Organizers
Madison’s Tuesday Night Dances—Fostering Talent for More Than Twenty Years
This article by Carol Ormand describes Madison, Wisconsin’s approach to developing talent through weekly dances that feature newer callers as well as an open band.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Musicians, Organizers
Improving the ECD Open Band Experience
Robert Reichert provides some suggestions on how to improve the experience of playing with, and the quality of music from an ECD open band.
From the CDSS News
Categories: English Country Dance, Musicians, Organizers
Open Dance Bands: Best Practices Shared by 35 Groups
This manual shares common best practices used by 35 open dance bands from throughout North America, and illustrates the diversity of approaches across communities. We hope this resource provides a great starting point for launching new open bands and additional inspiration for groups that have been playing together for years.
From Emily Addison and CDSS
Categories: Musicians, Organizers
How Much do Dance Weekends Pay?
This blog postbreaks down what dance weekends pay musicians. Original post 2016 with an update in 2018.
From Jeff Kaufman
Categories: Musicians, Organizers
A flyer that highlights what goes into playing for a dance in relation to what musicians get paid/dancers pay.
From Sarah Gowan
Categories: Musicians, Organizers
An article from Brendan Taaffe opening up discussion about money in the contra community, especially in relation to pay for musicians.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Organizers
Miriam Newman explains the movement towards asking people about their pronouns.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Educators, Musicians, Organizers, Singers
5 Things…Inside the Dancing Mind of…
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.
From the Historical Tea and Dance Society.
Categories: Callers, English Country Dance, Musicians, Organizers
A website of contra dances where you can enter your zip code and it will list dances close by. You can also look at the full list of dances.]
From Jeff Kaufman
Categories: Contra Dance, Dancers, Organizers
The Caller Directory is a spreadsheet listing self-submitted callers, their contact information, and what they call. It also provides space for references, video links, and a comment from the caller.
From Luke Donforth
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Organizers
Gender Free Contra Facebook Group
This Facebook group is for enthusiasts of Larks and Ravens terminology. However, other ways of welcoming LGBTQIA dancers into contra and other folk dances are also on topic. The group offers resources, discussion, and strategy.
Categories: Callers, Contra Dance, Dancers, Organizers
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
Leading a Contra Dance Role-swapping Workshop
This article by Erik Erhardt and Tina Fields describes one approach to running a workshop where dancers develop familiarity and skill in dancing both dance roles.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Callers, Contra Dance, Organizers
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.
Categories: Callers, Contra Dance, Organizers
A Figure By Any Other Name: Exploring Alternatives to Gypsy
This article by Katy German, Sue Stanton, and Jeff Kaufman explores the use of the term “gypsy” in calling and presents a range of alternative options.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Organizers
Response to: “A Figure by Any Other Name: Exploring Alternatives to Gypsy”
Dragan Gill’s exploration of the term gypsy, both in terms of how it is used in dance as well as in the broader cultural context.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Organizers
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
Categories: Callers, Contra Dance, English Country Dance, Novices, Organizers
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
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
Categories: Callers, Contra Dance, Organizers
Training New Contra Callers in Portland, ME
Dugan Murphy describes Portland, Maine’s experience in training new contra callers.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Callers, Contra Dance, Organizers
In this blog post, Jeff presents a history of Larks/Ravens. The post is followed by a community discussion.
From Jeff Kaufman
Categories: Dancers, Organizers
Larks and Ravens: A Report from the Field
Dela Murphy and Dugan Murphy make a case for gender-free calling and describe how communities can transition to using gender-free terms.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Dancers, Organizers
Gender-free calling: why does it matter?
Lisa Heywood discusses the importance of gender-free calling and offers some practical tips on how to get started.
From EFDSS
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Organizers
Lisa Heywood’s Gender-Free Dance Page
Lisa offers a variety of resources on gender-free and positional calling and dancing.
From Lisa Heywood
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Organizers
An expansive resource of square dance history, repertoire, and more. Also contains a vast collection of stories, photographs, video, and audio.
Categories: Callers, Dancers, Organizers, Square Dance
All things shape note, provided by the Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association.
Categories: Organizers, Singers
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
Sacred Harp Singing Discussion Lists
Two Sacred Harp singing email lists. One focuses on events and individuals while the other focuses on the historical and technical aspects of shape note singing.
From Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association
Categories: Organizers, Singers
Shared Weight: Song Organizers Discussion List
This mailing list (email group) welcomes anyone interested in organizing song events. List members ask/answer questions, discuss issues that come up for them, and share helpful resources. There are both new and experienced organizers from throughout North America and beyond. Join the discussion!
Categories: Organizers, Singers
Breaking Down the Legacy of Race in Traditional Music in America
This NPR radio piece and the associated article explore the intersection between racism and traditional music & song. Both Jake Blount and the Youth Traditional Song Weekend are featured.
From National Public Radio
Categories: Organizers, Singers
How to Lead Groups in Song In 10 Easy Lessons
Ten tips for leading a successful group sing.
By Peter Blood and Annie Patterson
Categories: Organizers, Singers
Fostering Intergenerational Community
This document is a product of groups discussions in a workshop attended by members of the YTS community. It focuses on what works, what doesn’t, and how individuals can raise intergenerational issues within their community.
From Youth Traditional Song Weekend 2015
Categories: Organizers, Singers
The Mermaid’s Tavern Guide to Zoom Singing
The Mermaid’s Tavern Guide to Zoom Singing is a blog-based website for planning, producing, and participating in community song sessions and concerts online. It includes an extensive resources section of over 25 additional guides to various aspects of online music, dance, and song.
Categories: Organizers, Singers
CDSS Starter Kit for Folk Song Organizers
A comprehensive how-to on starting a sing. Includes sections on vision, finding a venue, publicity, structure, facilitation, and more!
From CDSS
Categories: Organizers, Singers
How to Facilitate an Organizers Discussion
This resource not only provides a number of tips on how to facilitate a discussion but it also includes a how-to on including a session at a pre-existing event or creating your own day-long gathering.
Categories: Organizers
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
Let’s Talk About Reentry, Part 6: Prioritizing Safety at In-person Dances
February 28, 2022
CDSS Executive Director Katy German had a conversation with three contra dance organizers who have resumed in-person dancing. They described adjustments they’ve made to their “normal” processes, what impacted their decision to resume, what they’re asking of participants, and what they recommend to others. We also presented a new online resource: Groups that Have Resumed In-person Events.
Categories: Dance Tradition, Organizers, Web Chats
The Evolution of KAOS (Kick Ass Oberlin Sword)
Hannah Lindner-Finlay describes the creation of a sword team at Oberlin College and provides some tips for others starting college teams.
From the CDSS News
Categories: Organizers, Ritual Dance
This handbook provides advice on how to create dance/music events on university and college campuses. It includes tips on programming, campus publicity, working with college administration, and much more.
From CDSS
Categories: Organizers
2015, Putting on the Dance 2
Sophia Donforth and Julia Bennett
Notes from a workshop given at POTD2: Who are your dancers? Who is missing from your dance floor, and why? We’ll examine ways to reach out to more diverse populations and how to make a more welcoming dance community for everyone. Bring an anecdote to share about a magic moment, or something you’d do differently. Participants will leave with a list of ways to reach new dancers, and make an inclusive dance “commons” that brings them back a second time!
Categories: Dancers, Organizers
Thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their generous support.