The Lloyd Shaw Foundation sponsors this dance week (along with many other activities designed to preserve and further the traditions of dance and music). See www.lloydshaw.org for more details. I am thankful to LSF for the scholarship they awarded me, although I think the $760 fee is quite reasonable, and the week is easily worth that cost.

I didn't take many photos during the week - I was too busy being to think about documenting the experience, but here are a few and there are others linked below.

I've written an article about this week: A First- Timer's Day at Cumberland Dance Week ... but here are the highlights, focusing on how CDW compares to the many dance weekends I've attended:

• Program: Wonderful. The only complaint was that, for most time slots, I had to give up something I really wanted to do, since I can only be in one place at a time. (Anyone who finds a solution to that problem will be my friend forever :)
  • These folks have figured out how to do intergenerational dancing right. There are separate threads through the day for adults, teens and children, but meals are together, and there is enough all-community dancing for us to really enjoy the energy of the youngsters and the centeredness of the elders. I will be encouraging other dance communities to consider this model for dance weeks - and even dance weekends.
  • There was more variety here than I have come to expect. We had contras, squares, English and Latin dancing, plus a waltz workshop (which I attended happily, since for the dance weekends in my past, I spent that time grading papers!). They had Morris and Rapper Sword for teens. All of that was on the initial program... and then generous souls offered impromptu (but excellent) instruction in belly dancing and the Hombo (and yes, I did both!).
  • There were non-dance activities too: Intermediate Callers Workshop (with the well-known Bob Dalsemer) which I attended, although I'm not sure I'm ready to be a caller, and found it to be incredibly information; Be a Dance Ambassador (with another Bob (Tomlinson)), the class that I most regret missing; and Amigurumi Crafts. And for the wonderful people who create music, George and Laura did Playing in a Dance Band and Jubal Creech (from my beloved Durham, NC) taught us to play African drums, fulfilling an interest I've had since I was twelve and was told that "girls can't play drums".
  • On Friday night, there was time to share what we'd been doing all week. Children danced, played music, drummed and sang - and so did the adults. That was followed by a Grand March, which was beautifully orchestrated by Bob (T) to go from pairs to foursomes to lines, then into one long snaky line that let everyone walk by everyone else to acknowledge the place this week holds in our lives. After that was a community dance, then a final adult dance with high energy, laughter and hugs.
  • I won't talk about the kids' program since I didn't experience it, but it seemed full and happy - and relaxed. I noticed that parents trusted the folks running those classes to let them know if their children were unhappy or in need of parental interaction. I saw lots of caring, in all senses of that word, which made the children feel safe and free.
• Music: Outstanding! George and Laura of the Avant Gardeners, Al and Alice White of Berea, Chicory (a band that was new to me, and quite lovely) - and many others, some experienced, some new. There was live music for everything, including morning stretches - except for the impromptu Hombo workshop. And the sound guys (Tim and Wade) were so good that no one thought about them. That seems to be the life of sound people: when they do it right, they're nearly invisible.
• People:
       I found that the organizers (the "blue dot" people, as I called them, since they had this designation on their name tags) were often busy but managed not to see overwhelmed very often - a feat in itself. They did a marvelous job of keeping it all together. I appreciated their positive and relaxed attitude, along with their quick and effective response to problems and glitches.
       Attendees: this is arguably the most important part of a dance community: who shows up and how they treat each other. There were many excellent dancers and some who were newer, but everyone was respectful, both on the floor and in non-dance interactions. There was an admirable lack of "center-line syndrome". Conversations were genuine: instead of planning what to say when given a chance, folks were focused on hearing what other people had to say. This model of communication is difficult to learn, but it was modeled well in this community, helping the ensure that the younger folks would make it part of their lives.
• Facilities: The Kentucky Leadership Center is an excellent place to hold a dance week. It had one large floor that was good (but not great), excellent rooms (including towel service!), charming porches and tempting rockers.
• Food: Better than some, but not great ... but remember that I have Spring Dance Romance's chef Jason to compare it to :)