English Dance Week at Pinewoods

A Feast of Tradition and Innovation

Savor glorious historic dances, accompanied by the latest sparkling choreographies. Add a dash of morris, a slice of sword, and scorching hot clogs. Season with spectacular music and singing, for the most delectable feast imaginable!

Picture yourself in the beautiful natural setting of Pinewoods Camp, immersed in glorious English dance, music, and song for a full week of fabulous fun! English Dance Week welcomes all to a warm and enthusiastic community, sharing our delight and encouraging all to participate.

The biggest problem at English Dance Week? Wishing you could be in two (or three) places at once! You’ll choose among seven daily sessions of country dancing, several display dance styles (longsword, morris, and clog), and multiple music workshops. You’ll also be tempted by singing, a seminar for leaders, and an ever-changing array of one-shot sessions each afternoon.

Even if there were no classes, just spending a week with our amazing staff would leave you exhilarated. Be sure to leave space for extra-curricular activities including chocolate tasting, ceilidh dancing, afternoon parties, and late-night shenanigans.

Dance ’til you drop 

First period sessions include ECD for everyone, in graded classes. Joanna Reiner Wilkinson keeps advanced dancers on their toes with “Untangling Knots.” Margaret Bary presents “Dancing with Ease,” for experienced dancers to savor a variety of moods and energies. Anna Rain offers “Joy in Motion” to guide new and less-experienced dancers. 

Further ECD sessions through the day are open to all. Topics include “Dance Potpourri,” “The Big Show,” and “Maggots, Measures, and Whims.” In mid-afternoon, “Open Mic / Open Band” welcomes all to play music and present dances. 

Display dance enthusiasts are welcome to explore the joys of longsword dancing and border morris with Jan Elliott, or English clog dance with Laura Robertson. All are welcome at these display classes, from experts to novices.

Experienced ECD callers enjoy a rare opportunity this summer: a leaders seminar with Bruce Hamilton. Although this class is just an hour each day, expectations of students are high (including pre-class assignments and daily homework). See the class descriptions for more details. 

A Feast for the Ears 

Beautiful music fills the air all day long, from Renaissance melodies to folk tunes and 21st century compositions. Each evening, everyone comes together for a dance party, where we are inspired by musical magic from our amazing staff. 

Fiddlers Earl Gaddis, Eric Martin, and Ben Jackson uplift us with elegance and blister us with fire. Anna Patton and Carrie Rose weave magical melodies on clarinet and flute. Crisp textures and rhythmic drive flow from Owen Morrison on guitar and Rachel Bell on accordion. On piano, Karen Axelrod and Kathy Talvitie captivate us with soaring phrases and inventive harmonies. 

You can join in the music-making! Raise your playing to the next level with the guidance of these master musicians. Karen and Anna are two of the most sought-after music teachers in the country. They offer workshops each day, to share their musical secrets. Learn new licks in class, then join the orchestra at the open mic dance. You didn’t bring an instrument? Everyone is welcome to join Amanda Witman for the singers workshop and the afternoon singing session.

Your turn to shine 

Each morning, Owen emcees a lively gathering, featuring you! Bring something to share: a song, a joke, or your rendition of Childgrove on jaw harp. Every afternoon includes space for a smorgasbord of “One-Shots” led by a mix of campers and staff. Monday could be Irish sets or AcroYoga… Tuesday could be historic reconstruction or Manx clog… who knows? All offerings are welcomed (we take requests, too) as we take turns sharing our enthusiasms.

Unofficial activities are often the highlights of a week at camp. Would you like to join in a chocolate-tasting party, madrigal sing, pirate raid, or post-dance karaoke? Let your imagination run free—we will help you connect with likely co-conspirators and materials.

Together

All these elements are wonderful, but the whole is much more. The heart of English Dance Week finds us immersed in a beautiful natural setting, nestled in a caring community, enveloped in glorious music, and each contributing our own positive energy. We dance, play music, listen, sing, share, create, explore… and laugh a lot. Join us!

-Scott Higgs, Program Director

Arrival & Departure

Saturday Arrival Schedule:

Saturday Departure Schedule: 

Draft Daily Schedule

Period 1 – 9:00-10:00 a.m.

Essential ECD Skills for newer dancers: Joy in Motion – Anna Rain

Build awareness and confidence; learn terms and ECD geography; embrace “recovery” and emphasize the pleasure of moving to music together!

Dancing With Ease – Margaret Bary

For dancers who are familiar with most ECD figures. Our focus will be on navigating the dance floor with ease: dancing with musicality, relating to others, and internalizing patterns. Repertoire will range from historic treasures to modern delights in a variety of moods and energies.

Advanced ECD: Untangling Knots – Joanna Reiner Wilkinson

What makes a dance “advanced?” Is it new or new to you? Does it feature different sensibilities than much of our modern ECD repertoire? Does it have a high piece count? This class will feature a wide variety of challenging dances, old and new, and explore the skills required to master complex choreographies. Cheerful recovery skills are required, in addition to familiarity with all common ECD figures and core repertoire.

Period 2 – 10:15-11:15 a.m.

ECD for All: The Big Show – Joanna Reiner Wilkinson

In 2011, London Folk, a British ECD demonstration team, reunited to perform a four-minute medley of English dances. What stands out about that demo is the controlled energy and precision of the dancers. On this side of the pond, ECD performance groups have emphasized medleys, choreography, and musical variety in their performances. Although ECD is a social dance form, what transforms dances into performance-ready pieces are actually the foundations of dancing well:   making conscious choices about how you move, dancing in synchrony with your major and minor set, etc. This class will explore all of these concepts and more. Performance NOT required!

Longsword: Woods’le: A New Dance – Jan Elliott

A decade after adapting a traditional Manx longsword dance to their own devices, the Vineyard Swordfish of Woods Hole, MA, created a new five-person dance from scratch. The result, Woods’le, bears similarities to its predecessor but has its own steps, figures, and personality. While gentle on the body, it benefits from agility in low bending and light leaping.

ECD Leaders Seminar – Bruce Hamilton

For experienced ECD callers, this is a rare opportunity to expand your teaching and leadership skills. Expectations of students are high (including pre-class assignments and daily homework). For one hour each day, engage deeply with such topics as:

• How does a leader’s attitude affect dancers’ experience?
• What is a caller’s personal capital? How is it earned and how should it be spent?
• What happens if we view mistakes as a sign of a healthy social dance?
• How can prompting be more (and less) than just the name of the next figure? 

 Class size will be limited and open only to people already calling whole evenings.

Arranging ECD tunes (in advance & on the fly) – Karen Axelrod

Learn how to arrange tunes for dances, for fun, and for concerts. We’ll start by exploring the arc and passion graph of each piece. As a group, we will come up with ideas for each tune, with lots of focus on listening and responding. If you’re already playing for dances, this class can expand your musical horizons and strengthen your ensemble playing skills.

Period 3 – 1:45-2:45 p.m.

Grab-Bag: A Dance Potpourri for All – Anna Rain and Margaret Bary

All are welcome to this variety class where we will explore a different theme every day. Possible topics include …

• Strategies for keeping our bodies well oiled
• No walk-through dances
• Learning a challenging reconstruction and/or a challenging recently-composed dance
• Dances in unusual formations
• Contras based in ECD figures

Border Morris – Jan Elliott

Once upon a time, there was a border morris team in the city of Oxford called Rogue. The team is gone, but its vibrant repertoire lives on. We will explore stick dances for varying numbers and formations. Athletic capers and leaps are not required, just good focus for energetic stick-clashing choruses. Prepare to be dazzled while having fun!

Musical Explorations – Anna Patton

This will be a multi-faceted class for instrumental musicians. Prepare for an assortment of explorations and discoveries, all serving to strengthen your playing of English country dance tunes.

Singers Workshop – Amanda Witman

If you sing, you’re a singer! So what does that even mean? What is it like to have a relationship with your voice? How do you find, choose, and learn songs? What makes a good leader, follower, harmonizer, listener? How can singing grow a community? We’ll sing songs with and for each other while we explore these and other questions. No experience or confidence needed! All are welcome.

Period 4 – 3:00-4:00 pm

Open Mic / Open Band – Scott Higgs

Come one, come all! Bring your dance shoes, an instrument, an old favorite or new dance to share, and we’ll make a party together. Callers, please bring any music not in Barnes, and check with Scott a day ahead for planning purposes. Musicians, please bring your Barnes books. Dancers, bring your sense of adventure!

English Clog Dance – Laura Robertson

This is an English wooden shoe class for all. We will learn an accessible clog routine, with modifications and embellishment offered for those who seek a challenge. No previous experience needed, and we provide the wooden shoes (within standard size ranges). Come and make percussion with your feet!

One-Shots

It’s exciting to discover hidden passions! Every day will feature different topics, led by an enthusiastic mix of campers and staff. We might explore pond wildlife, couple dances, cooperative games, Irish sets… it’s unpredictable and fun. Let us know about the special session you’d love to lead or the topic that you’d love to explore.

Period 5 – 4:30-5:30 p.m.

ECD For All – Maggots, Measures, and Whims – Joanna Reiner Wilkinson

End your dance day with a light-hearted assortment of English dances. We’ll also learn one dance each day to enjoy without teaching before that evening’s dance. These well-loved dances become a shared repertoire of favorites that we can joyfully dance without prompting.

Afternoon Sing – Amanda Witman

Come sit back, relax, and let your dancing limbs rest while our singing voices soar at this informal daily gathering! Bring your favorite songs with choruses and refrains so everyone can join in. Anyone who wants to lead a song is welcome to, and listeners are always welcome. We’ll start with a loose theme each day and see where it takes us.

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 Fees

You can find more information about the registration process here.