This section of the Resource Portal was inspired by our core value of Inclusivity. As an arts organization, CDSS understands inclusivity to mean striving to promote cultural equity. Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices of providing equal access to the arts, including our dance, music, and song traditions, especially to people who historically have been underrepresented or denied access based on age, body size or type, citizenship status, disability, gender identity or expression, military or former military status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, sexual or romantic orientation, or socioeconomic status.
In our communities, this means we are working to ensure that everyone who wants to participate in our traditions is empowered to do so with a full sense of belonging and ownership. This also means we are working to educate ourselves on the full history of our living traditions, including where and how these traditions have silenced marginalized voices and appropriated ideas from them.
With that in mind, the resources here are categorized by three purposes:
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Amplifying marginalized perspectives (noted as “perspectives”) from modern-day folks in participatory dance, music, and song communities with identities that have historically been unacknowledged or ignored.
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Expanding/retelling history (noted as “history”) of our various traditions to include narratives outside of the history written by the dominant culture that most of us are already familiar with.
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Increasing inclusivity in our communities (noted as “communities”) using practical advice from folks who have implemented both specific and general strategies in their own organizations.
For the initial launch of this section, we focused on race, sexual/romantic orientation, and gender; as this section grows, it will include more resources related to different marginalized identities.
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Overall
Title | More Information | Purpose | Tradition |
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Cause and Effect: Artist as Architect for Social Change | 2020 Folk Alliance International and Global Toronto This conversation brings together a group of artists who share their perspectives on how they align their art and their activism, both within the structures of non-profit organizations, and on a grassroots level. |
communities | song, music |
Creative Generation | Creative Generation works to inspire, connect, and amplify the work of young creatives who catalyze social change and those who are committed to cultivating their creativity. CG’s website has information about their initiatives, research, and more. | communities | broader context |
Bluegrass Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force |
International Bluegrass Music Association The IBMA has a diversity, equity, and inclusion task force. Its activities are outlined on this site. This includes few webinars to discuss diversity and inclusion within the bluegrass music community. We Endure Part One and We Endure Part Two. |
perspectives, communities | music |
Resources for Diversity in Early Music Repertoire | Early Music America Early Music America is maintaining a list of resources relating to diversity in early music repertoire. |
perspectives, communities | early music |
From the (CDSS) President | CDSS News: Fall 2020 Gaye Fifer The President’s letter in the Fall 2020 issue of CDSS News addresses the issue of systematic racism and how CDSS plans to move towards cultural equity in all the work that the organization does. |
perspectives | all |
A List of Equity Training Consultants | Americans for the Arts Americans for the Arts has created a crowdsourced list of individuals and organizations offering consultation and/or training at the intersection of the arts and diversity/equity/inclusion. |
communities | all |
Welcoming Diverse Populations | 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! |
communities | dance |
Issues in Traditional Song Past and Present | 2016, Youth Traditional Song Weekend These notes from a session at YTS 2016 list issues around diversity and inclusivity present in the trad song community as good jumping-off places for further discussion and action. |
communities | song |
Women / Black / Indigenous / POC / LGBTQIA+ / People with Disabilities Music Instructor Nominee Directory | This enormous spreadsheet is a crowd-sourced list of tradtional music and dance instructors, conceived and compiled by A'yen Tran. | communities | dance, music, song |
Be Square: OldTime Square Dance Handbook - A Southern Subset | T-Claw This resource for sqaure dance callers and organizers touches on many aspects of the dance and community, particularly some that are often not mentioned elsewhere, including geography, politics, and patriarchy. |
communities | square dance |
CDSS Resource Portal: Community Safety and Etiquette | From the Dance Organizers section of the Portal, this collection of resources focuses on promoting good etiquette at dance events. | communities | dance |
Traditional Music Today | This Facebook group “attempts to be a safe(r) space to discuss traditional music, culture, and our lives as members of it.” | perspectives | song, music, and dance |
Race
Title | More Information | Purpose | Tradition |
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Part One: Anti-Racism and the Folk Revival | CDSS News: Fall 2020 Ezra Fischer This article is the first in a two-part series. The first piece focuses on racism within our traditions, in particular relating to the work of Cecil Sharp and his contemporaries. See below for Part Two; for the full essay, see Ezra's website. |
history | all |
Part Two: Anti-Racism and the Folk Revival | CDSS News: Winter 2020 Ezra Fischer This article is the second in a two-part series. It focuses on how our history informs our present and should influence our future. See Part One above; for the full essay, see Ezra's website. |
history | all |
Rhiannon Giddens Keynote Address | 2020 Folk Alliance International In her 2020 FAI keynote address, Rhiannon Giddens provides a powerful speech addressing issues of social justice, cultural equity, and more. |
perspectives | song, music |
Teaching While White Resources | Teaching While White Teaching While White is an organization that supports classroom teachers in their anti-racism work. They list a number of helpful resources including where to begin in this work. |
communities | broader context |
Learning Modules on Talking about Race | National Museum of African American History and Culture - Smithsonian As the title suggests. |
communities | broader context |
Black Lives Matter Website | Black Lives Matter. Learn about the BLM movement, check out their resources, and find out how you can engage. |
perspectives, communities | broader context |
Anti-Racism Resources List | Sarah Sophie Flicker & Alyssa Klein As stated by Sarah & Alyssa, ‘This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work.’ |
communities | broader context |
Constructive White Conversations | Constructive White Conversations: A Growing Anti-Racist Community This website is a place for white people who want to understand and dismantle racism, build and maintain anti-racist community, and explore the nature of white identity. |
communities | broader context |
Breaking Down the Legacy of Race in Traditional Music in America | 2020, National Public Radio This NPR radio piece and associated article explores the intersection between racism and traditional music & song. Both Jake Blount and the Youth Traditional Song Weekend are featured. |
communities | song |
Race in the Trad Song Community | 2019, Youth Traditional Song Weekend These notes from a session at YTS 2019 explore the ways race intersects with the trad song community, some potential impacts of having very white communities, and how communities can move forward with similar discussions and actions. |
communities | song |
Dinah, Put Down Your Horn: Blackface Minstrel Songs Don’t Belong in Music Class | 2019, Dr. Katya Ermolaeva In this article, the author puts forward the need to remove racist songs from school music programs and discusses a number of songs with racist messaging. Submitted by Jan Elliot |
communities | song |
Rhiannon Giddens: On the Lost History of the Black Banjo | 2017 Rhiannon Giddens is a Grammy-award-winning musician and co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops who discusses the history of the African banjo and how it became a keynote instrument of American music through the minstrelsy and beyond. |
history | instrumental music |
* 1619, Episode 3: The Birth of American Music | 2019, New York Times This episode of the podcast "1619" gives an overview of minstrelsy's influence on so many other American musics. |
history | instrumental music, song |
American Songster Radio | American Songster Radio is podcast looking at the roots of American popular music. It’s hosted by world renowned musician and folklorist Dom Flemons, who playfully refers to himself as The American Songster. | history | song |
Addressing Racism as a Dance Community | 2020, Portland Intown Contra Dance In this short overview, the organizers of Portland Intown Contra Dance acknowlege and explain some of the various Black and African influences on American folk dance traditions. |
history | contra dance |
Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance |
2015, Phil Jamison In Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics, old-time musician and flatfoot dancer Phil Jamison journeys into the past and surveys the present to tell the story behind the square dances, step dances, reels, and other forms of dance practiced in southern Appalachia. He argues that these distinctive folk dances are not the unaltered jigs and reels of the early British settlers, but hybrids that developed over time by adopting and incorporating elements from other popular forms. He traces the forms from their European, African American, and Native American roots to the modern day. |
history | square dance, family/community dance |
* Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War | 1977, 2003, Dena J. Epstein Author Dena Epstein's seminal research redefined the study of Black music in the slavery era by presenting the little-known development of Black folk music in the United States, including the use of drums, the banjo, and other instruments originating in Africa; a wealth of eyewitness accounts and illustrations; in-depth look at a wide range of topics; and a collection of musical examples. |
history | instrumental music, song |
Radiolab: Birdie in the Cage | 2019, WNYC Studios This episode of the Radiolab podcast gives an overview of the history of square dance in the U.S. |
history | square dance |
America's Wholesome Square Dancing Tradition Is a Tool of White Supremacy | 2017, Robyn Pennacchia The article explores the impetus behind Henry Ford's revival of square dancing in the U.S. in the early 1900s. |
history | square dance |
The Music I Love Is a Racial Minefield | 2018, Mother Jones In this article, journalist and old-time fiddler Michael Mechanic explores prejudices that exist in old-time fiddle tunes and songs and gives suggestions for acknowledging these issues or choosing to no longer play problematic tunes. |
history, communities | instrumental music |
Old Tunes, Troublesome Titles | 2018, No Depression In this article, Isa Burke touches on racial slurs in common tune titles, specifically those related to indigenous peoples, and gives suggestions for renaming. |
history, communities | instrumental music |
BIPOC Folk Artists Playlist | This CDSS-created YouTube playlist features BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) folk music artists. | perspectives | instrumental music, song |
Old Tunes, Troublesome Titles | 2018, No Depression In this article, Isa Burke touches on racial slurs in common tune titles, specifically those related to indigenous peoples, and gives suggestions for renaming. |
history, communities | instrumental music |
Talking with Banjo Player Kaia Kater | 2016, Indy Week In this interview, Grenadian-Canadian musician and songwriter Kaia Kater explains how her race relates to her songwriting and experiences playing for mostly white audiences. |
perspectives | instrumental music, song |
Sing, don't shout — an alternative approach | Crys Matthews | TEDxHerndon | 2017, TEDx When you are black, a woman, a lesbian, a preacher's kid, and in an interracial marriage in the south... difficult conversations abound! Singer-songwriter Crys Matthews shares what she's learned during her life as "the poster child for intersectionality." |
perspectives | song |
Che Apalache: Connection through Context | 2018, The Bluegrass Situation In this interview, Argentinian bluegrass band leader Joe Troop discusses how his perspective on music and songwriting coming from South America and from being gay is different than—but also similar to—perspectives from more commonly seen identities. |
perspectives | song |
Decolonizing the Music Room | This website provides research for music educators on unsung narratives in U.S. folk music, resources, and tools for decolonizing practices. | perspectives, communities | song, family/community dance |
* Bones and Banjo: Confronting Cultural Appropriation | Kafari + Jake Hoffman | TEDxDirigo | 2017, TEDx Much of the music we listen to and the instruments used to make it is taken for granted by audiences and musicians alike. Kafari and Jake Hoffmann reveal the histories of their instruments (the bones and banjo) and the music they make in both objective and personal terms. Furthermore, what does it mean to play them today? As a black man, can Kafari play music on his own terms? As a white man, can Jake play music with honor that has history both to be proud of and deserves reconciliation? |
perspectives, history | instrumental music |
Sankofa: Reclaiming History: Carolina Chocolate Drops at TEDxUNC | 2013, TEDx Starting with material culled from the Piedmont region of the Carolinas, the Carolina Chocolate Drops sought to freshly interpret this work, not merely recreate it, highlighting the central role African-Americans played in shaping our nation's popular music from its beginnings more than a century ago. |
perspectives, history | instrumental music, song |
* Community and Connection: Rhiannon Giddens's 2017 IBMA Keynote Address | 2017 In this transcription of her 2017 keynote address, musician and scholar Rhiannon Giddens describes some of the historic erasure of Black and African American music and the influence that not knowing a full history of folk music had on her own life. |
perspectives, history | instrumental music, song |
Cultural Appropriation in American Folkways | 2020, Kafari and Jake Hoffman On June 18, 2020, Kafari and Jake Hoffman led a discussion for Portland Intown Contra Dance on cultural appropriation and decolonization in American folkways. They talked abut their personal experiences, what distinguishes cultural appropriation and how each of us can take action to decolonize the folkways we practice. |
perspectives, history | all |
African Americans in Oldtime: 10 Resources for Learning the History of the Music | 2020, Oldtime Central A list of 10 books, albums, and podcasts highlighting some history of African Americans in old-time music. |
perspectives, history | all |
* Live with Carnegie Hall: Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi | 2020, Carnegie Hall Rhiannon Giddens is one of the most vibrant musicians of our time. With her partner, multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, she leads us through the music and history of minstrelsy—the most popular form of entertainment in America during the 1800s and a major influence in the creation of the American cultural identity. The two restore minstrelsy to its global context through the journeys of the banjo and the tambourine, and in tracing those journeys show what there is to reproach versus celebrate in the birth of American music. |
perspectives, history | instrumental music, song |
* Jake Blount Looks Deeper into the Black Traditions of Old-Time Music | 2020, The Bluegrass Situation Kaia Kater interviews musician Jake Blount about his album "Spider Tales" and some of the history that inspired this collection of songs. |
perspectives, history | music, song |
Ethnicity
Title | More Information | Purpose | Tradition |
---|---|---|---|
A Figure By Any Other Name: Exploring Alternatives to Gypsy | CDSS News, Summer 2019 Katy German, Sue Stanton, Jeff Kaufman, and callers This article explores the use of the term "gypsy" in calling and presents a range of alternative options. |
history, communities | dance |
Old Tunes, Troublesome Titles | 2018, No Depression In this article, Isa Burke touches on racial slurs in common tune titles, specifically those related to indigenous peoples, and gives suggestions for renaming. |
history, communities | instrumental music |
Talking with Banjo Player Kaia Kater | 2016, Indy Week In this interview, Grenadian-Canadian musician and songwriter Kaia Kater explains how her race relates to her songwriting and experiences playing for mostly white audiences. |
perspectives | instrumental music, song |
Response to: "A Figure by Any Other Name: Exploring Alternatives to Gypsy" | CDSS News, Fall 2019 Dragan Gill This article presents the history of the term "gypsy," both in terms of how it is used in dance as well as in the broader cultural context. |
perspectives, history | dance |
Gender
Title | More Information | Purpose | Tradition |
---|---|---|---|
Positional Calling | Jeremy Child Jeremy explores positional calling as a way to expand the boundaries of choreography. |
communities | contra |
Get into position for social dancing | Winter 2021, English Dance and Song Louise Siddons Louise explains how she uses positional calling for Playford and contra dances – and that positional calling has the potential to make dancing more fun for everyone. |
communities | ECD, contra |
Gender-free calling: why does it matter? | Autumn 2021, English Dance and Song Lisa Heywood Lisa discusses the importance of gender-free calling and offers some practical tips on how to get started. |
communities, perspective | all |
Gender-Free Dance Resources | Lisa Heywood Lisa offers a variety of resources on gender-free and positional calling and dancing. |
communities | all |
5 Benefits of Positional Calling (and one challenge) | 2021, Bay Area Country Dance Society A workshop with Louise Siddons, moderated by Brooke Friendly, at Fall Frolick 2021. |
communities | ECD |
5 Things... Inside the Dancing Mind of... an evening chat focused on Global Terminology/Positional Calling with Brooke Friendly | 2020, The Historical Tea and Dance Society Darlene Hamilton’s discussion with Brooke Friendly focused on teaching with global terminology and positional calling – something Brooke has been doing for years but which is particularly relevant to the current interest in teaching without reference to gender roles. |
communities, history, perspective | ECD |
Switching to Gender-Neutral Language in a Positive Way | Diane Silver In this handout, caller Diane Silver outlines a number of ideas for both organizers and callers to consider when switching to gender-neutral language. |
communities | contra dance |
Larks and Ravens: A Report from the Field | CDSS News, Spring 2018 Dela and Dugan Murphy Callers and organizers Dela and Dugan Murphy make a case for gender-free calling and describe how communities can transition to using gender-free terms. |
communities | contra dance |
Positional Calling | 2019, Jeff Kaufman In this blog post, Jeff Kaufman explores positional calling (i.e. calling without using role terms). The post is followed by a community discussion. |
communities | contra dance |
History of Larks/Ravens | 2019, Jeff Kaufman In this blog post, Jeff Kaufman presents a history of the role terms "larks" and "ravens." The post is followed by a community discussion. |
communities | contra dance |
What's Your Pronoun? | CDSS News, Winter 2015-2016 Miriam Newman In this article, Miriam explains why and how to ask people their pronouns. |
communities | all |
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms | 2018, Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates This blog post from the BIDA dance outlines their restroom labeling strategy and shares a template that other communities are free to use. |
communities | contra dance |
New Old Songs: Writing Within the Tradition | CDSS News, Summer 2020 Alex Sturbaum shares tips for writing new songs within folk traditions and touches on writing with less-often-mentioned themes in mind. |
perspectives, communities | song |
Age
Title | More Information | Purpose | Tradition |
---|---|---|---|
Fostering Intergenerational Community | 2015, Youth Traditional Song Weekend These notes from a session at YTS 2015 list ways participants promote age inclusivity in their own communities. |
communities | song |
Age Segregation at Contras | 2012, Jeff Kaufman In this blog post, Jeff explores the complexities of dance communities segregating by age. The post is followed by a community discussion. |
communities | contra dance |
Abilities
Title | More Information | Purpose | Tradition |
---|---|---|---|
Opening Virtual Doors to ALL Audiences | 2020, Folk Alliance International This FAI webinar discusses how to offer virtual events in a way that increases inclusion and reaches audiences of all abilities. |
communities | all |
Sexual/Romantic Orientation
Title | More Information | Purpose | Tradition |
---|---|---|---|
Queer as Folk: Traditional British Music Is Now Telling LGBT Stories | 2020, Guardian This article gives a quick overview of trends in LGBTQIA+ songwriting and music clubs in the UK. |
communities | song |
Sing, don't shout — an alternative approach | Crys Matthews | TEDxHerndon | 2017, TEDx When you are black, a woman, a lesbian, a preacher's kid, and in an interracial marriage in the south... difficult conversations abound! Singer-songwriter Crys Matthews shares what she's learned during her life as "the poster child for intersectionality." |
perspectives | song |
Che Apalache: Connection through Context | 2018, The Bluegrass Situation In this interview, Argentinian bluegrass band leader Joe Troop discusses how his perspective on music and songwriting coming from South America and from being gay is different than—but also similar to—perspecitives from more commonly seen identities. |
perspectives | song |
Nic Gareiss: The Subtle Art of Queering Traditional Dance | 2018, The Bluegrass Situation In this interview percussive dancer Nic Gareiss explores greater ideas about his listeners’ and audiences’ expectations about the relationships of dance and melody, dancer and musician, dance partner and dance partner, song and singer, and performer and audience. Not only does he “queer” dance, by stripping it of its normative trappings, and laying its essentials bare, he also queers its heteronormativity, its patriarchal tendencies, and its binaryism — in a fashion that’s supremely gorgeous to both the ears and the eyes. |
perspectives | percussive dance |
Dolly Parton's America: The Only One for Me, Jolene | 2019, WNYC Studios In this episode of Radiolab's Dolly Parton's America podcast, host Jad Abumrad interviews openly gay folk musicians about the intersection of queerness and music. |
perspectives | song |
A Not-At-All Exhaustive LGBTQIA+ Country Playlist | 2020, NPR This playlist, curated by NPR, highlights a number of modern queer country/folk artists. |
perspectives | song |
From Appalachia with Love: A Conversation with Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes | 2017, The Bluegrass Situation In this interview, Sam and Tyler talk bout being openly gay musicians in the American South. |
perspectives | song |
New Old Songs: Writing Within the Tradition | CDSS News, Summer 2020 Alex Sturbaum shares tips for writing new songs within folk traditions and touches on writing with less-often-mentioned themes in mind. |
perspectives, communities | song |
* Jake Blount Looks Deeper into the Black Traditions of Old-Time Music | 2020, The Bluegrass Situation Kaia Kater interviews musician Jake Blount about his album "Spider Tales" and some of the history that inspired this collection of songs. |
perspectives, history | music, song |
Socioeconomic Status
Title | More Information | Purpose | Tradition |
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Why the Sliding Scale? | 2014, Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates In this short blog post, the BIDA dance outlines why they use sliding scale admission for their events. |
communities | contra dance |
From Appalachia with Love: A Conversation with Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes | 2017, The Bluegrass Situation In this interview, Sam and Tyler talk bout being openly gay musicians in the American South. |
perspectives | song |