Capering & Kickery

June 2022 Gig Calendar

Another month full of exciting travel, this time to Germany, and then on to precepting a Civil War ball in Pennsylvania.  In-person teaching and dancing, hurrah!

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Wednesday-Sunday, June 15-19th ~ Burg Rothenfels, Germany
Historical Dance Symposium (Facebook community)
International conference of dance historians and historical dancers with workshops, papers, dance evenings, and a ball.  I will be presenting a workshop on late nineteenth century couple dance teaching techniques and a paper on a late eighteenth century manuscript about contredanse (cotillion) steps.  Note that I will only be present Wednesday night through Saturday.

Saturday, June 25th ~ Waverly, Pennsylvania
The 16th Annual Grand Civil War ball  (Facebook event)
7:00-10:00pm.  Formal 1860s ball to be held at the Waverly Community House with live music by Spare Parts and a beginner-friendly dance program!  This ball is a benefit event for the Lackawanna Historical Society.  Ticket information and more here.

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I am once again available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, always providing the pandemic does not spiral back into disaster again.  I am also still available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice).  Please email me directly if you would like to schedule an event or workshop!

 

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Coming in July: an online lecture for JASNA-Maryland!

The Two-Step in Diagrams

Even rarer than clear descriptions of the two-step of the turn of beginning of the twentieth century are clear diagrams of the two-step.  The one below (click to enlarge), depicting the gentleman's steps, was provided by the Springfield School of Dancing (Springfield, Ohio) and published in the April, 1919, issue of H. Layton Walker's dance journal, The Two Step (Buffalo, NY; Volume XXIX, No. 4, p. 23.)  This is a very late description of the two-step, whose prime period of popularity was in the first decade of the twentieth century.  It does not appear to have evolved at all, at least not in Springfield, Ohio.

Sadly, it was not accompanied by a description of the dance, but the diagrams are very clear.  I'll break down the four variations shown, but first, let's look at the dance position.

May 2022 Gig Calendar

IN-PERSON EVENTS.  That pretty much sums it up.  See you on the real, live dance floor!

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Friday-Sunday, May 6th-8th  ~ St Katharine’s, Parmoor, Frieth, England
Early Dance Circle Biennial Conference 2022: Retrieving & Reconstructing the Past through Dance  (Facebook event)
This conference will feature an international set of speakers on historical dance topics spanning the 15th century to the 20th, plus five workshops, three performances, and an evening of participatory dance.  I will be presenting a paper on the opening "changes" of the mid- to late-18th century French contredanse (cotillion, square dance) and teaching a workshop on a late 1810s French version of Le Grand-Père, a Continental finishing dance.  A full list of contributors and paper/workshop topics is included on the registration form (pdf).

 

Saturday, May 21st ~ Essex, Connecticut
The Essex 1814 Ball  (Facebook event) - CANCELLED
A formal 1810s ball with live music by Marnen Laibow-Koser and Jean Monroe and an American-specific program of country dances and cotillions.  $25 in advance; ticket information here.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am once again available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, always providing the pandemic does not spiral back into disaster again.  I am also still available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice).  Please email me directly if you would like to schedule an event or workshop!

 

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Coming in May: a trip to Germany and an American Civil War Ball in Lackawanna, Pennsylvania!