Campers’ Week at Pinewoods

“It is a chance to be in true, multi-generational community–outdoors full of dancing, singing, music-making, swimming, laughing, sharing.”

–2022 Camper

August 1-8, 2026 // Plymouth, MA

Where YOU are the defining ingredient

Join our community Facebook group!

Campers of all ages enjoying a performance

Program Description

It’s right there in the name! Campers’ Week is a week like no other—not just for campers, but by campers, who join a small-but-mighty staff in offering classes, leading dances, playing in the band, performing at gatherings, teaching crafts, decorating for the ball, hosting parties, and sharing whatever talent they’d like.

If you love helping to make the magic happen, and you’re between the ages of 0 and 187, this is the session for you! Bring your parents, your best friend, your neighbor, your siblings, your kids, your cousins, your spouse, your fiancé, your grandkids, or just yourself (if you’re over 18) for a week of multi-generational, camper-enhanced family fun.

What do we love? At morning and evening gatherings, people of all ages share a tune, tell a story, showcase a skill, sing, laugh, and dance together. During the day, kids under 13 gather twice with their peers—who may well become lifelong friends—to learn new dances, sing, craft, or what have you. Teens have their own class session (don’t worry, it’s not first thing in the morning) and all campers age 13+ can join in daily staff-led contra and English dance classes. There’s also ritual dance instruction, a community band, callers’ workshop, plus whatever delights campers offer. When it’s time to give those dancing feet a rest, you can swim, sun, or canoe in a pond, or find a chair on one of the many porches to craft, sing, jam, or just relax and chat with friends new and old.

Festivities continue after dinner with a musical procession through the woods to the all-ages dance, which kicks off evening gathering. After the youngest campers head to bed, talented staff lead a vibrant mix of English, contras, squares, and a few surprises, with the help of the camper band—a delightful mélange of professional musicians, talented dabblers, and enthusiastic neophytes—and guest callers. (Want to call a dance? Let us know.)

Afterwards, the party moves to the Camphouse, where a pub sing, auction, skit night, jams, or impromptu low-key gatherings continue into the night… including whatever merriment intrepid campers incite. (Will Kerry sets return this year? Late-night English favorites? Nonstop Rory O’More? If you want it, make it happen!)

Whether you grew up here and never left, or are joining for the very first time, Campers’ Week welcomes all ages, all skill levels, all talents, all everything. So pack your instrument (even your ukulele!), your voice, your dance shoes, your ball costume, your crafting supplies, your joy, and your sense of adventure. We hope to see you there.

-Leah Gordon and Jonathan Van Gieson, Program Directors

Schedule

Arrival & Departure

Saturday Arrival Schedule:

3:00 p.m.	The earliest you can start arriving at camp
4:30-6:00	Welcome party / lifeguard on duty for swimming
6:00	Tour of camp starting from the Camp House
6:30	Dinner
7:45	Orientation gathering
8:15	Bedtime for ages 9 and under
8:45-10:00	Opening night dance
9:20	Bedtime for ages 10-12
10:15	Program planning party!

Saturday Departure Schedule:

7:45-8:15 a.m.	Breakfast
10:00 a.m.	Final departure

Draft Daily Schedule

7:45 a.m.	Breakfast
9:00-9:50	Class Period 1
10:10-11:00	Morning gathering
11:10-12:00	Class Period 2 / swimming
12:30 p.m.	Lunch
2:00-2:50	Class Period 3
3:00-3:50	Class Period 4 / swimming
4:00-4:50	Class Period 5
6:00	Dinner
7:00	All camp dance
7:30-8:15	Evening gathering
8:00	Bedtime for ages 9 and under
8:30-10:45	Evening dance
9:15	Bedtime for ages 10-12
10:45 onward	After-dance activities

Class Descriptions

Period 1

Ages 0-3: Music, Nature and Movement—Emilie Moore

We will welcome the morning with the littlest campers with songs, stories, splash time, and more! For kids 0-2 years old, guardians are necessary. For 3-year-olds, guardians are welcome!

Ages 4-6: Hop, skip, and jump! And sing, dance and play together!—Margaret Blachly and Catlin Preston

An introduction to being in a musical, dancing, and social community at camp, our 4-6s class will include a chance for very young children to have a space that is all their own, and where their ideas and ways of seeing the world are welcomed and included. We’ll create a routine that is comfortable and inviting, and that honors each child exactly where they are at this moment in their development. Some of the curriculum will be emergent, meaning we’ll take our cues from the children, and include their songs and musical ideas into our shared playing and singing.

We’ll also bring in classic CDSS curriculum passed down to us through the Amidons, Betsy Blachly, Sally Rogers, Andy Davis and the Reid-Naimans over so many years. This will include learning about cooperating to create the simplest and most important of traditional dance formation: the circle! We will also emphasize hearing and repeating rhythms, melodies, tempos, harmonies and movements….all while having as much fun as possible!

Ages 7-9: Longsword—Sarah Henry

The 7-9s will have the chance to explore ritual dance with Sarah—learning the magic of longsword linked circle dances from northern England or morris dances from the south, and making up some figures of their own. And we’ll spend some time with arts and crafts—perhaps making a special surprise for the whole camp to enjoy!

Ages 10-12: Social Dance, Song and Story—Andy Davis

Social dance old and new (square, contra and English). We’ll learn some dance skills so we can all have more fun at the evening dances. Let’s create a dance we can share. Songs and stories will round out the class.

Ages 13 and up: English Country Dance For All—Susan Kevra

Come explore the full gamut of English Country dance delights – from old, beloved classics to brand new choreographies, and everything in between.

Ages 13 and up: Camper-led classes

All are encouraged to join. Those under 13 may join with a parent or guardian!

Period 2

Ages 13-18: Teens Rapper—Sam Overbeck

Throughout the week, we’ll be crafting a thrilling Rapper sword dance, full of spins, jumps, and maybe even backflips! (Hard-soled shoes are best.) We’ll also take a bit of time to learn about camp life by brushing up on our social dancing, singing some songs, and learning about the Pinewoods crew.

Ages 13 and up: Camper-led Classes

All are encouraged to join. Those under 13 may join with a parent or guardian!

Period 3

Ages 4-6: Songs and Stories—Rachel Bell

A colorful, active, engaging celebration of music, dance, and singing in a safe and encouraging environment that sets children up for success. There will be instruments, songs that get stuck in your head for months (watch out, parents!), stories, lots of movement, and fun surprises every day.

Ages 7-9: Song, Dance, and Story—Andy Davis

This class will be a potpourri of stories, songs, dances, and games. We will be active participants in the folk traditions by learning, creating, and sharing. Bring an instrument, a song to share, a joke, or a family story. And don’t forget some good shoes for dancing and going on adventures!

Ages 10-12: Cotswold Morris—Sam Overbeck

In this class we’ll learn a couple of traditional morris dances from England, and learn how to write dances of our own. Get ready to jump, clash sticks, sing, play games and more!

Ages 13 and up: Fabulous Contras and Squares—Lisa Greenleaf

A wooden floor, live music, great dances, and YOU. This session will have a delicious mix of excellent contras and squares, so join us for a quintessential Pinewoods dance experience.

Ages 13 and up: Camper-led Classes

All are encouraged to join. Those under 13 may join with a parent or guardian!

Period 4

Ages 13 and up: Contra Calling: The FUN Workshop—Lisa Greenleaf

There’s more to calling than standing up in front of a mic! We will go over the topics YOU want to cover: Calling 101 for beginners one day, good teaching language another day, stage presence, and, of course, plenty of practice and flight time at the mic.

Ages 13 and up: Camper-led Classes

All are encouraged to join. Those under 13 may join with a parent or guardian!

Period 5

All Ages: Community Band—TBA

A daily gathering to explore ways to make the music more dance-able and playing more joyful. All instruments welcome.

All Ages: Social Singing—Emilie Moore

Come one, come all! We’ll learn and share songs by ear with a different theme every day—songs for the working class, songs about the weather, bedtime songs, and more! No singing experience required. Children 6 years old and under need an adult buddy.

Ages 13 and up: Camper-led Classes

All are encouraged to join. Those under 13 may join with a parent or guardian!

Evening Activities

All Ages: All-Camp Dance with rotating callers organized by Andy Davis

A chance for the entire camp to dance together! Do you call community dances? Do you like playing for lively multi-generational dances? Bring your ideas to camp, and see Andy.

Dance Terminology

CDSS camps use a variety of calling terms, including gendered and non-gendered role terms, as well as positional language, at the discretion of each week’s Program Director. Read more about CDSS and dance calling language here.

Contras and squares	TBD
English country dance	TBD

Registration and Fees

Camp fees cover all accommodation, meals from dinner on the arrival day to breakfast on the departure day, and all of the various dance, music, and song events in the program.

This year, all of our weeks have sliding scale pricing for adults to help make camp financially accessible to more people. The fee you choose will not affect your chance of getting into camp.

How it works:

The standard camper fee covers program staff pay and travel costs, facility fees, and all of the other costs associated with running this camp week.
The higher price options allow you to add an additional amount to your registration fee to help make camp more accessible to more people. Thanks for supporting this community!
If the standard camper fee doesn’t work for you, no worries! Feel free to choose one of the lower price options.
If the lower price tiers still leave camp out of reach for you, we encourage you to apply for a scholarship and/or work exchange. See our Scholarships page for more details