Would it scandalize the English purist to know that English Country Dance is cherished over here in the colonies? It's my soul dancing, part of my ethnic heritage, and my musical love.

Ceilis here (US Midwest) tend to be dances within the Irish or Scottish ethnic enclaves. "Set dances" are taught at Irish centers, but we're not so lucky to have "English centers" as a parallel, havning to make do with CDSS dance camps as the closest approximation in the US. It's difficult to see our English Country Dance group here dwindle with age, and have a hard time attracting new dancers. I think that joy of the specialness of this one group of dances, with it's rich history is something that needs...something... to inspire a wider range of enthusiasts. Our group tried to have some sort of tie-in when the local professional theatre presented the play of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. We got nowhere in offering dance coaching, nor putting flyers for our dances out at the play, or even any reassurance that the dancing in the play would be near accurate.

In the general folk music community, a "barn dance" can mean a whole range of dance styles: English Country Dance, New England style contradance, New England style or Southern style or Western style squares, circle dances/mixers. Some will be specificly a square dance or a contra dance, but if you do a variety of 'em you tend to see the same folks at the whole range (as well as a random polka dance or swing dance or waltz dance)

Anyrate, if you've got some specific good ideas in how to promote the traditional version of English Country Dance, particularly to the young who could be carrying this well to the future, I'd be delighted to hear it!