Education

English Country Dance History, Music, and Steps.

• Dance Video Archive

  • • Videos of dances from member organizations of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS), including traditional and modern English country dance.

• English country dance diagrams for beginners

  • • Animations to aid visualization of several dances.

• Palmer's Pocket Playford

  • • "An aide memoire summary by William Palmer of dances from the Playford Ball programmes as arranged by The Round in Cambridge, England."

• The Country Dance Book

  • • A large collection of dance steps, some with music, transcribed from the various parts and editions of Cecil Sharp's The Country Dance Book.

• The Dancing Master, 2nd edition, John Playford (1653)

  • • Transcription of complete work with facsimile reproductions of melodies and figure notations.

• The Dancing Master, 10th edition, John Playford (1698)

  • • Scanned version of the complete work at the Internet Archive.

• The Dancing Master, vol. 2, 4th edition John Playford (1728)

  • • Scanned version of the complete work at the Internet Archive.

• The English Dancing Master (1651)

  • • Transcription of the 1651 edition of John Playford's The English Dancing Master.

English Popular Ballads

• Bodleian Library's Broadside Ballads Online (University of Oxford, UK)

  • The Bodleian Library's extensive digitized collection of original versions of 16 th- to the 20th-Century Broadside Ballads.

  • Early ballads and dances of the day often shared the same tune.

Dance Videos

• Dance Video Archives

  • The archive displays videos of dances performed by member organizations of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS), including an extensive of English country dance.

English Country Dance Organizations

ECD Organizations -- Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia

• Baltimore Folk Music Society (Baltimore, MD)

-- Sponsors a regular program of dances and workshops covering a variety of folk genres including English Country Dance.

• Folklore Society of Greater Washington (Washington, DC)

-- Sponsors a regular program of dances and workshops covering a variety of folk genres including English Country Dance.

-- The FSGW hosts weekly English country dances at Glen Echo Town Hall in Glen Echo MD.

• Williamsburg Heritage Dancers (Williamsburg, VA)

-- Conducts a program of weekly dances as well as workshops, performances, and balls.

ECD Organizations -- National and International

• Cambridge University English Country Dance Club ("The Round")

  • • An excellent all-around resource.

• Country Dance and Song Society (Massachusetts)

  • • The USA's oldest society focusing on English and Anglo-American folk dance and music.

• EnglishCountryDancing.org (California)

  • • Good "Links" page with pointers to additional resources.

• English Folk Dance and Song Society (Cecil Sharp House, London, England)

  • • The UK's primary society concerned with English folk music, dance, song.

Friends and Partners of Our Assembly

• Michael Barraclough

  • • Social dance historian and professional caller now situated in the UK.

• Roger Broseus

  • • Assembly associate and member of the local ECD community.  "The Dance Niche" provides links to ECD groups active around the country.

• Jane Austen Society of North America | Washington,DC, Metropolitan Region

  • • Nonprofit organization dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing.

Wikipedia Articles of Relevance to English Country Dance

• English Country Dance

• The English Dancing Master

  • John Playford (1623-1686)

• Cecil Sharp (1859-1924)