Communities Strengthened by Dancing, Singing, and Making Music Together
~ News and Notes for Affiliate Groups ~

Dear CDSS Affiliates,

You are our contact for your group. This newsletter includes useful information that will have long-lasting benefits for YOUR community and we are counting on you to share it with your group organizers. 
IN THIS ISSUE:
  • Grant Deadline February 1st
  • Advertise Your Event in the Spring CDSS News (deadline Feb 1)
  • Matching Scholarships for CDSS Camp Programs
  • Sign Up for Shop Talk
  • Update on CDSS Web Chats for Organizers
  • Add Your Own Events to the CDSS Events Calendar
Montezuma Community Barn And Contra Dance, recipient of a CDSS grant in 2018
CDSS Grants to Support YOUR Project or Event! 

Got ideas for a new initiative to boost your music, dance, or song community? Apply soon for our February 1st deadline. For application materials click here and contact Linda Henry with questions.

Here's a glimpse of how one community has benefited from CDSS grant support over the years: "In 2013 and 2017 we received grants for 2 different contra caller workshops. Each workshop resulted in "graduating" several callers who are still calling today!"
Advertise Your Event in the Spring CDSS News - deadline February 1!

Promote your event in the Spring 2019 issue of the CDSS News, a print edition that mails in early December to more than 3,000 CDSS members and Affiliates. 

If you're a member or group Affiliate, you can place a full page, half page, or quarter page ad in the News at 50% off the published rates!

The Spring News deadline is February 1st, so if you haven't booked your ad yet, do it soon so you don't miss out! Use the handy online insertion order form at

NOTE: The Summer 2019 issue of the News will be our DIGITAL ONLY issue for the year. You can read more about this in the Spring issue of the News. 
Matching Scholarships for CDSS Summer Programs

Photo by Jeffrey Bary
Please share this announcement with the person in your group who handles Matching Scholarships

We encourage your group to participate in the CDSS Matching Scholarship Program. These one-on-one matches from CDSS and our Group Affiliates can help your group support an up-and-coming leader, musician, caller, dancer, or organizer to come to a CDSS week. They are sure to bring back fresh ideas and new connections to contribute to your community!

Click here for the application. Deadline is March 11, 2019, however Matching Scholarships will be awarded as long as funds remain.

Questions? Contact Linda Henry. 
Sign Up to Receive the February 
Shop Talk
E-blast for Organizers

Shop Talk is a quarterly e-blast for organizers that offers useful resources, highlights best practices, and shares inspirational stories. We'll also use these quarterly emails to announce upcoming learning opportunities such as web chats and organizer conferences.

The next Shop Talk will be emailed in mid-February. Want to get it? Click here to sign up today!

You can read past issues here. 

Update on CDSS Web Chats for Organizers

Photo by Ben Williams
We were thrilled to learn that over 100 dance organizers from Alberta to Florida were interested in our third Web Chat on January 16! The topic was Increasing Youth Involvement, and guests from Oklahoma, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Massachusetts shared stories from their communities about successes in this area. Participants also had a chance to request input from our guests about topics that were most pertinent for their communities.

We'll be hosting our next web chat -- Family Dance Organizers Unite! - on April 4, 8:30 - 9:30 PM EDT. Please help us spread the word to any organizers who run dances for families with young children. Stay tuned for further details in the next CDSS News.

You'll find recordings of our three previous web chats in our Organizers Resource Portal. For more info, contact Linda Henry. 
Add Your Own Events to the CDSS Online Calendar!

YOU want to get the word out about your traditional dance, music, and song events. WE want to make our online events calendar the go-to resource for TDMS events in the US and Canada. So we're making it easier to get listed by allowing you to add your own one-time and repeating events to the calendar. 

You can submit one time events AND regular dance series! To submit your dance, sing, or other event, go here and click on the "Add an event" link. If you have any questions (such as how to set up event repeats), check out this  step-by-step tutorial complete with screen shots. 

Once you submit your event, we'll review it and approve it ASAP. It's that simple! 
Country Dance & Song Society
116 Pleasant St, Suite 345, Easthampton, MA 01027 | 413-203-5467 | CDSS.ORG  

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