Terpsichore's Holiday Folk Dance Camp

Terpsichore's Holiday Folk Dance Camp Terpsichore's Holiday, December 27-January 1 each year. A week of music, art, and dance for kids, teens, and adults. Art projects, nature walks, and more.

Contra, square, and English dancing, singing, dance band, instruments. Intergenerational dance and music camp for the holidays

Happy new year! Thanks for making Terpsichore 2024-2025 such a huge success. We had over 220 people at camp this year - ...
01/04/2025

Happy new year! Thanks for making Terpsichore 2024-2025 such a huge success. We had over 220 people at camp this year - wow! The energy that you brought was amazing, the staff were unbelievably talented, and we’re so incredibly grateful for this community. We’re still buzzing with joy and trying to get used to normal life again (hint: it’s hard).

If you were at camp with us this year, please check your email for a link to a camp evaluation survey. Fill it out as soon as you can while the memories are still fresh, and definitely by next Friday, January 10. We read all responses and use them to provide feedback to staff and to make next year’s camp even better. It’s really helpful to hear your thoughts!

Lastly, thank you all for your patience with our COVID safety procedures this year. We encourage everyone to take at least one COVID test after camp, particularly if you develop COVID symptoms.

Happy New Year, and here’s to 2025!
Meg, Jonathan, Alyssa, Joel, Andrew, Sonya, Steven & Kappy

📸:

We have quite the collection of forgotten items from Terpsichore this year! While Noah, Rachel, and Joe are having lots ...
01/02/2025

We have quite the collection of forgotten items from Terpsichore this year! While Noah, Rachel, and Joe are having lots of fun with their new outfits, we would much rather reunite you with your things. Respond to this post or email [email protected] to coordinate!

Wondering what this week’s schedule is? (A link is in the camper letter). We’ll have printed copies available and it’s a...
12/27/2024

Wondering what this week’s schedule is? (A link is in the camper letter). We’ll have printed copies available and it’s always on our website too!

One more day until we’ll be dancing together! As you’re packing and preparing to drive to Terpsichore, don’t forget to r...
12/26/2024

One more day until we’ll be dancing together! As you’re packing and preparing to drive to Terpsichore, don’t forget to review our Camper Letter. It answers all sorts of questions such as: what’s the Covid policy? When should I arrive? What should I bring? What do we do on New Year’s Eve? (link in bio/stories)

Planning to be part of this year’s community dance band class led by and Karen Axelrod? Want to start practicing the tu...
12/24/2024

Planning to be part of this year’s community dance band class led by and Karen Axelrod? Want to start practicing the tunes? Well, you’re in luck! Sheet music is posted (link in bio and in stories).

Community dance band is open to musicians of all ages with some proficiency with their instrument. The class prepares several tunes, working together as a group to prepare to play dances on New Year’s Eve. Tunes will be taught by ear as well as with sheet music.

If you are attending the dance band class here are the tunes! There will be copies of the tunes available at first class...
12/23/2024

If you are attending the dance band class here are the tunes!
There will be copies of the tunes available at first class.

Grand march: Blue Eyed Stranger / The Sloe /Kerry Barr
contra tunes - Elkins / Red Prairie Dawn

1 waltz - Road From Wi******er
1 ECD - Ashford Anniversary (taught by ear)

Here’s the drive with all the tunes in it:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1W2RM0d_nE-L2wEsj8XPpYdXUhfDgZpQa?usp=share_link

There will also be notation for cello, Bb and Eb instruments at first class.

Thanks Audrey and Karen!!

This will be the first Terpsichore where it will be Chanukkah every night of camp! Campers (led by ) will be lighting Ch...
12/23/2024

This will be the first Terpsichore where it will be Chanukkah every night of camp! Campers (led by ) will be lighting Chanukkah candles before dinner each night. Bring your Chanukkah menorahs and candles if you want to light your own.

From Renee: Dinner is at 5pm on the first night - we’ll meet at 4:45pm in the lobby of the Christianne Inn (ask someone at registration if you don’t know where that is!). We’ll light Chanukkah candles and then (first night only) Shabbat candles. Everyone is welcome!

Have some extra cardboard, egg cartons, oatmeal boxes, milk jugs, leftover wrapping paper, fabric, or yarn lying around?...
12/22/2024

Have some extra cardboard, egg cartons, oatmeal boxes, milk jugs, leftover wrapping paper, fabric, or yarn lying around?

Add it to your packing list to help out David Wells’ art classes!

A message from Dave:

Allow me to introduce myself - my name is Dave, and I’m an artist, teacher, Morris Dancer, and all around folk geek from Chicago. I’ll be teaching a few kids’ and family classes with you all this year, including a family workshop where we’ll be making masks and possibly other creative large puppets or costumes.

Traditionally, folk masks and costumes have always been thrown together out of what’s plentiful and handy. Which, in our case, will be Mostly Cardboard, with possible additions of paper mache, paint, fabric, and whatever else we have at hand.

With that in mind, if you’re coming from nearby and have a little extra trunk space, I’m asking for donations of:

- Cardboard
- Egg cartons, Oatmeal boxes, and other interestingly shaped packaging
- Clean and emptied gallon milk jugs, laundry detergent detergent bottles, or other craftable plastic
- Ribbons, bows, any flat and usable wrapping paper that you like
- Those interesting bits of fabric or yarn from your stash that you really like but can’t find a use for
- Broomsticks / mop handles / dowels? An old frame backpack if you have one? (This would be for a larger than life sized puppet figure if we want to make one)
- Beads, costume jewelry, artificial flowers or greenery (no need to buy anything new though!)
- Any other unused gewgaws, thingamajigs, or That One Thing You Thought Might Make a Cool Craft But It’s Been Sitting Around For Years Because You Don’t Want To Throw It Away.

(PS - yeah, if you have a lot of straw, horse hair, animal horns or ancient antlers lying around, we could probably use that too)

Photo: The Whittlesey Straw Bear, Cambridgeshire (link to the article in story)

Help keep our auction team from getting bored! Don’t forget to plan your donations to this year’s auction (hint: we don’...
12/21/2024

Help keep our auction team from getting bored! Don’t forget to plan your donations to this year’s auction (hint: we don’t want the trash from your attic).

Got some favorite fancy chocolates? A nifty souvenir from your travels? Some homemade jam or handmade crafts? Don’t forget to pack them along with your dancing clothes and shoes. The proceeds from our Terpsichore auction go directly to scholarships and financial aid to make it possible for more people to come to camp.

One of the sweetest times at camp is our all-camp gathering, where everyone is invited to gather together and appreciate...
12/17/2024

One of the sweetest times at camp is our all-camp gathering, where everyone is invited to gather together and appreciate the creativity and talent in our community. Whether it be a tune, song, joke, story, or skit - the possibilities are endless. What will you share this year?

Camp begins two weeks from today!!! No guarantees for ice skating or freezing temperatures, but these smiling faces will...
12/14/2024

Camp begins two weeks from today!!! No guarantees for ice skating or freezing temperatures, but these smiling faces will be there. We can’t wait to see you!

’twait

Camp is less than 3 weeks away!! And we have more staff to tell you about. We’re incredibly grateful for Kappy Laning’s ...
12/08/2024

Camp is less than 3 weeks away!! And we have more staff to tell you about. We’re incredibly grateful for Kappy Laning’s leadership on the Terpsichore Organizing Committee and her teaching of rapper for adults and longsword dancing for 7-9s.

Kappy has been part of the Terpsichore community since 1999 when she attended Terpsichore for the first time when it was at Jackson’s Mill under the leadership of Bob Mathis. Kappy has enjoyed being a camper, teacher of many children’s and adult classes teaching English ritual dances (garland, border morris, longsword and rapper), ECD and contra dance caller, and on the organizational team for the past several years. Terpsichore is family! She has especially enjoyed watching many children (including her own) grow up and be inspired and supported by the connection and love of this special community.

Camp begins one month from today!!?! Dust off your limerick writing skills, start practicing your tunes and songs, and m...
11/27/2024

Camp begins one month from today!!?! Dust off your limerick writing skills, start practicing your tunes and songs, and make sure your dance shoes still fit. Don’t know about you, but we’re feeling like we need community more than ever these days. Can’t wait to see you soon!

We can’t wait to welcome Fynn Crooks to camp this year! Fynn will be teaching the teen class and leading morning gatheri...
11/22/2024

We can’t wait to welcome Fynn Crooks to camp this year! Fynn will be teaching the teen class and leading morning gathering - and surely inspiring spontaneous silliness in between.

Fynn Crooks (she/they) is a teacher, advocate, organizer, and storyteller who loves sharing bad jokes, tough riddles, and a healthy enthusiasm for life with those around her. She loves leading group games to encourage communication, cooperation and just plain goofiness. You might find Fynn launching a rubber chicken across camp, leading a silly circus, improvising an opera, stretching, teaching the art of marshmallow catapults, or just dancing with wild abandon. Whatever Fynn is doing, you’re always invited to join in the action!

We can’t wait to welcome another new staff member at Terpsichore this year, David Wells!David is a Chicago area artist, ...
11/13/2024

We can’t wait to welcome another new staff member at Terpsichore this year, David Wells!

David is a Chicago area artist, teacher, musician, Jack of all Trades, and Master of Several. He got his start on this whole folk thing as one of the first members of the Braggarts Morris Men in St. Paul, Minnesota. Since then, he’s been active in the Morris and contra communities for longer than he’d like to admit. Among his more unique folk accomplishments was founding a Border Morris side at the Chengdu Waldorf School in Sichuan, China (okay, fine, they only danced two gigs, but where else but here can he put that on his resume?). He’s currently active in the Chicago Morris, contra dance, and shanty sing communities. He has an MFA from the school of the Art Institute of Chicago, but considers himself an artist regardless. In the Real World, he has 25 years’ experience in elementary and middle schools, teaching a wide range of subjects to a very diverse range of students. He’s looking forward to his first time at Terpsichore, where he’ll be teaching kids’ border Morris, kids’ narrative artwork (comics plus other ways to tell visual stories), and an all-ages workshop in mask making.

We can’t wait for Anna Patton to join us at camp this year! Anna will be playing with Karen Axelrod and Audrey Jaber for...
11/04/2024

We can’t wait for Anna Patton to join us at camp this year! Anna will be playing with Karen Axelrod and Audrey Jaber for English dancing, and leading our Harmony Singing class.

Anna is a clarinetist, singer, composer, and educator driven by musical curiosity. She played with the internationally touring dance band Elixir and with many other contra, ECD, and swing/blues bands. She loves to teach ensemble classes, improvisation, and ear training. In her home town of Brattleboro VT, she directs the Soubrette Jazz Choir which performs her creative arrangements of historical and contemporary American music. She also enjoys drinking good espresso and playing ping pong.

One of the funniest people we know, and an integral part of the Terpsichore’s Holiday Planning Committee (registration q...
10/26/2024

One of the funniest people we know, and an integral part of the Terpsichore’s Holiday Planning Committee (registration questions? Meg has the answers!), Meg Dedolph will be playing for and teaching bal folk dancing and teaching the 2-6 year olds at camp this year. Meg is a dance caller and children’s music teacher in the Chicago area.

Wow, this is a new record! Camp filled up a few days ago, and we already have a short waitlist. We’re impressed with you...
10/20/2024

Wow, this is a new record! Camp filled up a few days ago, and we already have a short waitlist. We’re impressed with your registration diligence and getting the word out to friends and family all over. It’s going to be a great party!

’refull ?!

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3035 Buckeystown Pike
Adamstown, MD
21710

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