Math, Music and Contra Dance
by Lena Erickson I first heard about contra dance at a small math conference in Northfield, Minnesota during the summer of 2013 when a graduate student described the connection between contra dance and...
View ArticlePat Napier
by Katy Tarter German In 2007, CDSS awarded its CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award to Patrick Napier of Bowling Green, Kentucky, for his long service and inspirational teaching to his local community....
View ArticleTrad Dance & Music Exhibit Opens in New Hampshire
by Lisa Sieverts Image: mid-1850s Dance Prompter’s Notebook Interested in the history of contra and square dance? Come to Peterborough, New Hampshire, to view an exhibit opening on January 24, 2015:...
View ArticleStorytelling at Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend
The 2015 Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend was a special one for CDSS. Each year the weekend hosts a “retrospective session;” several hours of the dance weekend dedicated to honoring and exploring some...
View ArticleSpread The Joy—It’s a slogan, it’s a song!
by Jonathan Jensen Musician, songwriter and longtime CDSS member Jonathan Jensen, of Baltimore, sent us this lovely gift of his song in honor of our Centennial in 2015. It debuted on March 24, during...
View ArticleDance, Music, Song & Talk at Red Barn Folk Festival
by Pat MacPherson, CDSS Director of Education Two weeks ago, I made my way to the Red Barn at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, the site of some mighty fun contra dances. On this occasion, however, I...
View ArticleFolk Music Archives Conference
by Pat MacPherson, CDSS Director of Education On May 7th and 8th, 2015, I attended a Folk Music Archives Conference, organized by Jay Hartman-Berrier, Director of the Indian Neck Folk Festival from...
View ArticleAmerican Week, Pinewoods 2014
by Chuck Abell Photo by Garrett Fondoules When I first heard about the Country Dancers of Rochester (CDR) scholarship program for CDSS camps, I developed an immediate interest. As a new caller—and as...
View ArticleTalking Square
Rima (3rd from right) representing CDSS at the 2015 National Square Dance Convention (photo by David Millstone) We had the privilege of participating in a national organization panel at the National...
View ArticleContra Dancing in Mexico—The Adventure Begins!
by Linda Leslie Mérida Dance Week, January 16-23, 2016 It is a testament to the joy of contra dancing, that some folks will go to great lengths to make sure that they have opportunities to dance. Take...
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