Campers’ Week at Pinewoods

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 Camp House, 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

Arrival & Departure

Saturday Arrival Schedule:

Saturday Departure Schedule: 

Draft Daily Schedule

9:00-9:50

Ages 0-3: Music, Nature and Movement with 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: Dancing and Designs with Hannah Naiman

We’ll fill the hour together with dances, artwork, and songs.

Ages 7-9: Longsword with Sarah Henry

The 7-9s will have the chance to learn some traditional longsword figures and make some of their own in this linked circle dance from northern England. 

Ages 10-12: Morris Dance with Andy Davis

Bring a comfortable pair of shoes with laces for an introduction to North West processional morris. This a rhythmic and very noisy form of clog morris that has intriguing figures and much camaraderie. We will also have some songs and stories. If you play an instrument, please bring it!

Ages 13 & up: English Country Dance For All with Jenny Beer

Ease into the morning with dances familiar and new, dances that zing, dances that flow, dances with meaningful moments, and mostly dances that take less teaching time so we can savor more dancing time with our friends! All accompanied by splendid music. 

Ages 13 & up: Camper-led classes

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

10:10-11:00

All-Camp Gathering

11:10-12:00

Ages 13-18: Teen Class with Gillian Stewart

What does it mean to be a teenager at Campers’ Week? Let’s figure it out together! We’ll do some dancing, some singing, some organizing, some learning, some field trips, and almost certainly have a healthy dose of chaos. 

Ages 13 & up: Camper-led classes

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

1:30-2:00

Quiet Time

2:00-2:50

Ages 4-6: Nature, Songs, and Stories with Emilie Moore

Each day, we’ll take a nature walk, collect things for a craft, write songs about the trees, create a story about a curious squirrel, and start traditions with our small, but mighty crew. Get ready to ground your toes in the dirt and dig in!

Ages 7-9: Song, Dance, and Story with 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: Social Dances with Hannah Naiman

Let’s crack the code and unlock the secret to enjoying all those tricky dances in the evening program.  We’ll have a blast learning some dance tricks and techniques, dance some of our favorites, and probably sing a song or two as well!

Ages 13 & up: Contras and Cousins with Rick Mohr

Enjoy first rate dances in fine company, with inspired music, in the fresh breezes of Hands Across. A main course of contras, spiced daily with a memorable cousin (square, triplet, 4-face-4…). Guaranteed fun for both newer and seasoned dancers.

Ages 13 & up: Camper-led classes

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

3:00-3:50

Ages 13 & up: Callers Workshop with Jenny Beer and Rick Mohr

Join us to explore calling topics and skills, whether you’ve been a caller for zero minutes or many decades! Each day we’ll share ideas, pop up to try things out, and decide together what to discuss/practice the next day, whether it’s timing, walkthroughs, programming, dance roles, stepping up to leadership, or the unexpected topic of the moment. Whatever the focus, we’ll enjoy hanging out and trying things in a supportive community.

Singing and Crafts on the Porch

This is a casual sing while we quilt, knit, bead, paint, etc. Bring a craft project to share and a song to ease the labors.

Ages 13 & up: Camper-led classes

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

4:00-4:50

All Ages: Community Band

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

All Ages: Social Singing with Emilie Moore

Come one, come all! We’ll learn and share songs by ear with a different theme everyday—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 & up: Camper-led classes

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

7:00

Community Dance with rotating callers organized by Andy Davis

Andy will coordinate this all-camp dance. Do you call community dances? Do you like playing for lively multi-generational dances? Bring your ideas to camp, and see Andy.

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.

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

Sliding Scale Adult Fees

Fees for kids

You can find more information about the registration process here.