The Victorian Dance Ensemble (VDE), the performing troupe of the Civil War Dance Foundation, will present a demonstration of Civil War-era dances at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18, at Zion Lutheran Church, 100 W. Main St., Hummelstown. After the demonstration, the audience will be invited to learn some dances that were popular in the 1860s.

The event is sponsored by the Hummelstown Area Historical Society. There is no fee to attend, but donations are welcome.

The VDE has presented programs for the Smithsonian Institute, Ken Burns American Journey Tours, the National Park Service at Antietam, programs at Gettysburg, Harrisburg's Whitaker Center, the National Civil War Museum, the State Museum of Pennsylvania, and numerous other museums and historic sites. The ensemble also provides dance instruction and floor managers for vintage balls, including the Sons of Union Veterans' National Civil War Ball on Remembrance Day in Gettysburg and the Civil War Preservation Ball in the rotunda of the state Capitol in Harrisburg.

In 2011, the group was named the Re-enactment Unit of the Year by the Civil War Trust in recognition of its support of preservation. It also received the President's Volunteer Service Gold Award from President Barack Obama in 2016 for providing more than 3,400 hours of public service.

The VDE is an all-volunteer organization, and all of the performance fees are donated to historical preservation and education projects.