Every week

Join us for our regular Wednesday evening English Country Dance at Merion Friends Meeting Activities Building. (logistical details below)

Looking at this on your phone? Jump to the upcoming events calendar.

Membership

NOW is the time to become a member. You should join in October to avoid being wait listed for the ball. Also, we have some new levels of membership so that those with more disposable income can support GCD due to our higher costs of rental. All information on how to do this is on the membership page.

Open Band

The next open band night will be on October 28. Any musicians who would like to come and play, for one dance or the whole evening, are welcome. See the Open Band page from the Musicians page for details. This is also the Halloween dance. Come as an English Country Dance!

First Saturday

First Saturday Evening Dance with Val Medve and a workshop with Local callers doing Ball prep. Come and learn Ball dances.
Saturday, October 3, 2026

Music by Cedar Waxwing (Aaron Marcus, Sarah Babbitt Spaeth, Rebecca McCallum)

This afternoon is dedicated to ball preparation with local callers.

3:00 - 5:30 Afternoon Workshop
5:50 - 7:10 Picnic Dinner (bring your own)
7:30 - 10:30 Evening Dance

Caller Val Medve

The 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 delicious snacks to share for the evening Tea break ****

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 is one performance coming up on Saturday, October 24, at 12:00pm at the Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon. More information can be found on the Performances page. There will be another public performance on December 13 at Merion. See the performance page for more information.

Admission price changes

Our Merion rent has increased substantially, and we have raised our admission prices as of October for both Wednesdays and Saturdays. Subsidized "Life Happens" passes are available for dancers who cannot afford the higher fee (ask at the desk). Wednesday dances are now $7 - $15+ Saturday afternoons: $10 - $15+ Saturday evenings: $15 - $25 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.

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.

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

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.

Barn Dance

The Sunday afternoon Mt. Airy Barn Dance will be back in November.

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

The Teen Dance started again on October 10.The next teen dance will be on November 14.

2nd Saturday evenings at Summit Church, October thru May. Details here: Teen Dance

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 are ill. Thank you.

Regular Dances and Events

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.

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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.)

Download the membership form.