Capering & Kickery

Regency & Victorian/Civil War Era Dance Workshops, NYC (Sunday, November 2, 2008)

I will be teaching two dance workshops for The Elegant Arts Society in New York City this Sunday, November 2nd.  Logistical details are here.

The first (1:00-3:45pm) will focus on the dances of the Regency era (1810-1820), including steps and figures for country dances, French quadrilles, and the nine-person reel known as The Country Bumpkin.  Specifically, we will look at a variety of step-sequences to use for L'Été (second figure of the French quadrille) and will enjoy a new Spanish Dance, the peculiar clapping figure in La Bateuse, and the 1816 version of the classic Money Musk.

The second class (4:00-6:00pm) will be dedicated to two dances composed by the 1850s London dance teacher Mrs. Nicholas Henderson.  Unusually for a woman of her era, Mrs. Henderson was internationally known and was cited respectfully by American dance master Charles Durang in his own manual as being a better writer than her male colleagues!  We will be doing her delightful Double Quadrille as well as her galopade-country dance, Holly Berry (previously posted about here).

These are beginner-level classes.  No experience is needed, no partner is required, and clean leather-soled flat shoes (not high heels) are recommended.  Gender balance is not guaranteed.

Reminder: Regency Assembly in CT this weekend (10/18-19)!

A quick reminder to folks who read Kickery for the Regency stuff: this weekend is The Elegant Arts Society's annual Regency Assembly, to be held in New Haven, Connecticut on the weekend of October 18-19, 2008.  On the Saturday, I will be teaching an afternoon dance workshop and precepting the evening ball to the accompaniment of the wonderful music of Spare Parts.  On the Sunday, there will be a costumed stroll in the park and then tea and Regency-era gaming (card games, dominoes, spillikins, backgammon, etc.)

Officially pre-reg is closed, but should your check arrive before the end of the week, you can still get the pre-reg rate.  Registration information is on the Assembly website.  Paypal cash transfers (NOT credit card payments) are accepted.

Regency & Victorian/Civil War Era Dance Workshops, NYC (Sunday, October 5, 2008)

I will be teaching two dance workshops for The Elegant Arts Society in New York City this Sunday, October 5th.  Logistical details are here.

The first (1:00-3:45pm) will focus on the dances of the Regency era (1810-1820), including steps and figures for country dances and the Royal Scotch and Caledonian Quadrilles, plus the Regency-era waltz in preparation for the upcoming Regency Assembly in New Haven on October 18-19th.  The Royal Scotch Quadrilles feature the "star" figure described in an earlier article here.  We will also dance the nine person reel known as the Bumpkin!

The second class (4:00-6:00pm) will cover the earliest versions of the schottische in the 1850s and 1860s, including an interesting four-figure schottische quadrille from 1862.

These are beginner-level classes.  No experience is needed, no partner is required, and clean leather-soled flat shoes (not high heels) are recommended.  Gender balance is not guaranteed.

Regency Assembly, New Haven, CT (Oct 18-19, 2008)

Continuing with this month's all-announcements, all the time version of blogging, coming up in just under a month is The Elegant Arts Society's annual Regency Assembly, to be held in New Haven, Connecticut on the weekend of October 18-19, 2008.  On the Saturday, I will be teaching an afternoon dance workshop and precepting the evening ball to the accompaniment of the wonderful music of Spare Parts.  On the Sunday, there will be a costumed stroll in the park and then tea and Regency-era gaming (card games, dominoes, spillikins, backgammon, etc.)

Victorian Quadrilles; Long Island, NY (Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008)

I will be teaching a workshop on 19th-century quadrilles in Setauket, New York (Long Island) this weekend for The Long Island Traditional Music Association.  I plan to cover two full quadrilles (the mid-century version of The Caledonians and the 1880s Polo) as well as two or three promiscuous figures -- the Star and either the Gavotte or Minuet or both.

The workshop runs from 2:00-5:00pm and will be at the lovely Setauket Neighborhood House (directions on the LITMA site).  The dancing will be accompanied by the wonderful music of Marnen Laibow-Koser.  Full details are on the LITMA site.

I'd be delighted to meet any Kickery readers who might attend; please make yourself known!

Victorian Dance at Saloncon; NJ (September 13, 2008)

Sorry to have so many announcement posts and so little content so far this month; I promise to get better next week as my schedule eases up a little bit!

This weekend I'm going to be doing a short Victorian dance workshop at Saloncon, which is an interesting little Steampunk convention in Somerset, New Jersey.  I'll be teaching from 1:50-2:55pm (see below) and will probably cover basic waltz and some set dances; I'm thinking an 1890s Waltz Quadrille, the mid-century "Gothic Dance", and one of the more interesting promiscuous quadrille figures.  We might do a bit of polka or galop as well, time permitting.

As always, I'd be delighted to meet any Kickery readers who might be attending -- please make yourself known!

UPDATED 9/12/08: The most recent version of the Saloncon schedule now has this workshop occurring from 12:40-1:45pm.  I guess I'll find out when I get there!

Regency & Ragtime Dance Workshops, NYC (Sept. 7, 2008)

I will be teaching two dance workshops for The Elegant Arts Society in New York City this Sunday, September 7th.  Logistical details are here.

The first (1:00-3:45pm) will focus on the dances of the Regency era (1810-1820), including steps and figures for country dances and the Royal Scotch and Caledonian Quadrilles, plus the Regency-era waltz.  The Royal Scotch Quadrilles feature the "star" figure described in an earlier article here.  We will also dance the nine person reel known as the Bumpkin!

The second class (4:00-6:00pm) will focus on the swaying moves of the maxixe, or Brazilian tango, a hot dance fad in the early 1910s.  This is not a class in Richard Powers' maxixe choreography; I will be teaching how to dance the maxixe freestyle to the music of Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth.

Regency (TWO!) and Ragtime Dance Workshops, NYC (August 2 & 3, 2008)

I will be teaching three dance workshops in New York City this weekend, August 2nd and 3rd.  You can get a double dose of Regency-era dance on both Saturday and Sunday!

On Saturday, August 2nd, from 3:00-4:30pm, I will be teaching in Brooklyn for the New York Baroque Dance Company's regular first Saturday class.  Logistical details are here (scroll down the page).  I am substituting for Caroline Copeland.  I will not be teaching baroque dance; this will be an early 19th-century (Regency) class focusing on quadrille figures and steps.

I will then be teaching two dance workshops for The Elegant Arts Society in New York City on Sunday, August 3rd.  Logistical details for these two classes are here.

The first (1:00-3:45pm) will focus on the dances of the Regency era (1810-1820), including steps and figures for early 19th-century country dances and the Royal Scotch and Caledonian Quadrilles, plus the Regency-era sauteuse.  The Royal Scotch Quadrilles feature the "star" figure described in an earlier article here.

The second class (4:00-6:00pm) will look at two different hesitation waltzes of the early 1910s, pre-World War I era.  I will cover basic steps for the half and half, an interesting waltz done in 5/4 time and will teach the twinkle hesitation, a short sequence of waltz steps that can be done independently or as part of a regular waltz.  Information on pre-registration (at a small discount) for the ragtime class is here.  This class series will conclude in September with a workshop on the maxixe (freestyle, not choreographed).

Regency & Ragtime Dance Workshops, NYC (June 29, 2008)

Along with this Saturday's Regency Assembly at the 92nd Street Y, I will be teaching two dance workshops for The Elegant Arts Society in New York City on Sunday, June 29th.  Logistical details are here.

The first (1:00-3:45pm) will focus on the dances of the Regency era (1810-1820), including steps and figures for country dances and the Royal Scotch and Caledonian Quadrilles, plus the Regency-era waltz.  The Royal Scotch Quadrilles feature the "star" figure described in an earlier article here.

The second class (4:00-6:00pm) will cover basic steps and some variations for two popular dances of the early 1910s, the one-step and the tango, including the eight step and various hesitations as described in previous articles here.  The tango is neither the modern ballroom style nor the current Argentine style, but rather the tango as danced in the American ballroom in the early part of this century, related to but not quite the same as the current forms of the dance.  This is the first class nin a three-part series which will continue in August with a class on the half and half and twinkle hesitation and conclude in September with the maxixe.  Information on pre-registration (at a small discount) for the ragtime class or the series is here.

Historical Summer Dance Workshop at Goucher, Baltimore, MD (June 21-22)

This weekend, I will be attending the Historical Dance Workshop  sponsored by the New York Baroque Dance Company down at Goucher College, near Baltimore.  I'm going down there primarily to take the 19th- and 20th-century dance classes being taught by Richard Powers, though I may take some of the Renaissance dance as well, depending on exactly what's being taught.  My Baroque dance skills are minimal so I probably won't do much (if any) in that area.

I'm traveling down Friday night and back Sunday night, but Saturday night the social dancing ends fairly early (8:30), and I'd enjoy getting together that evening with anyone else who likes to talk about social dance history and reconstruction.