It's Celebration Week, and we invite you to celebrate with us! Send a video postcard showing what's happening in your community-singing, dancing, making music. First, watch David Millstone's cool postcard, and then send us yours, using the form at that link. Or upload your video to our Facebook page. Either is a great way to join in on the Centennial fun!

And stay tuned via Facebook and our Centennial website all this week as we present some special Celebration treats!

If you haven't seen the new online flipbook of our 2015 summer camp programs, check it out. To register for any week, click here. Full info is on our website,

CDSS was invited to choose a topic for the Botkin Lecture Series to celebrate our Centennial. We chose dance scholar, Graham Christian, to speak about his forthcoming book, The Playford Assembly, which CDSS is publishing in 2015.

The Botkin Lecture Series, offered by the American Folklife Center, one of the research centers associated with the Library of Congress, presents "distinguished experts speaking about their research and current issues and best practices in folklore, folklife, ethnomusicology, and related fields...The series honors Benjamin A. Botkin (1901-1975), a pioneering folklorist who headed the Library's Archive of American Folksong from 1942-1945."

The first two of our six Centennial Tour stops will begin next month with visits to Tucson, AZ (April 25-May 1) and to Owen Sound, ON (April 28-May 3), followed by stops later in the year in Halifax, NS; Coos Bay, OR; Morgantown, WV; and Lawrence, KS. More information about the Tour and its stops are on our Centennial website.

The most important part of the CDSS Centennial is connecting with all of the song and dance communities across the continent who are keeping our traditions alive. In an effort to create more person-to-person connections we are assembling a team of "volunteer captains" who will act as point-people in their state or region. Captains will represent CDSS in their area by spreading the word about Centennial activities and also provide a direct link back to CDSS headquarters letting us know what's happening and where we can help.

Have a question about the Centennial? Or just want to say hi to your regional captain? Here's who we have so far, and look for this list to expand soon to cover more regions. If you're interested in becoming a Centennial Volunteer Captain please contact Community100 Manager Mary Wesley at mary@cdss.org.


Mary Wesley (Burlington, VT) - Volunteer Manager, representing Vermont, Gaye Fifer (Pittsburgh, PA) - representing Pennsylvania and West Virginia, Greg Rhode (St. Louis, MO) - representing Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, Andrew VanNorstrand (Manlius, NY) - representing New York state, Dave Casserly (Washington, DC) - representing District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, david.j.casserly@gmail.com
Pam Paulson (Waukesha, WI) - representing Minnesota and Wisconsin, Valerie Helbert (Durham, NC) - representing North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, val.helbert@gmail.com
Miranda Arana (Norman, OK) - representing Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, Bryan Suchenski - (Philadelphia, PA) - representing New Jersey, Delaware, Philadelphia, New York City and its environs, bsuchenski@gmail.com
Rosemary Lach (Victoria, BC) - representing British Columbia and Washington state, Yucadanz is a contra dance series that began last November, in Mérida, the capital of Yucatan State, four hours west of Cancún. "Our numbers grow with every dance," writes Brooks Hart. "At the last dance we had 26 people." Brooks is the regular caller and they use recordings unless they're lucky enough to have visiting callers and musicians. "We just had The Salt Potatoes of Syracuse, NY play for us while vacationing in Mérida. We extend a hearty bienvenidos to any callers, musicians or contra dancers visiting the Yucatán." You'll find the Facebook page for the event here.

More evidence that our marvelous dance traditions continue to make friends wherever they are. That's something to celebrate, isn't it?