Capering & Kickery

April 2020 Gig Calendar

Perhaps this should be more accurately called the non-gig calendar.  Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, I am home from Moscow and back in Connecticut and, needless to say, all upcoming events and lessons are canceled.  Like everyone else, I've no idea when things will return to normal.

I am considering doing online lectures or short dance lessons once I figure out the technical issues.  Ideas for this, or specific requests, are welcome - leave them as a comment here.  If I plan anything like this in April, I'll update this post.  Edited to add: and I am teaching at an online dance festival!  See below!

Stay safe.  Stay healthy.

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Saturday-Sunday, April 18-19th ~ ONLINE / RUSSIA-BASED
Historical Dance Festival Online
for Международный фестиваль"Анно Домини"
(VK schedule - Russian)  (Facebook event - English)
An online festival!  A dozen or so Russian teachers and I, thirteen hours of classes and lectures over two days.  The times are 11:00-18:00 Moscow time, or 4:00-11:00am Eastern (NYC) time, daily.  Adjust for your time zone!  My particular items:

(1) Saturday, 17:00-18:00 (Moscow time), "The Hunting of the Panurge", a lecture on looking for the history of "La Nouvelle Panurge", published by Collinet c1823.  (Facebook link with a bit more detail.)

(2) Sunday, 14:00-15:00 (Moscow time), "Five-Step Schottische", a workshop on the connections between waltz and schottische in the late nineteenth century.  (Facebook link with a bit more detail.)

(3) Sunday, 15:00-16:00 (Moscow time), "Schottische in the Ragtime Era", a lecture on the schottische variants that originated in the late nineteenth century and persisted into the early twentieth.  (Facebook link with a bit more detail.)

The festival costs a nominal five euros or 500 rubles for the weekend; register and pay in advance to receive the Zoom conference link.  For more information about the festival and about the other ten hours of classes and teachers in English, please see the Facebook and VK links above.  Russian info about the classes and teachers here; registration, here; schedule, at the link above.

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Coming in May:  More online things - talks and classes.  Watch this blog!

Caroline Walker's Dream Waltz, 1914

The Dream Waltz appeared in Caroline Walker's book The Modern Dances, three editions of which appeared in the year 1914.  Her Dream Waltz appeared in at least the second and third editions; the latter is available online here.  Another Dream Waltz appeared in both editions of F. Leslie Clendenen's Dance Mad (also both 1914), but it is distinct enough to be considered a separate dance, which I will look at in some future post.

The Dream Waltz is a simple hesitation sequence.  The dancers take normal closed ballroom hold.  The gentleman starts on the left foot, the lady on the right.  Steps below are given for the gentleman; the lady dances opposite.
  

The Dream Waltz (16 bars of fast 3/4 waltz music)
1b    Slide left foot to the side (1), slowly closing right foot to left with weight on (3)
1b    Slide left foot to the side (1), swinging right foot to left (2) and away again (3)
            (making a quarter-turn)

1b    Step onto right foot (1), slowly closing left foot to right with weight on (3)
1b    Slide right foot to the side (1), swinging left foot to right (2) and away again (3)
            (making a quarter-turn)

4b    Four walking steps backward, one step per measure, starting left foot, dipping on fourth step
4b    Three walking steps forward, one step per measure, starting left foot, then shift weight back and dip backward on the fourth measure

4b    Balance forward onto left foot, back onto right, forward onto left, back onto right, rotating counter-clockwise (spin turn)

Repeat from the beginning.

Gaby Glide

"The Gaby Glide" was a piece of music written as a star turn for dancers Gaby Deslys and Harry Pilcer in the Broadway operetta Vera Violetta, which opened in New York in November, 1911. The famous and popular Deslys was its namesake:

Gaby brought the dance and it's got us all a going
Since she came no other twirl has had any showing
It's a music treat, for your dancing feet
It is flashy but neat

The tune was composed by Louis A. Hirsch, with lyrics attributed to Pilcer himself.  An original 1912 recording may be heard via the Library of Congress archives here, and a lovely modern performance by Mark Nadler may be seen and heard here:

 

 

Sadly, tempo changes and pauses make Nadler's version more difficult to dance to than the original.  If one has live musicians, the sheet music, from which the image at the top was taken, may be found here.

March 2020 Gig Calendar

Two exciting weekends of workshops this month: in Vladimir (with a ball!) and, for the first time, Yekaterinburg!  Plus regular classes in Moscow and more dancing at the American Center in Moscow!

Updated: quite a lot of things have been canceled due to coronavirus, including the weekend in Yekaterinburg and the dancing at the American Center.  We will reschedule when the health and safety situation improves!

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Tuesday, March 3rd ~ Moscow, Russia
Potpourri Class: American Traditions   (VK announcement)
19:00-22:00.  First in a series of five classes covering various American dances from the mid-19th century to the present day, including contra dances, quadrilles, two-step, one-step, cross-step waltz, and a bit of Steampunk!  The emphasis will be on improvisation in couple dances and working with a caller for the set dances.  Please see announcement for registration information.

 

Saturday-Monday, March 7-9th ~ Vladimir, Russia
A Weekend of Historical Dance in Vladimir
(VK event for weekend)  (VK event for ball)
Dance mini-festival!  Two days of workshops (Saturday-Sunday) and a ball (Monday) featuring 1800-1830s material.  This will be the first time in a few years that I've taught this era of dance in Russia, and I have brand-new dances from England, Scotland, and Ireland, including Duval's Third Set, some unusual German polonaise figures, and a trio of waltz cotillion (game) figures.  Also teaching (individually and with me) will be Nizhny Novgorod teacher Andrey Gospodchikov, with Russian waltz, mazurka, and cotillions (games) from the 1820s.

Tuesday, March 10th ~ Moscow, Russia
Potpourri Class: American Traditions   (VK announcement)
19:00-22:00.  Second in a series of five classes covering various American dances from the mid-19th century to the present day, including contra dances, quadrilles, two-step, one-step, cross-step waltz, and a bit of Steampunk!  The emphasis will be on improvisation in couple dances and working with a caller for the set dances.  Please see announcement for registration information.

Friday, March 13th ~ Moscow    Canceled due to coronavirus.
Masterclass: 19th Century American Social Dances
for the American Center in Moscow
(VK announcement)  (Facebook announcement)
18:30-20:00.  Free, beginner-friendly class on mid- to late nineteenth century contra dances and quadrilles.  No experience necessary, no partner needed.  Note that (1) we will be dancing on lightweight carpet, so the slipperiest possible shoes are encouraged (but dance-floor-restricted shoes are not necessary), and (2) embassy security procedures are in effect, so pre-registration is strongly encouraged; follow the class link above.  Part of a regular series happening once or twice a month.  

Tuesday, March 17th ~ Moscow, Russia
Potpourri Class: American Traditions   (VK announcement)
19:00-22:00.  Third in a series of five classes covering various American dances from the mid-19th century to the present day, including contra dances, quadrilles, two-step, one-step, cross-step waltz, and a bit of Steampunk!  The emphasis will be on improvisation in couple dances and working with a caller for the set dances.  Please see announcement for registration information.

Friday-Sunday, March 20th-22nd ~ Yekaterinburg, Russia   Canceled due to coronavirus.
Weekend of Master-Classes (VK event)
I will be teaching three distinct sets of classes: late sixteenth-century Renaissance dance (Friday night), cross-step waltz (Saturday), and late nineteenth-century American dance (Sunday afternoon).  Please see the VK event page linked above for details and registration!

Tuesday, March 24th ~ Moscow, Russia   Canceled due to coronavirus.
Potpourri Class: American Traditions   (VK announcement)
19:00-22:00.  Fourth in a series of five classes covering various American dances from the mid-19th century to the present day, including contra dances, quadrilles, two-step, one-step, cross-step waltz, and a bit of Steampunk!  The emphasis will be on improvisation in couple dances and working with a caller for the set dances.  Please see announcement for registration information.

 

Tuesday, March 31st ~ Moscow, Russia    Canceled due to coronavirus.
Potpourri Class: American Traditions   (VK announcement)
19:00-22:00.  Fifth and last in a series of five classes covering various American dances from the mid-19th century to the present day, including contra dances, quadrilles, two-step, one-step, cross-step waltz, and a bit of Steampunk!  The emphasis will be on improvisation in couple dances and working with a caller for the set dances.  Please see announcement for registration information.

 

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I am available for private lessons in Moscow (primarily Thursday nights and irregular weekends) or while on my various travels; during the latter, you must provide the dance space.  Email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson.

Moscow, Russia: March 1-6, 10-19, 23-31  Canceled due to coronavirus.