 | |
| Abbreviation | CDSS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1915; 110 years ago (1915) |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Easthampton, Massachusetts |
| Region served | United States and Canada |
| Membership | 2400 individuals and 260 affiliate groups |
| Executive Director | Katy German |
| Budget | $1.2 million (2021) |
| Staff | 12 |
| 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.
History
CDSS began in 1915 as a series of American chapters of the English Dance and Folk Society established by Cecil Sharp.
Several US branches united under the English Folk Dance and Song Society of America in 1933, and May Gadd was appointed as its first national director. 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. Today, CDSS supports more than 260 local affiliate groups.
Leadership
- Bob Dalsemer, (1990-1996)
Activities
CDSS promotes a number of types of participatory dance, including contra dance, English country dance, square dance, morris dance, rapper sword, and clogging.
CDSS runs several week-long summer camps at Pinewoods Dance Camp (MA), Camp Cavell (MI), Agassiz Village (ME), and Camp Louise (MD). They also run web chats and other online programs year-round.
References
- "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.
- ^ "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.