Capering & Kickery

Vintage Dance Week on the Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA (June 26-30, 2011)

We've settled on the classes I will be teaching at the San Diego Vintage Dance Week on the Queen Mary (which is in Long Beach, not San Diego).  Here's the full schedule:

1:15-2:15 period
Monday:    1910s Foxtrot
Ragtime foxtrot essentials -- steps, slides, and hesitations from the earliest years of the foxtrot.

Tuesday:    1910s Foxtrot Variations & Lulu Fado
More foxtrot variations from the late 1910s plus a delightful novelty dance, the Lulu Fado!

Wednesday:    Belle Epoque Two-Step
Two-step essentials and variations from the 1900-1910 era, perfect for Sousa's marches and early rags.

Thursday:    The Yale Blues
Despite the name, an English dance fad from the late 1920s with moves and music more in foxtrot style.

2:30-4:00 period
Monday:    1910s Hesitation Waltzes
Dancing slow to the fast waltzes of the ragtime era -- basic techniques for waltzing in 3/4 and 5/4 plus short sequences like the "Aeroplane" and "Pompadour" waltzes.

Tuesday:    1910s Half & Half
Specific variations for freestyle dancing the 5/4 waltz of 1914.  Basic 1910s hesitation waltz required.

Wednesday:    Belle Epoque Hesitation Waltzes
Victorian dancers were hesitating to fast waltzes before the term "hesitation waltz" was invented -- hesitation techniques of the last decade of the 19th century.

Thursday:    1920s & 30s American Foxtrot
American foxtrot variations from the era between the wars as foxtrot evolved towards its modern form.

In addition, my lecture on Tuesday afternoon will be on Victorian fancy dress balls and costumes.

Looking forward to seeing lots of great dancers on the Queen Mary!

The event webpage is here.

Victorian, Maxixe, and Cross-Step Workshops, NYC (Sunday, June 5, 2011)

I will be teaching a trio of workshops sponsored by The Vintage Dance Society and Specialty Productions in New York City this Sunday, June 5th, two of which focus on historical dance and one on modern cross-step waltz.

The workshops will be held at the DANY Studios, Studio 10, on West 38th Street between 8th and 9th, from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm.  No experience is necessary and no partner is needed. 

The cost is $14 per workshop, two for $24, or -- a special deal -- take all three for only a dollar more, $25.  No pre-registration needed -- just show up!

Here's the official announcement:

Specialty Productions and The Vintage Dance Society present: a day of dancing from the Victorian era to the present day!

Join dance historian/teacher Susan de Guardiola for a smorgasbord of dance classes including the popular couple dances of the Victorian era, the swaying moves of the pre-World War I maxixe, and the very latest in modern waltzes, cross-step waltz!

12:00-1:45    Victorian Couple Dances
The most popular couple dances of the Victorian era!  Practice the giddy spins of the original turning waltz and the easy, lively moves of the polka as danced in the mid-19th century ballrooms of the Civil War Era!

2:00-3:45    Freestyle Maxixe
Learn the sexy, swaying moves of the dance known as the “Brazilian Tango” -- the predecessor of today’s Samba, danced to the delightful Brazilian ragtime music of the 1910s!

4:00-5:45    Cross-Step Waltz
Learn this beautiful, flowing waltz form perfectly suited to slow waltz music. Easy to learn, endlessly innovative, satisfying for beginners as well as experienced dancers! Basic turning plus new variations to spice up your dancing!

No experience is required, and these classes are intended to be accessible to less experienced dancers, but previous dance experience will be helpful.

No partner is required, but lead/follow balance is not guaranteed.

Flat or (for ladies) low-heeled shoes with smooth soles (leather, not rubber) are recommended -- no spike heels, please!  Flat shoes are strongly preferred for the Victorian class; low heels work well for the other two.

Workshop flyers with more details may be downloaded on my workshop flyer page.

For more information about either workshop see the flyers first, then post questions here or email me.  You may also call Marc Casslar at 860-286-9191.