Due to our COVID outbreak, Open Band + Halloween night will either be cancelled or will be "masks required." Check this space early in the week.
Every week
Join us for our regular Wednesday evening English Country Dance at Merion Friends Meeting Activities Building. (logistical details below)
Open Band + Halloween, Wednesday, October 28
Musicians! Join us on October 28th. You can play for one dance or the whole evening. All levels are welcome. See the Open Band page for the play list and recordings.
🎃 This is also the Halloween dance. Come dressed as an English Country Dance! 🎃 Find a dance name that inspires you: Dances List.
Registration for the Predominately Playford Ball on December 5th is open!
Photo by Rachel Winslow
Thank you for your patience, dear dance friends. Here's the link to register & pay for your Ball attendance. Details are on our Ball page, also the program with videos.New this year: Make it a weekend!
with a special Sunday afternoon dance from 1:00 to 3:30.
Alchemy will be playing for us once more! Joanna Reiner Wilkinson calling, highlighting some of Rachel Bell's tunes.
Our ball chairs put in months of search time to find us a hall, and the Masonic Hall in Ardmore, PA, looks to be a good one -- sunny with a large wood floor, and easy access to public transit, restaurants, and free parking in the town lots on Sundays. You can either purchase a ticket when you register for the Ball, or pay at the door.
When we say "make a weekend of it", we remind you that our NJ friends are hosting a Friday night dance in Princeton's Unitarian church. Alchemy playing and Gene Murrow calling! Here's the flyer.
Membership
NOW is the time to become a member of Germantown Country Dancers! Join in October to avoid being waitlisted for the ball. This year we offer two levels: "Regular" Membership is sliding scale and we hope accessible to all. "Sustaining" Membership encourages those who can afford it to support GCD further as we deal with higher rental costs. Details and registration link on the Membership page.
First Saturday, October 3rd
Ball Prep Workshop and Evening Dance
Music for afternoon and evening by Cedar Waxwing:
Aaron Marcus, Sarah Babbitt Spaeth, Rebecca McCallum
Afternoon Workshop: Review the more challenging dances for our December Ball in the afternoon workshop.
3:00 - 5:30 Afternoon Workshop
5:50 - 7:10 Picnic Dinner (bring your own)
7:30 - 10:30 Evening Dance
Evening Dance with Val Medve
No Ball dances, we promise! Val will bring her Vermont area repertoire to entertain us.
- Saturday events are programmed for intermediate and experienced dancers.
- Location: Summit Presbyterian Church, Mt. Airy
- Admission: Sliding scale, see event details below.
- Bring your own supper, or stop by the Coop after the workshop.
- 🧀 Please bring snacks to share for the evening Tea break 🍿 🍰
Mt.Airy Barn Dance returns Sunday, November 1st
The popular Mt. Airy Barn Dance will start up again on the 1st Sunday of the month.
Kids, teens, and adults dance together — no experience necessary. Just walk in for a guaranteed good time!
The dance is from 2:00-3:45. Thanks for aiming to arrive at 1:50 so we can start with a good group at 2:00.
Teen Barn Dance
FRIDAY, November 13th
Alert! November's Teen Dance has been moved to Friday, November 13th. This is just for this month -- usually it is the 2nd Saturday.
Dozens of participants are showing up to our lively dance for teens, held at Summit Church, October thru May. Details here: Teen Dance. If you have teens in your life, encourage them to check it out!Admission price changes
Our Merion rent has increased substantially, and we have raised our admission prices as of October for both Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Wednesday dances are now $7 - $15+
- Saturday afternoons: $10 - $15+ Saturday evenings: $15 - $25
- Subsidized "Life Happens" passes are available for dancers who cannot afford the higher fee (ask at the desk).
The good news is that Merion Friends Meeting is busy cleaning and then renovating their historic Activities Building, now renamed "Friends Hall". We are looking forward to improved facilities, and especially to air-conditioned summer nights.
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! There will be a public performance on December 13 at Merion. See the performance page for more information.
Scam Alert
Alert: we are experiencing increased spam trying to convince GCD members that the board president or treasurer needs them to send money. Scammers are scraping our website. Because GCD may be doing some fundraising this year, please be extra careful to check with Real Board Members in person before you respond to any email making $ requests. We are taking personal and treasurer emails off the website, and so you will need to keep your GCD member list handy for contact info. Sorry for the extra trouble.
Sound people needed
GCD urgently needs to train more musicians and dancers in how to run our sound systems (Merion, Summit). If that interests you, please contact anyone on the board. And if you want a low-key way to check out if you'd enjoy doing this, help out with set up or take down at our dances. Just ask the sound person what you can do to help. You can also ask the them if you can "shadow" them some time.
Remembering Don Potter
It is with a sad heart that we pass on the news that Don Potter has died. He was one of the first English Country Dance teachers for the Germantown Country Dancers and led the Colonial Assembly as well. Our hearts go out to Abigail, Daniel, and other family members. The obituary and details about the celebration of life can be found here
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 it now and again! Code of Conduct PDF.
Health notice: Masks are optional but welcome for all GCD events. Please stay home if you might be ill. 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 (or a large) amount, you can become an Official Member of this great organization! (With the side-benefit of guaranteed Ball admission if you register in time.)