About PCDC
About Us:
The Portland Country Dance Community (PCDC) is a volunteer-run organization of community dancers, musicians, callers, and teachers, who promote country dance and music traditions through regular dances, workshops and other events in the greater Portland, Oregon, area. Our current focus is contra, English, and community dance and music with influences that include African American, Celtic, English, French Canadian, Northern American, Scandinavian, and other related living traditions, expressed through live performance and participation.
We welcome people who respect our expressed dance-community values and code of conduct without regard for age, race, color, national origin, religion, gender expression, sexual orientation, or ability.
Our Mission:
We connect and support people through sharing the love of participatory folk music and dance traditions whose diverse roots contribute to Northern American culture.
Our Vision:
Enriching lives and building community by co-creating participatory dance and music events and programs that honor diverse Northern American roots along with evolving traditions in a welcoming, inclusive and joyful environment.
Our Values:
- A welcoming environment
- Community
- A culture of consent and respect
- Inclusivity
- Skill development through participation
- Fun!
Our Goals:
- Provide affordable and sustainable dance series and special events.
- Cultivate volunteers through clear and realistic position assignments, regularly solicited feedback, and expressions of appreciation both planned and spontaneous.
- Provide opportunities to learn and improve skills in dancing, calling, musicianship, and sound engineering.
- Network with, cosponsor with, and provide support for various communities that share our interests and values, including communities not well represented in our demographic.
- Drive the active embodiment of community-building, inclusivity, and consent.
- Remove barriers of participation through equity of access and inclusivity.
What is a Mission Statement?
A mission statement defines the fundamental purpose of an organization or an enterprise, basically describing why it exists.
What is a Vision Statement?
A vision statement defines the desired or intended future state of a specific organization or enterprise in terms of its fundamental objective and/or strategic direction. The purpose of the vision statement is to inspire, energize, motivate, and stimulate creativity.
What are Values
Values are beliefs shared among the stakeholders of an organization. Values drive an organization’s culture and priorities.
What are Goals?
Goals determine the broad, long-term outcomes the organization wants to achieve and indicate its overarching direction.
Non-Profit Status: PCDC is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit corporation based in Portland, Oregon. Donations in excess of membership fees are tax deductible. Event admissions and camp fees are not tax-deductible. Please consider including us in your charitable giving. Your donation helps us perform our mission! (PCDC is an affiliate of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS), a national organization headquartered in Massachusetts).
The PCDC Board is an elected body of volunteers from the community. Board meetings are normally held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. PCDC members are welcome to attend. Help, ideas and feedback from the community, in whatever form, is necessary to make PCDC events happen. Your contributions of time and support are appreciated. Contact us for further information or write to PCDC at: PO Box 2189, Portland, OR 97208-2189.
Membership in PCDC is $15 per year for individuals, $12 for students and seniors (65+), $25 for households, and $20 for senior households. Membership provides a notification when a new newsletter comes out, eligibility for PCDC grants and priority on some event registration lotteries. Your membership helps support our activities. Join/renew online or mail membership renewals to: PCDC Membership, 3648 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy #10, Portland, OR 97221.
Our newsletter, Footnotes, is published online every other month beginning with the January-February issue. Although the current newsletter strives to be timely, check the PCDC website calendar for the latest information. We encourage the submission of letters and articles that might be of interest to the community. Dance-related announcements, events, articles or photos are welcome and can be submitted via email to the editor. All such materials become the property of Footnotes upon submission and may be edited. The copy DEADLINE for any given issue is the 12th of the previous month (for example. the deadline for the Jan-Feb issue is Dec. 12).
Learn more about PCDC by checking out our Activities.