The Executive Director job description is now posted; applications will be accepted until January 13, 2012.

Please make a tax deductible end-of-the-year gift to the Annual Appeal. This is an exciting time of growth and change for CDSS, and we need your support. Please give by December 31st to help us reach our goal. Each and every gift makes a difference! As Board member John Mayberry wrote in the appeal, "This is a good thing we do."

Thanks to all of you who took the time to provide feedback on our recent community survey. We heard from over 900 individuals representing 45 states, five Canadian provinces, and seven other countries. We also heard from a variety of local communities across North America who hosted meetings to talk about their hopes and dreams for CDSS. What an amazing response! See the survey preliminary report on our blog.

The Ralph Page Collection, the Ted Sannella Collection, and the CDSS Archives and Library are all part of the publicly accessible New Hampshire Library of Traditional Music and Dance at UNH. Participants at the upcoming Ralph Page Legacy Weekend are welcome to visit while they are in town.

CDSS welcomes inquiries about donations of libraries, personal papers, and periodical collections.

Exciting plans are coming together for summer 2012. Some early details include: Harmony of Song & Dance (July 21-28 at Pinewoods) will include singers Kathy Bullock, Mary Cay Brass and Suzannah Park. Ethan Hazzard-Watkins and Anna Patton's plans for American Dance & Music Week (July 28-Aug 4 at Pinewoods) include Jeremiah McLane, Rick Mohr and Josh Van Vliet. Nils Fredland and Ralph Sweet are taking their Singing Squares Callers Course to the great program at Timber Ridge (August 12-19) where Gaye Fifer also has Joseph Pimentel on staff. The Program Directors are finishing up the details of their programs and we should have all details and registration forms on our website by January 1st.

Mary Wesley writes: Hi everyone. I have been working on my online presence so that I can be in touch with more of the CDSS network. Please check out the revised Youth Desk page and my first blog post. For weekly updates about my projects and what's inspiring me, find me on Facebook: Mary Wesley, CDSS Youth Intern.

Welcome to Bob Blondin, our new Business Manager, and to Anna Mach, our new part-time Bookkeeper.

Many thanks and a fond farewell to Adina Gordon for her great work at CDSS this year.

The newly streamlined homepage makes it easier to join our mailing list or catch recent blog headlines. Our online Store now features friendlier navigation, so you can easily search for a specific item or browse by category. If you're shopping in our Store or consulting our online Members Directory, you'll find the process of logging into our site now simpler as well: each page of our site now sports a yellow login bar across the top. Forgotten your username or password? You can email yourself a reminder -- and then, go ahead and change your username to one you'd prefer.

The CDSS News, a CDSS membership benefit -- Look for the Winter issue in January which will include articles about a New Year's dance resolution, a recent trip to the CDSS Library and Archives, a meaningful moment at the recent CDSS-cosponsored dance organizers conference, an excerpt from our new publication about working with older dancers, dancing on the Canadian island of Mayne, and ideas about reinvigorating a dance series by lowering some fees, plus a song, and one or two dances. Selections from the Fall issue are available to all on our site.

The new CDSS Members Directory will be available (to members only) in January. If you are a member and prefer not to be included, or do not wish to receive a printed copy, please respond to the questions in our 11/18/11 email.

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Supporting CDSS through membership is a terrific way to help us keep doing what you love. Read about the benefits for you and join us now! You'll be glad you did.