The Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) celebrates and preserves traditional English and Anglo-American dance, music and song; promotes their new expression; connects people who enjoy them; and supports communities where they can continue to thrive. It sponsors various dance camps throughout the year, chiefly at world-famous Pinewoods and Buffalo Gap. They also sell music and dance books and recordings. NTTDS is an affiliate group of CDSS.

NTTDS Documents

NTTDS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Here is a PDF file containing a confirmation letter from CDSS stating that we obtain tax exempt status through them, and IRS letters confirming the CDSS status as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
NTTDS ByLaws (4-page PDF file, 17 KB)
NTTDS Code of Conduct (1-page PDF file, 223 KB)
NTTDS Guidelines for Benefit Dances (196 KB PDF file)
NTTDS Policy for Fiddler's Dream Stipend (173 KB PDF file)
NTTDS Guidelines for Callers (62 KB PDF file)

NTTDS Promotional Info and Images

NTTDS Logo (full size) with white background, with transparent background
NTTDS Logo (small, as above) with transparent background (16K)
Dancing Armadillos with white background, with transparent background (11K)
Swinging Couple with white background, with transparent background (14K)
Pictures and videos of Contra Dancing are on NTTDS Pictures page

Fellow Contra Dance Groups

Austin Contra Dance hosts contra dances at least once a week
Houston Area Traditional Dance Society holds a contra dance every other weekend
Bryan & College Station Contra Dancers
Scissortail Traditional Dance Society in Oklahoma City
Tulsa Barn Dance in Tulsa, OK
Arkansas Country Dance Society sponsors a dance weekend at the Mountain View Folk Center in September and a big Scottish dance on New Year's Eve, in addition to their weekly dances
New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society (FolkMADS) sponsors a FolkMADNess dance weekend at Memorial Day in addition to their weekly dances.
Here is information about contra dance groups in the Mid-South (Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina)
Springfield Missouri Traditional Dance and Music Society

Dallas Area Music and Dance Groups

Southwest Celtic Music Association sponsors Irish music and dance events in the Dallas area, including Irish Fest each spring
DFW Irish Ceili Dancers holds ceili dances on 2nd Sundays at Trinity Hall. Follow them on Facebook.
Dallas International Folk Dancers have discontinued their dances until further notice
International Folk Dance Classes are held every Sunday afternoon at the Plaza Arts Center in Carrollton, usually at 3-5 pm. The time varies somewhat, so check the exact time before going: 972-446-3200 (Tue-Sat 11 am - 5 pm), or
Dance With Cory - C&W and Ballroom dancing lessons
Old-Time Music Jam, usually held the 1st and 3rd Saturdays from 2-4:30 pm at Dallas Heritage Village in Old City Park. More Info: Dean Barber, 260-515-261,
Denton Celtic Dancers holds Scottish Dances on Sunday nights at the Green Space Arts Collective, 529 Malone St, Denton, TX 76201, 5-6 pm for intermediate dancers, and 6-7 pm for beginners.
O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, is usually held in October in Midlothian, Texas

Dance Instruction and Information

Pictures and videos of Contra Dancing are on our Pictures page
Contraculture: An Introduction To Contradancing gives a good description of a typical contra dance, including descriptions of the dozen basic steps that make up a majority of the dances
The Chattahoochee Country Dancers in Atlanta have nice web page with tips for new dancers and links to a set of Contra Dance Training Videos which you can view online
Gary Shapiro's What is Contra Dance page has attempts to define and explain contra dancing
A Contra Dance Primer has some basic information about contra dancing
The Dance Gypsy lists summer contra dance weekends all over the country
Ted Crane's Dance Database lists dances, bands, and callers all over the country
The Contra Dance web site also lists groups and dances all over the country
Kiran Wagle's Contra Dance Page has some good links to other contra dance web sites
Dwayne Johnson's Contra Web Site attempts to list every dance web site in the US and Canada. His state listings include an image of the state's flag. Learn something while you surf the web!
The Library of Congress has over 200 dance manuals from the 1400s to the 1900s, in both an image and a text format. Each of the manuals includes a description and history of the item. Pretty impressive piece of work. -- David Bigwood, via HATDS web page
Random Contra Dance Generator - click a link in this page and it generates a new contra dance for you!

ContraDance Links has links to many contra dance bands

Folk Centers

The John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC is sponsored by the North Carolina Folklife Institute. The School promotes traditional and contemporary crafts, music, dance and folklore through year-round camp events, marketing, archiving and community service.
New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA) sponsors world-famous dance and music festivals, including a huge event every spring near Boston. Their LinkFest lists hundreds of events.
The Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR hosts dance events and festivals year-round, including a clogging and contra dance weekend in the fall.

Sound Equipment Documents and Links

NTTDS Sound Equipment Setup Instructions (19-page, 308 KB PDF file). Updated Dec 2008.
Carvin RX-1200 Mixer/Amp Manual (2-page, 617 KB PDF file), including block diagram.
There is an excellent booklet on doing live sound available for free: "All Mixed Up" by Bob Mills, http://www.bobmills.org/amu/
The ProSound Web Site http://www.prosoundweb.com/ has a lot of information about live sound reinforcement. They also provide a Discussion Forum (aka Live Audio Board) covering a wide range of topics: http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/. Anyone can read the messages, but you have to join (for free) to post messages.
There is a Yahoo group called Contra Sound Forum (contrasf) that is dedicated to Contra Dance Sound: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/contrasf/ It has over 150 members. You have to join (for free) to be able participate or even to read the message archive in the web site.