Dance- and Music-Related Links

updated 3/18/25

A collection of links to online sources of general information for new and experienced dancers, and links to other dance organizations. (to suggest a link to be added, send email to )

Be sure to check out CDSS (Country Dance & Song Society) at https://www.cdss.org and their calendar of upcoming events at https://cdss.org/events/.

About Dance Styles

What is English Country Dancing?

An article by Linda Repasky, posted to the English Country Dance Mailing List.

What is Contra Dance?

An entertaining article by Gary Shapiro of the Santa Barbara Country Dance Society.

Hands Four, a terrific article by Greg Rohde of St. Louis about contra dancing.

What is English Ceilidh?

A ceilidh-centered article outlining some of the differences between English ceilidh, English country, and contra dances.

Ten Stupid Things Beginners Do to Mess Up their Contradance Experience

A WikiBook with good advice about how to enjoy your first time at a contra dance; most of the advice is good for English dance as well.

Northern California Organizations

Hayward Contra Dance

While BACDS in-person dances are suspended during the COVID pandemic, a group of Hayward dance series managers joined together to re-open the Hayward Contra Dance even before BACDS dances open officially. The Hayward Contra Dance is now an independent contra dance series, with dances held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month.

North Bay Country Dance Society

NBCDS organizes contra and English country dances in the north bay communities of San Rafael, Sonoma, Sebastopol, and Santa Rosa. Dances in Calistoga, Ukiah, Philo, and Point Arena are also listed. NBCDS also sponsors Apple Tree Morris, a morris team dancing primarily in the Bampton tradition, Epicenter contra dance weekend (April), and Mad Robin Ball ECD weekend (May).

San Francisco Bay Queer Contra

Create and support spaces where queer people and non-queer people alike can delight in inclusive gender-role-free contra dance communites.  Sponsors the Circle Left contra (Oakland), Queer Contra Camp (April in Aptos), and Improper English (Berkeley).

Feral Friday San Francisco Square Dance

Traditional square dance with live string band music, preceded by an old time jam. Sponsored by the CBA.

Bay Area English Regency Society

BAERS organizes monthly English Regency dances in Palo Alto, featuring English and Early American country dancing and waltzes in the spirit of the early 19th century (the era of Jane Austen),co-sponsored by BACDS, as well as occasional special balls and events throughout the bay area.

Period Events and Entertainments Re-Creation Society

PEERS organizes period and costume balls ranging from a Middle Earth Ball to 1930s Mystery Parties to Diplomatic Balls set in a Babylon Five universe. In keeping with their cardinal rule ("If you're having fun, you're doing it right!"), period dress will be admired, but is not required.

Dance Inclusion Santa Cruz

Contra dances in the Santa Cruz area.

Monterey Country Dance Community

MCDC organizes contra dances in the Monterey area. MCDC's special events include the Foggy Moon Dance weekend (November) and a First Night (New Year's Eve) dance.

Sacramento Country Dance Society

SCDS organizes contra and English dances in the greater Sacramento area. Its special events include an annual New Year's Eve dance and the Echo Summit contra dance weekend in September.

Contra Dance Nevada County

Contra dances in the Grass Valley/Nevada City/Auburn area.

Ashkenaz Dance and Music Community Center

The Ashkenaz, a Berkeley institution since 1973, hosts dances and concerts for traditions ranging from African to Balkan to Swing and Cajun.

Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse

The Freight hosts concerts by folk artists of international, national, and local stature. 

San Francisco Folk Music Club

The San Francisco Folk Music Club organizes singing and jamming sessions on alternating Fridays, the annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival in July, campouts during Memorial Day, 4th of July & Labor Day weekends, and Camp Harmony, a 5 night New Years event at Camp Newman near Santa Rosa. SFFMC's Folknik, available online, has one of the most comprehensive listings of bay area folk events.

Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann: Cooley-Keegan Branch of San Francisco

A list of Irish set and ceili dancing in the Bay Area. Additional dancing resources here.

Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, San Francisco Chapter

Active since 1967 but with roots dating to the mid-1940s, the San Francisco chapter of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society sponsors classes throughout the San Francisco and Sacramento/Central Valley areas, as well as a number of demonstration teams and an annual weekend at Carmel's beautiful Asilomar Conference Grounds.

Northern California Spelmanslag

Scandinavian Folk Music and Dance

San Francisco Bay Area Cajun/Zydeco Dance Calendars

A resource for Cajun and Zydeco dances and music in the Bay Area.

Lindy in the Park

Free outdoor swing dancing, Sundays, Golden Gate Park.

California Council of Square Dancers

A sizable list of western square dance clubs in California.

California Bluegrass Association

The California Bluegrass Association is dedicated to the furtherance of Bluegrass, Old Time, and Gospel music in the state of California. It sponsors the annual CBA Music Camp & Fathers Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, as well as other campouts.

Northern California Bluegrass Society

Formerly the Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society, the Northern California Bluegrass Society promotes the performance, appreciation, and enjoyment of bluegrass and related acoustic music in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas.

Bluegrass Signal

Peter Thompson's comprehensive guide to bluegrass and old time music in the SF Bay Area and beyond.

Old Time Music Calendar

David Brown's calendar of old time music in the SF Bay Area and beyond.

Celtic Music Calendar

David Brown's calendar of Celtic, British Isles, and related music in the SF Bay Area and beyond.

Berkeley Old Time Music Convention

Annual old time music event in September and occasional other events such as the Spring Situation.

Other California Organizations

Mendocino English Dance

Monthly English dance in Caspar.

Humboldt Folklife Society

Organizes concerts, dances, and festivals in Arcata/Eureka area.

Sonora Contra Dance

Meets monthly; sit-in band.

Central California Country Dance Society

CCCDS organizes monthly contra dances in San Luis Obispo.

Contra Carnivale

Annual contra dance weekend in San Luis Obispo (January).

Santa Barbara Country Dance Society

Santa Barbara Country Dance Society organizes contra dances in Santa Barbara and co-sponsors English dances with the Santa Barbara Friends of English Dance. It also hosts the annual Harvest Moon contra weekend (October) and Winter Dreams English ball (February).

Southern California Community Dance Coalition (SCCDC)

The Southern California Community Dance Coalition (SCCDC) organizes contra and English dances in the greater Los Angeles area. Annual events include Fiddling Frog (February) and Camp Sturtevant (May) contra weekends. Formerly the California Dance Co-op.

Catalina Dance Weekend

Contra dance weekend on Catalina Island (November).

Historical Tea & Dance Society

Organizes English dances and related events in Pasadena.

The Living Tradition

The Living Tradition organizes contra dances, folk music concerts, and folk music jams in the Orange County communities of Anaheim and Bellflower.

San Diego Folk Heritage

San Diego Folk Heritage organizes contra dances, concerts, jams, and storytelling sessions in the San Diego area.

San Diego English Country Dancers

Organizes English dances and the May Faire Ball (May).

National and International Organizations

Country Dance and Song Society

Founded in 1915 as the American Branch of the English Folk Dance Society, CDSS has promoted English and Anglo-American dance, music, and song. Their sales department is an amazing resource for dance leaders and traditional musicians. Major CDSS member groups include BACDS, Country Dance * New York, and CDS Boston Centre.

English Folk Dance and Song Society

Originating from the merger of the English Folk Song Society (founded in 1898) and the English Folk Dance Society (founded in 1911), EFDSS has long been instrumental in the collection, performance, and promotion of traditional English folk dance and song. Luminaries such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Cecil J. Sharp, Maud Karpeles, and Douglas Kennedy were instrumental in recording and preserving traditional English and Anglo-American dances and songs in the British Isles, United States, and Canada.

Try Contra Dance 

A website that helps you locate contra dances and dance weekends, camps & festivals close to your zipcode.

Rip and Snort

Comprehensive calendar for traditional old time square dances on the west coast.

The Lloyd Shaw Foundation

The Lloyd Shaw Foundation was founded in 1964 to continue the legacy of Dr. Lloyd Shaw, a Colorado-based educator instrumental in the collection and promotion of western square dances and music. Shaw's dance company, the Cheyenne Mountain Dancers, was a leading promoter of a precursor to what is now known as western (or club) square dances.

The Morris Ring

In 1934, the Cambridge Morris Men invited the Letchworth, Thaxted, Oxford, East Surrey, and Greensleeves morris teams to join them in the formation of an organization dedicated to the preservation and encouragement of morris dancing. Today, with more than 260 teams as members, the Morris Ring is the largest worldwide organization dedicated to all-male morris dancing.

The Morris Federation

The Morris Federation seeks to encourage all who are interested to experience the pleasure of morris dancing and to strive for the highest standard of execution of which they are capable. Begun in 1975 as a federation of women's morris sides, the Morris Federation accepted mixed-gender sides for membership in 1980, and has been open to teams of all genders since 1982.

Open Morris

Founded in 1979 by a number of teams based in East Anglia, Open Morris was the first organization open to mixed-gender teams. Today, Open Morris has over 100 teams as members.

Lavender Country and Folk Dancers

The Lavender Country and Folk Dancers is an umbrella organization covering a loosely knit group of gender role free dance clubs. A CDSS affiliate, LCFD encompasses several dance traditions, including contra and English contry dance.

International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs

The IAGSDC is an umbrella organization for gay square dance clubs in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Denmark, formed by and for lesbians and gay men in their community and for their friends. The IAGSDCis active in the world of Modern Western Square Dancing, and all IAGSDC clubs dance the Callerlab specified levels of Modern Western Square Dancing.

Anglo-American Dance Service (Belgium)

AADS promotes Anglo-American Dances in Western Europe, has dance courses and a large sales division (which often has UK dance materials you can't easily get in the US)