Since 1938, the Berea College Country Dancers have been performing and leading workshops regionally, nationally, and internationally, bringing dances of Europe and the Appalachian region to exuberant audiences, and sharing the joy of dancing. The group has toured Denmark, England, Japan, Mexico, and Central America, as well as much of the United States. Visits to a school or community may last a day, a week, or longer. For example, the Country Dancers conducted a week-long residency in a Minnesota school system.
In the fall semesters, we usually travel to nearby dance communities and schools, such as our recent trips to Louisville, Carcassonne, and Sand Gap Kentucky. In the spring, our longer break allows us to travel farther afield, such as New York and northern New Jersey; Nashville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C., Helvetia, West Virginia; or the Florida coast.
The Country Dancers have performed at many festivals from the Apple Festival in Paintsville, Kentucky to the Wimborne Folk Festival in southern England. Please click on the links below to experience the flavor of a Country Dancers performance.
The Berea College Country Dancers are full-time students who learn and teach the traditions of English, Appalachian, & Danish dance styles
Our current Morris dances, seasonal display dancing traditional to England, with loud clashing of sticks & bells and other dance equipment, include Bluebells of Scotland, Steamfitter’s, Jack in the Green, and Mayapple.
- Appalachian dancing energizes a community, and our repertoire includes Appalachian Circle, Big Set, and Kentucky Set Running.
English country dance can vary from proper and elegant movements to energetic leaping and skipping, including such dances as The Physical Snob, Dargason, and Cumberland Square Eight.
- Danish dances incorporate intergenerational, athletic movements, and includes Weaving, Little Man in a Fix, Totur Fra Vejle. (include hyperlink to video of each dance named)