Every week
Join us for our regular Wednesday evening English Country Dance at Merion Friends Meeting Activities Building. (logistical details below)
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photo: Rachel Winslow
We had a Ball!
We danced, we ate, we dressed up, we danced some more. Mind the Gap gave us peppy music for the afternoon, and Bare Necessities surrounded us with their magic in the evening. We had a Ball!
To our visitors and first-timers -- thank you for making the effort to come join us. Your presence makes the event special.
Ball chair Barbara Schlenger-Faber put her mighty organizer skills to the test over many months to bring us all an enjoyable day in a new location. We cannot appreciate her enough. Too everyone else who helped behind the scenes -- and there were many of you -- THANK you. I hope that you were pleased with the Ball experience you helped create for all of us.
FInally, the time people put into learning the dances really paid off in an evening of pleasurable dancing. Especially, congratulations to all the sets that made it through Cupid's Garden with grace and a smile, whether laughing at breakdown, or taking pride in your prowess :-) You rock.
--Jenny
Mt. Airy Barn Dance, Sunday, December 7th, 2:00-3:45
Kids, teens, and adults dance together — no experience necessary. Just walk in for a guaranteed good time!
Rick Mohr will lead the dances, with music to get you movin' by Ewan and Alina Schmidt, Max Thoburn, and Evan Mohr.
Come on out for the Barn Dance this Sunday! Thanks for aiming to arrive at 1:50 so we can start with a good group at 2:00.
Germantown Country Dancers: 50 official years!
Congratulations to us, the Germantown Country Dancers, on 50 organized years! November 23, 1975 was the inaugural GCD members' meeting. 22 people attended.
The new board: Ben Fisher, Hanny Budnick, Patty Wyatt, and Brad Saylor
Photo probably 1978. Those recognized, roughly left to right: George & Mae Ann Senior, Vincent Masciarelli, David Miller, Hanny Budnick, Brad Sayler, Pete Schloss, Don Potter, Batja Bell, Enid Diamante, Ben Fischer, Jim Morgan, Andrea Abrahms, Liz Snowdon, Tom Senior, Jane McCarty. Behind Brad is Ann Dixon, a young dancer who died a few years after this.
Country dancing started in 1972, with a mix of ECD, contra, squares etc., alternating Wednesdays with the Scottish class. The contra dance then hived off to start a dance on Thursdays, the Scots moved to Fridays, and that's when GCD started to do mostly English Country dances, and why we still own Wednesdays :-).
Pat McGrath & Dave Rupp
25th Wedding Anniversary Dance
Friday December 12
7:30 to 10:30, Commodore Barry Club, Mt Airy, PA
English Country Dance with
Joanna Reiner Willkinson and Triple Scoop
Contra Dance with
Scott Higgs and Boxwood
Hope you can come! See flyer for details
The Teen Barn Dance
Saturday, December 13
Meeting on 2nd Saturday evenings at Summit Church, September thru May. Details here: Teen Dance
Twelfth Night Dance with Anna Rain
Music by: Jonathan Jensen, Miranda Weinberg and Paul Oorts
- The Saturday events are programmed for **intermediate and experienced dancers.
- Admission: Sliding scale, see prices below.
- Location: Summit Presbyterian Church, Mt. Airy
- Both Supper Picnic & Evening Tea will be in the main hall. Bring your own supper, or stop by the Coop after the workshop.
- Please bring delicious snacks to share for the evening Tea break.
Colonial & Regency Historic Dancing
Our Colonial Assembly demonstrates 18th century Colonial and early 19th century Regency periods and we expect to be busy in Philadelphia 2026 for the 250th celebrations!
GCD organizational matters
GCD Code of Conduct: The Germantown Country Dancers' code of conduct reflects the values that have always been a part of our community. Please read them now and again! Code of Conduct PDF.
COVID notice: Masks are optional but welcome for all GCD events. Please stay home if you have possible symptoms or have had close exposure in the past 5 days. If you test positive within 3 days of attending a GCD event, immediately let someone on the board know or email info@germantowncountrydancers.org. Your identity will not be revealed in any public information sent out. Thank you.
Regular Dances and Events
| When? | What? | Where? |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesdays Year round (occasional exceptions) 7:30 pm – Arrive for new dancers' orientation |
English Country Dancing
Sliding scale Admission: |
Merion Friends Meeting Activities Building |
| First Saturdays October - May 3:00–5:30 pm – Afternoon Workshop | ECD for intermediate and experienced dancers** see below
Sliding-Scale Admission: |
Summit Church, Mt. Airy |
| Mt. Airy Barn Dance 1st Sundays, November – April 2:00–3:45 pm |
Old time fun for all ages: FaceBook page
Adults $5-10, kids and teens (age 4-18) $3-5. |
Summit Church, Mt. Airy |
Before you come...
On Wednesday evenings and at the Mt. Airy Barn Dance, new dancers are always welcome! Each dance is taught, then prompted. You don't need to bring a partner, as we change partners throughout the session. Friendly folk will ask you to dance. English Country Dancing is community dancing, where one of the pleasures is interacting with everyone in the room.
Please wear flat-soled shoes.
** First Saturday workshops and evening programs are more difficult than on Wednesdays. The programs are intended for intermediate and experienced dancers who know standard figures, such as casts and leads, siding, single and double figures of eight, and all manner of heys.
Venues
Germantown Country Dancers holds dances in two locations:
Merion Friends Meeting Activities Building 615 Montgomery Ave, Merion, PA 19066 (on the Main Line)
Summit Church, Mt. Airy, Westview & Greene Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19119
Join us!
Do you appreciate the events GCD sponsors for dancers and musicians? For a small amount, you can become an Official Member of this great organization! (With the side-benefit of guaranteed Ball admission if you register in time.)