Country Dance and Song Society
 | |
| Abbreviation | CDSS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1915 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Easthampton, Massachusetts[1] |
Region served | United States and Canada |
| Membership | 2400 individuals and 260 affiliate groups[2] |
| Katy German | |
| Budget | $1.2 million (2021)[3] |
| Staff | 12[4] |
| Website | www.cdss.org |
The Country Dance and Song Society (abbreviated CDSS) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote participatory dance, music, and song with English and North American roots.[5][6][7][8][9]
History
[edit]CDSS began in 1915 as a series of American chapters of the English Dance and Folk Society established by Cecil Sharp.[10]
Several US branches united under the English Folk Dance and Song Society of America in 1933,[11] and May Gadd was appointed as its first national director.[12] The organization consolidated in 1940. In 1949, its name was changed to Country Dance Society; “and Song” was added in 1967.
CDSS moved its office from New York City to western Massachusetts in 1987 and started a mail-order store for books, recordings, and supplies around the same time. Its website was launched in 2009.[11] Today, CDSS supports more than 260 local affiliate groups.[13]
Leadership
[edit]- Bob Dalsemer, (1990-1996)
Activities
[edit]CDSS promotes a number of types of participatory dance, including contra dance,[14] English country dance, square dance,[15] morris dance, rapper sword, and clogging.[16]
CDSS runs several week-long summer camps at Pinewoods Dance Camp (MA),[17] Camp Cavell (MI), Agassiz Village (ME), and Camp Louise (MD).[18] They also run web chats[19] and other online programs year-round.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ "Office Staff". Country Dance and Song Society. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ "Country Dance & Song Society - About". CDSS. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ "CDSS 2021 Financial Statement" (PDF). CDSS. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ "Country Dance & Song Society - About". CDSS. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ Hast, Dorothea E. (1993). "Performance, Transformation, and Community: Contra Dance in New England". Dance Research Journal. 25 (1): 21–32. doi:10.2307/1478188. JSTOR 1478188. S2CID 147023859.
- ^ Horton, Laurel (2001). "Material Expressions of Communality among Dance Groups". Western Folklore. 60 (2/3): 203–226. doi:10.2307/1500377. JSTOR 1500377.
- ^ Larkin, Leah (3 January 1971). "The old dances rock along". The Courier-Journal. p. 92. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Foster, Cathy (24 January 1982). "Country dancing revival is sweeping the country". The Daily Register. Christian Science Monitor. p. 47. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Walkowitz, Daniel J. (2010). City Folk: English Country Dance and the Politics of Folk in Modern America. New York University Press. pp. 2, 235–236, 244, 258, 273–274.
- ^ "Rare images taken by Cecil Sharp to be displayed in Burnsville". Black Mountain News. August 21, 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ a b "History of CDSS". Country Dance and Song Society. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ "May Gadd". SocialFolkDance.org. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "About CDSS". Country Dance & Song Society. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Smith, Sean (November 29, 2017). "Folk music's Windborne troupe loves to perform, and educate in the doing of it". Boston Irish Reporter. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ Rhone, Jeffrey (2017). "The Challenge and Benefit of Evaluating Folk Dancing Quality". General Music Today. 31 (1): 10–15. doi:10.1177/1048371317713068. S2CID 149080455.
- ^ "The Social Dance Traditions". Country Dance and Song Society. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ "Program Providers". Pinewoods. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ "CDSS Dance, Music, and Song Camps | CDSS Dance, Music, and Song Camps and Online Programs". Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ "Web Chats for Organizers". Country Dance & Song Society. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ "Online Programs | CDSS Dance, Music, and Song Camps and Online Programs". Retrieved 2023-06-24.