Country Dance & Song Society

10/29/2026

Congrats to Syracuse Country Dancers for meeting their CDSS Membership Drive Challenge goal!

If your local group is also participating (check at the link in comments), you can help them win a prize! Become a CDSS Member or increase your membership giving any time before the end of the year.

cdss.org/join
Photo by Jennifer Staples.
[Image description: a line of contra dancers mid-allemande. A sign reading "Syracuse Country Dancers," a string of colorful bunting, and a string of white lights are in the background.]

10/27/2026

Puttin' On the Dance is back in 2027!

Puttin’ On the Dance convenes organizers who produce contra, English, square, community dances, and more to learn, share, and connect.

New in 2027, POTD4 will be hosted in conjunction with the Flurry Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY, February 11-12 (Thursday evening and Friday daytime before the Flurry begins).

CDSS has special scholarship funds to support organizers finding their way to Puttin' On the Dance. Applications are now open! (Link in comments.)
[Image description: an ad for Puttin' On the Dance 4, with cream, green, blue, and purple text on a brown background. From top to bottom, text reads:
"Puttin' on the Dance 4
A gathering for organizers of traditional participatory social dance to learn, share, and be inspired!
Hosted by The Flurry Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY
Thursday Feb 11th 7pm to Friday Feb 12th 5pm
Registration opens October 20th at www.puttinonthedance.org"
A group photo from POTD3 is in the upper left, and the DanceFlurry and CDSS logos are in the lower corners.]

10/23/2026

Potters' Porch, the fifth of Fried de Metz Herman's published books of dances, is available again in a limited reprinting!
https://commons.cdss.org/s/product/potters-porch/01tUP00000FRnf7YAD

Potters' Porch was named for the porch at the Connecticut home of Ed and Marjorie Potter, where many of Fried's dances were tested to live music provided by Country Dancers of Westchester's pianist Leah Barkan and by dancers devoted to Fried's work (and to her). It features 62 new and reconstructed dances, including such masterpieces as Impertinence, Measured Obsession, Michael and All Angels, and Rose of Sharon, and introduces some of Fried's original contributions to the lexicon of English country dance figures, such as the Meander and Egg Beaters.
[Image description: the book Potters' Porch sits facing out on a wooden bookshelf. The cover is red with black text reading, "Potters' Porch and other interesting country dances old and new... with music... in a variety of styles and formations."]

10/22/2026

Don't miss episode 36 of From the Mic, with Emily Rush!

Listen at https://cdss.org/podcasts/from-the-mic/ or wherever you get podcasts.
[Image description: a quote from Emily Rush, in white block letters on a black background. “I resonate the most with the callers whose primary objective is to have a good time—that’s what I always try to bring. Like, we’re not gonna be perfect [...] there’s no points, there’s no competitions, there’s no judges. We’re strictly here to have a good time." The graphic has a light blue border and the From the Mic logo in the lower right corner.]

10/14/2026

Contra callers - join us online tonight (Wednesday, October 14) for a chat with River Rainbowface!

https://cdss.org/programs/contra-callers-corner/

This month’s topic is the beginner’s lesson.

Leading a good beginner’s lesson can help nurture your dance communities. Tune in to learn why River prefers to teach the lesson before dance events they call, how they structure their lessons, how and what they choose to include in their beginner’s lessons, and more!

Expect a lively and thoughtful discussion, and be sure to bring your own questions!

This program is free and open to all; please register in advance.

New in 2026! Contra Callers’ Corner is a series of free monthly Zoom calls for contra callers of all levels. It’s a place to ask questions, network, and address hot topics from your local dance community in a safe space. Hosted by Seth Tepfer and a different featured guest each month, the sessio...

10/13/2026

Tonight! (Tuesday, October 13)

We’re excited to begin our very own book club!
https://cdss.org/programs/cdss-book-club/

Every other month, we’ll read a book focusing on a part of our shared traditions, then gather online to take a deeper dive into the text and share our thoughts, reflections, resources, and further reading.

Our first book will be Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics by Phil Jamison, who will join us for an online discussion of his work.

This program is free and open to all; please register in advance. You will receive a link to join the Zoom meeting just after you complete the registration form. This program will be recorded and available to view after.
[Image description: a graphic with white text on a magenta background reading "CDSS Book Club," above an image of the cover of Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics and a photo of Phil Jamison holding a banjo.]

10/03/2026

Our camps are expanding, and so is our staff!

As a member of a small, dedicated, internal team, the CDSS Camp Programs Coordinator will help support CDSS in-person camp programs at various locations. The ideal candidate will have a familiarity with CDSS camp programming and the folk traditions that CDSS stewards.

This is a part-time, year-round, mostly remote position. Proximity to the CDSS home office in Easthampton, MA, is preferred.

https://cdss.org/about/jobs/
[Image description: members of the CDSS staff stand beneath a string of colorful bunting. They hold a sign that reads, "Work with us! Camp Programs Coordinator / Remote / 30 hours/week" with the URL for the link above.]

10/01/2026

Ann Arbor-area friends! The Executive Committee of the CDSS Board is coming to visit next weekend—we'd love to see you at these special dances and events! (Links in comments)

🌟Advanced English Dance - Friday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.
Dances led by Margaret Bary, David Smukler, Michael Wood, and others. Music by Debbie Jackson and some combination of Josh Burdick, Susie Lorand, and Matt McCoy.

🌟Community Meeting and Potluck - Saturday Oct. 10, 5:00 p.m.

🌟Contra Dance Party - Saturday Oct. 10, 7:00 p.m.
Dances led by CDSS Board members. Music by Grant Flick and Friends.
Photo by Jeff Bary, Philadelphia Area Traditional Music and Dance.
[Image description: CDSS Board President David Smukler and former board member Diane Silver dance at a previous CDSS Executive Committee community dance event. They are smiling at the viewer and appear to be heading into a left hand star.]

09/30/2026

Contra callers - join us online on October 14 for a chat with River Rainbowface!

https://cdss.org/programs/contra-callers-corner/

This month’s topic is the beginner’s lesson.

Leading a good beginner’s lesson can help nurture your dance communities. Tune in to learn why River prefers to teach the lesson before dance events they call, how they structure their lessons, how and what they choose to include in their beginner’s lessons, and more!

Expect a lively and thoughtful discussion, and be sure to bring your own questions!

This program is free and open to all; please register in advance.
[Image description: a graphic with photos and text about the upcoming Contra Callers' Corner session. In the top third, the Contra Callers' Corner logo is to the right of a photo of Seth Tepfer. The space below has a photo of River Rainbowface and white text on a blue background saying, "Wednesday, October 14 / 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT) / Guest: River Rainbowface / Topic: Beginner's lessons."]

09/29/2026

On the latest episode of From the Mic, Mary Wesley talks with Emily Rush, a contra caller, organizer, and DJ from Durham, NC.
https://cdss.org/podcasts/from-the-mic/

Emily has been calling since 2013, after Rick Mohr's week-long callers workshop at Family Week at Timber Ridge. She's especially known for Rushfest, her signature blend of contra dancing to recorded pop music, which she mixes herself, which she's brought to dance weekends and events across the country.

At home, Emily helps run a lively dance community in North Carolina's Triangle region. Emily and Mary talk about how she ended up at the caller's mic, the art of mixing recorded music for contra, working with live bands, and building dance communities that are welcoming, communicative, and fun. There's lots of laughter along the way, because Emily's mantra is simple: we're all here to have a good time!
Photo by David Frantz.
[Image description: Emily Rush, with short, bright orange-red hair and dark-rimmed glasses, stands at a microphone on stage, smiling and looking off to the side mid-laugh. An open laptop sits on a stand in the foreground, with a music stand to the right and red and black stage curtains behind her. The From the Mic Logo is in the lower right corner.]