A quarterly e-blast for traditional music, dance, and song organizers
June 2019 - Update for Organizers
Dear Organizers,

This is a special Shop Talk update with some important timely news... read on!
REGISTRATION IS OPEN for the Building Safe Dance Communities web chat!
Registration has opened for our web chat on Building Safe Dance Communities.

The web chat is happening July 11, 8:30-9:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time .

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to gather valuable resources and hear personal experiences about this important topic. You'll hear from web chat guests across the continent and there will be time for Q&A.

  • Avia Moore (Toronto, ON) will share resources compiled by the CDSS Community Safety Task Group.
  • Diane Silver and Robert Zieber (Asheville, NC) are long-time organizers for the Old Farmers Ball dance community.
  • Marcia Davis-Cannon (Mountain View, CA) leads workshops on this topic for dance organizers on the West Coast.
  • Angela DeCarlis (Boston, MA) is a former Board Member of BIDA (Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates) and co-founder of the BIDA Safety Team.


To join the web chat (by computer or phone), submit your online RSVP form   BY JULY 7 . All registrants will receive instructions via email about how to participate. Even if you can’t join us on July 11, submit an RSVP to receive announcements about upcoming webchats.

Please share this news with other dance groups that might be interested.

 Questions? Contact Linda Henry at linda@cdss.org

Photo: Katy German, Linda Henry and Lynn Nichols ready for another web chat!
NEW: CDSS article about organizer discussions is now available online!
The summer issue of the CDSS News is now available to members and it includes an article about organizer discussions at regional festivals, weekends, and camps.

You can view the article here . Check it out for ideas on how you can make an organizer discussion happen in your region. AND... please send us a note if you organize or attend a gathering as we would love to hear about the various discussions happening throughout the continent!

Photo: Organizer Discussion at Ottawa's Hey Fever Dance Weekend - Nov 2018
NEW: Announcing the newly rebuilt Affiliate Directory in the CDSS Commons
We are thrilled to announce the new CDSS Affiliate Directory in the Commons. This online directory of our Affiliate Groups is searchable by multiple filters and is available to anyone logged in to the Commons.
 
Is your group – your community – an Affiliate?  Are you listed in the Affiliate Directory? Are you shown on this map of our Affiliates that appeared in the Summer issue of the CDSS News ? If not, now is a GREAT time to join! Your input, connections, and expertise are a crucial part of the future of these living traditions, and we are eager to share our many resources with you.  Join us !
Photo: Map of our current CDSS Affiliates
NEW: Volunteers needed for the Contra Pulse project
Help with the Contra Pulse project! Contra pianist Julie Vallimont is interviewing contra musicians across the country to "take the pulse" of contra music today. Some topics she's asking about include what music is being played today and why, how things have changed, and what the future might hold. She is recording both audio and video for these interviews, and they will be posted on a website linked to the CDSS website.

How you can be involved:  Julie needs volunteers to transcribe the audio so that written transcripts of the conversations can be posted online and saved in the CDSS archives. It's a fun project! Each interview is 1-2 hours long. Julie will send you an MP3 audio file and give you some technical guidance and helpful tips. This work can be done on your own time and you don’t need any prior transcribing experience to help.

Want to volunteer? Have questions before you put your name forward to help?

Photo: Julie interviewing Dudley Laufman for Contra Pulse
REMINDER: CDSS Affiliate survey open until July 1st!
Is your dance, music and/or song group a CDSS Affiliate? If so, we definitely want to hear from you in the month of June!

CDSS has reached out to all Affiliate representatives asking for group participation in the survey. Please touch base with your rep to see how you can be involved in the survey.

Note: All Affiliates who complete the survey will be entered into a draw. The winning affiliate group will have the choice of sending one person from their community to a CDSS camp. CDSS will cover tuition, room and board costs. Travel and additional class material fees not covered.  But that’s an up to $950 value!!!  

If your group is not yet an Affiliate, you can join here and then participate in the survey.
REMINDER: Open Band survey open until July 1st!
And a final quick reminder...

We are currently surveying OPEN BAND leaders.
Over 35 organizers have responded so far which is fantastic. That's a lot of open bands!

If you know of an open band, please pass the survey on.



Photo: The Madison Open Band
The next Shop Talk will be in August. Until then...

Happy dancing, singing, and playing trad music!
Emily Addison (Consultant) & Linda Henry (CDSS Community Resources Manager)
P.S. If you have suggestions or content for the next shop Shop Talk , email emily@cdss.org . For specific requests or advice, email linda@cdss.org .
Country Dance & Song Society | 116 Pleasant St, Easthampton, MA 01027 | 413-203-5467 | CDSS.ORG