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.
How'd it go?
Posted by: Marilee J. Layman | October 05, 2008 at 05:57 PM
Pretty well. We worked hard in the Regency class on the Bumpkin, and decided to do a trimmed-down version at the Assembly, since trying to teach the whole thing to new people at the same-day workshop struck me as a recipe for disaster.
The Schottische Quadrille was quite the challenge, and didn't quite fit into the time available given the level of experience in the class. It was still neat to do, and a more unusual way to practice schottische than just going round'n'round in the standard set of variations.
Posted by: Susan de Guardiola | October 06, 2008 at 04:21 PM
Cool!
Posted by: Marilee J. Layman | October 06, 2008 at 08:49 PM