2015 Camp News
CDSS's Harmony of Song and Dance at Pinewoods, 2014 (photo by Zoë Madonna)
Since 1915, the Country Dance and Song Society has worked to spread joy and build community through dance, music and song. We believe, and have directly experienced over the past 100 years, that participation in these activities is life-changing.

CDSS Camps in 2015 will see some positive changes. We will stop the rotation of camp weeks at Pinewoods so campers will know the dates of our weeks well in advance. We will consolidate our seven weeks at Pinewoods into six weeks so our programs will be contiguous and conflict less with various academic schedules just before Labor Day. We have the full support of Pinewoods Camp, Inc. (PCI) to make these changes happen. CDSS's Director of Programs, Steve Howe, and I have worked closely with the CDSS Board, CDSS Camp Advisory Group, PCI Board President, Warren Anderson, and Pinewoods Camp Manager, Judy Savage, to make these programmatic decisions. CDSS and PCI are committed to a solid partnership to ensure both organizations can benefit from full enrollment and excellent programming at each week.

Our high caliber programs for adults and families at Timber Ridge and Ogontz will continue. In addition, we will partner next year with Revels, Inc., and Revels North to run a session at Ogontz Camp, following Family Week at Ogontz. Finally, our Midwest Camp Task Group is exploring possibilities of a CDSS-supported or CDSS-run camp to happen in the Midwest at a future date. We are working hard to finalize the dates for 2015 CDSS Camps and will announce those very soon!

CDSS is committed to providing the resources, services and training that ensure strong, resilient communities of participatory dance, music and song rooted in English and North American traditional culture. Today, our value and strength is as an arts and education organization in service to communities and participants across North America and beyond. CDSS Camps continue to be a vital expression of our core beliefs and mission, and a way we sustain our organization. Our other core services of conferences, publications, 501(c)3 tax exemption status, general liability insurance, grants, scholarships, bookstore, resources (online and in print) will continue, as will our Archives and Library at the University of New Hampshire.

It is crucial as a part of our Centennial celebration that we use this opportunity to build a solid programmatic and financial foundation for the future of CDSS. We thank you for your continued passion and dedication to CDSS and our programs!

~ Rima Dael, Executive Director, Country Dance and Song Society
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