Chicagoland English Country Dancers (Chicagoland ECD) is a vibrant community of dancers devoted to the art and joy of English country dancing — an accessible, social dance form with roots stretching back several centuries and an energetic modern presence. We are a proud affiliate of CDSS, the Country Dance and Song Society.

This is the dancing of Queen Elizabeth I, of Jane Austen, of the Virginia colonists — and today, of enthusiastic people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels across the Chicago metropolitan area. What brings it all together is beautiful live music, an easy walking style, endlessly recombineable figures, and a deep tradition of warmth and welcome. Dances are done in sets of couples; our callers guide each dance from start to finish, so no experience is ever necessary. Come alone, come with a partner, come curious — you will find friends on the dance floor.

Our Callers

Chicagoland ECD is led by three dedicated callers who bring decades of experience, passion, and expertise to every dance.

Our Board and Committee Members

Jenny Hahn (Secretary), Tierney Santoro (Treasurer), Charles, Sam, Aileen, Carrie

We currently hold three regular sessions each month across two Chicago-area locations.

Chicagoland West ECD meets at in Glen Ellyn, generally on the first and third Sundays of each month. Each afternoon opens with international folk dancing in the first half, followed by English Country Dancing.

Chicagoland North ECD meets monthly, usually on the third Thursday of the month, in Glenview, IL.

All dances at both venues are walked through and called throughout. No partner needed, no experience required — just wear comfortable shoes and bring a smile.

Special Events

Beyond our regular monthly sessions, Chicagoland ECD loves to celebrate with the broader ECD community through special events that bring together exceptional talent, themed programs, and dancers from across the Midwest and beyond.

The Harvest Moon Dance Weekend is our signature event and one of the most anticipated English country dance gatherings in the region. Held each fall at the beautiful Baker Community Center in St. Charles, Illinois, it is a full weekend immersion in music and dance. The format includes a Friday evening welcome dance, two Saturday workshops exploring topics in ECD history, figures, and style, an afternoon ball practice session open to newer dancers, a grand Saturday evening Harvest Moon Ball, and a Sunday farewell dance. Each year, we bring in a nationally recognized guest caller and talented musicians — past artists have included callers Graham Christian, Beverly Francis, and Orly Krasner, and musicians Kate Barnes, Earl Gaddis, Karen Axelrod, Shira Kammen, Jacqueline Schwab, Mara Shea, and Jonathan Jensen, among others. Our Harvest Moon Dance Weekend has now grown to become a beloved annual tradition for our community.

Guest Caller and Musician Events are another cornerstone of our programming. Throughout the year we invite celebrated callers and musicians from across the country for one-day or weekend events — an opportunity for our dancers to experience fresh repertoire, new teaching styles, and the electric energy that comes from dancing to live music played by masters of their craft. 

Themed Dances and Workshops allow us to dive deep into ECD's rich history and cultural connections. We have explored the music and dances of specific eras — from the early Playford period through the Regency and Victorian ages — as well as celebrated composers and figures connected to the tradition of English Country Dance.

Whether it's a one-afternoon workshop, a single-day special dance, or a full weekend away, our special events are designed to deepen your connection to the music and movement of English country dance — and to the warm, welcoming community that makes it all worthwhile.

English country dancing and international folk dancing share deep roots in the Chicago area — and Chicagoland ECD grew organically from both traditions.

International folk dancing at Fermilab has a storied history. In 1988, Mady Newfield founded the Fermilab International Folk Dancers at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, bringing together scientists, staff, and community members from around the world for weekly Thursday evening sessions in the Kuhn Village Barn. The group celebrated the cultural richness of Fermilab's international scientific community through folk dance from dozens of nations, and was featured in the Fermilab news and archives over the decades. Mady led this group and directed its associated performing ensemble for 32 years, until the pandemic brought the sessions to a close in 2020. During its long run, the group hosted international guest teachers and performers, presented at Fermilab's public events, and helped make the Lab's Village Barn a beloved gathering place.

English country dancing at Fermilab began in 2006, when Mady Newfield and Tammy Bretscher started calling ECD sessions at the Kuhn Village Barn — first on Sunday afternoons and occasionally on Monday evenings, often with live music by Old Fezziwig's Band. Fermilab ECD ran through early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic suspended all sessions indefinitely. Dancing in the western suburbs has since resumed at a new home: Grace Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn.

Oak Park ECD, which ran from 2011 to 2020, was another beloved chapter in our story. Gracefully supported by Tammy's sister, Randi Woodworth, and called by Tammy Bretscher and Mady Newfield, it met monthly on the third Monday evening at the historic Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park, often with live music by Tim Macdonald & Jeremy Ward and other guest musicians. Like so many dance communities, it was paused by the pandemic — but the friendships and dancing spirit it fostered live on in our current community.

Chicagoland North ECD (formerly Evanston ECD) has its own tradition of bringing English country dancing to the north suburbs. The Evanston English Country Dancers — the forerunner of today's Chicagoland North ECD — were founded, organized, and called by Tom Senior, a highly respected figure in the broader United States ECD community. For years, Tom led regular sessions at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Evanston, typically in Cunningham Hall, creating an environment where anyone could walk in off the street, have every step taught and prompted from scratch, and dance to historical tunes played live or on carefully chosen recordings. The group flourished through the 2010s and grew in parallel with the western suburban dances taking shape at Fermilab and Oak Park, forming a natural north-suburban counterpart to that community. Today, caller Cheryl Yenter carries the torch as leader of Chicagoland North ECD, now meeting monthly at John's Park Field House in Glenview — continuing the same welcoming spirit, the same historical dance tradition, and the same love of beautiful music that Tom Senior established in Evanston. 

Today, as Chicagoland West and Chicagoland North, we carry forward a rich legacy of dance, music, and community connection that spans decades and crosses borders — always with an open hand to anyone who wants to join in.