Capering & Kickery

August 2023 Gig Calendar

We are now on May, Take III, and I have nothing original to say about it except that I am really looking forward to autumn.  I'll make a short trip to Boston for DJing and library research, then back at home again for research and writing and all the mundane life stuff.

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Tuesday, August 8th ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook page) (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
7:30-10:00pm (plus).  Lesson (not me - I don't teach blues!) from 7:30-8:30, then I will be DJing blues from 8:30 until at least 10:00, possibly longer if the dance floor is full!  Indoors with an air cleaner going; masks and proof of vaccination required.  Sliding scale donation, $5 to $20.  Volunteers get free admission!

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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!

 

July 2023 Gig Calendar

For the first time in four years we have a non-gig calendar!  Previous July plans have been postponed, so I will be hibernating quietly at home this month, getting things prepared for later in the year (autumn will be lively!) and taking care of non-dance business.

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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!  I am currently scheduling through summer 2024.

June 2023 Gig Calendar

June feels a bit like May, Take II: a quick trip to Boston early in the month to DJ and do a bit of library research, then holing up at home for research and writing...and yardwork and home renovations and all those little things I do when I'm not working.

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Tuesday, June 6th ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook page) (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
7:30-10:00pm (plus).  Lesson (not me - I don't teach blues!) from 7:30-8:30, then I will be DJing blues from 8:30 until at least 10:00, possibly longer if the dance floor is full!  Indoors with an air cleaner going; masks and proof of vaccination required.  Sliding scale donation, $5 to $20.  Volunteers get free admission!

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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!

 

May 2023 Gig Calendar

Tra la...it's May!  Waltz workshops and DJing a waltz afternoon in Boston early in the month, then I'll be taking a break from travel for some needed time at home for research and writing!

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Sunday, May 7th ~ Concord, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Cross-Step Waltz Workshops & DJ'ed Dance for Mostly Waltz for Boston (Facebook event)
11:00am-5:00pm.  Three cross-step waltz workshops (one introductory, two intermediate) plus a couple of hours of waltz and other couple dances to my eclectic collection of recordings.  Pricing below; details here; registration page here.  Capacity is limited!

• Each workshop: $15 / FAC members $13 / Student, Need a Break $10
• Dance: $10 / FAC members $8 / Student, Need a Break $5
• 2 or 3 workshops + dance: $40 / FAC members $34 / Student, Need a Break $25.  

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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!

 

April 2023 Gig Calendar

As April begins I'll still be on my March Chicago trip, now extended to Wisconsin.  Then after a couple of weeks at home, I'll be on the road again to the amazing New England Folk Festival (NEFFA) and a Civil War ball in Pennsylvania, with a bit of DJing tucked in between.  I'm looking forward to a fabulous and eclectic month!

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Saturday, April 1st ~ Racine, Wisconsin
Regency Ball for Grimmoire Productions' LARP Lies and Liability
Private event for LARP attendees.  

Friday-Sunday, April 21st-23rd ~ Marlborough, Massachusetts
NEFFA 2023 (The New England Folk Festival)
I will be teaching and speaking on Saturday and Sunday as part of this enormous folk festival filled with music and dance.  High-quality masks and vax requirements!  See the full schedule here.  My sessions:

• Saturday, 1:00-1:50pm: Early American Cotillions (workshop) 
• Saturday, 4:00-4:50pm: A Black Caller in Napoleonic France (talk)
• Sunday, 12:30-1:20pm: Shadow Waltz Variations (workshop) 
• Sunday, 2:00-2:50pm: Allemande: The Couple Dance (workshop) 

Tuesday, April 25th ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Bluesy (FUSEY Tuesy (Facebook page) (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
7:30-10:00pm (plus).  This is a Balter/Fusion night!  Lesson (not me - I don't teach blues/fusion!) from 7:30-8:30, then I will be DJing blue/fusion from 8:30 until at least 10:00, possibly longer if the dance floor is full!  Indoors with an air cleaner going; masks and proof of vaccination required.  Sliding scale donation, $5 to $20.  Volunteers get free admission!

Saturday, April 29th ~ Waverly, Pennsylvania
The 17th 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.  Pre-ball workshop 1:00-3:00pm.  No mask or vaccination requirements.  Tickets $40 (includes workshop); see the website to purchase.

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 day of cross-step waltz (workshops and DJ'ed dance) for Mostly Waltz for Boston!

March 2023 Gig Calendar

March for me will come in like the proverbial lion as I wrap up my little European tour with a weekend of workshops in Munich and go out, err, still like the lion with a trip to Chicago for research and an evening of country dancing (loosely defined).  In between, I'll be in Boston for DJing (and more research).  Updated: the DJing and Boston trip are canceled, conveniently replaced by a class at a local university!  Whee!

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Saturday-Sunday, March 4-5th ~ Munich, Germany
"In the Manner of …" Tänze „verschiedener Nationen“ um 1800 (Facebook event)
Dance workshops on late 18th to early 19th century dances that involve one nationality presenting a dance "of" or "in the style of" another.  Country dances and quadrilles.  Teaching language will be English.  Download the event flyer (PDF) here or see the website for more details and registration information.  This weekend is just about sold out but will be keeping a wait list in case of cancellations.

Tuesday, March, 21st ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook page) (Facebook group)
CANCELED DUE TO VENUE RENOVATiON WORK
7:30-10:00pm (plus).  Lesson (not me - I don't teach blues!) from 7:30-8:30, then I will be DJing blues from 8:30 until at least 10:00, possibly longer if the dance floor is full!  Indoors with an air cleaner going; masks and proof of vaccination required.  Sliding scale donation, $5 to $20.  Volunteers get free admission!

Tuesday, March 21st ~ New Britain, Connecticut
Dance workshop at Central Connecticut State University
12:30-1:30pm.  Guest-teaching eighteenth & nineteenth-century dance for a dance history class.  Enrolled students only.

Friday, March 31st ~ Glen Ellyn, Illinois (Chicago area)
Dancing Through Time for Chicagoland English Country Dance
7:30-10:30pm.  An evening of various forms of set dancing - longways, squares, circles, etc. from the Renaissance to the 21st century.  Some experience with some form of set dancing (country dance, contra, squares, etc.) will be helpful.  Sliding scale $5-15.  See website for COVID safety requirements.

 

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 April: from Chicago to Wisconsin for a Regency-themed ball at a LARP, then a lull before NEFFA and a Civil War Ball at the end of the month!

February 2023 Gig Calendar

February starts gently for me with an online lecture that is a sort of sequel to one I did in Moscow eight (!!) years ago and one of my regular trips to Boston to DJ before I head off to Europe at the end of the month for a teaching trip to Belgium and Germany that will also take me briefly through Dublin and Amsterdam for research, art, and reunions.

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Wednesday, February 8th ~ ONLINE / Massachusetts-based
Lecture: Ignatius Sancho and Julien Clarchies: Black Men of Letters and Music
for LIRA (Learning in Retirement Association - University of Massachusetts, Lowell)
1:00-3:00pm.  Zoom lecture.  

Tuesday, February 14th ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook page) (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
7:30-10:00pm (plus).  Lesson (not me - I don't teach blues!) from 7:30-8:30, then I will be DJing blues from 8:30 until at least 10:00, possibly longer if the dance floor is full!  Indoors with an air cleaner going; masks and proof of vaccination required.  Sliding scale donation, $5 to $20.  Volunteers get free admission!

Friday-Tuesday, February 24-28th ~ Néthen, Belgique (Belgium)
Voyage Dansé: La Révolution américaine, sur les traces d'Outlander (Facebook event)
Four-day dance festival organized by Compagnie Aliquam Amentis centering around American dance from the Boston Tea Party (250th anniversary) to the War of 1812.  Colonial to Federalist, in American terms; Jane Austen to Regency in English.  Dance program will include American cotillions, country dances, and allemande.  Grand costumed ball of the period 1773-1815.  Other creative activities of the era such as sewing and writing will be included as well.  See the event website for tickets.  (This event is mostly sold out for the weekend, but tickets are still available as of early February for the ball and for Monday-Tuesday.)

 

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 March: I go from Belgium to Germany for Regency-era (more or less) workshops in Munich!

January 2023 Gig Calendar

Happy new year!  I wasn't planning to travel for anything but library research this month while I wait out the post-holiday Covid surge and polish a bunch of old and new reconstructions for my European trip in February-March.  But it seems I'm going to Boston to DJ again.  Tomorrow!  Whee!

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Tuesday, January 3rd ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook page) (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
7:30-10:00pm (plus).  Lesson (not me - I don't teach blues!) from 7:30-8:30, then I will be DJing blues from 8:30 until at least 10:00, possibly longer if the dance floor is full!  Indoors with an air cleaner going; masks and proof of vaccination required.  Sliding scale donation, $5 to $20.  Volunteers get free admission!

 

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

 

I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 February: off to Belgium!

December 2022 Gig Calendar

Winding down for the year after a busy late autumn with a final trip up to Boston.  Then home for a few weeks to attempt to catch up on writing projects!

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Saturday, December 10th ~ Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Boston Gender Free Contra Dance (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
7:30-10:30pm.  The main caller is Rich Sbardella, but I will be doing a single guest slot calling my circle mixer, Masha Poka!  Live music by Woody & The West Side Warblers.  Role identifiers: Larks and Robins.  Fragrance free (helpful info here).  Masks and proof of vax + booster required.  Sliding scale $5-15 plus donations requested for the music fund.  

Sunday, December 11th ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Second Sun Rising (Facebook page) (Facebook event)
7:00-11:00pm (plus).  Lesson (not me) from 7:00-8:00, then I will be DJing fusion for partner dancing from 8:00-9:30, followed by another DJ (TBA).   Top-tier masks (or buy at door for $1-2) and proof of booster (or vax + test at door) required.  Sliding scale $5-20; volunteer opportunities available.  

 

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 2023: a festival in Belgium, workshops in Germany, and more!

November 2022 Gig Calendar

Things are getting lively again!  Online and in-person workshops, two balls, and a DJ gig, plus at least two library visits, and I'm hoping for four...

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Saturday, November 12th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group Reunion Class
12:00-1:30pm.  Private event.

Friday & Saturday, November 18th & 19th ~ Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The 18th Annual Remembrance Day Dinner & Ball (Facebook community) 
5:30pm-midnight each day.  TWO nights!  TWO formal dinners!  TWO balls!  This is the return of John Newbold's event!  Both evenings will be formal Civil War-era events with pre-1865 costume (civilian or military) required.  Advance reservations (dinner and ball or ball-only) are needed, and this event generally sells out well in advance!  Friday night: 1860s fancy dress ball.  Saturday night: classic formal Civil War ball.  I will be calling with live music both evenings by the Fleeting Moments Orchestra and different beginner-friendly dance programs!

Sunday, November 20th ~ Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Private dance workshop at Historic Rock Ford
1:00-4:00pm.  Workshop on early nineteenth century American dances.  Private event for Rock Ford dancers only.

Sunday, November 27th ~ Concord, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Mostly Waltz Boston (Facebook event)
2:00-5:30pm.  I will be teaching a lesson in basic cross-step waltz from 2:00-3:00 followed by dancing (waltz and other couple dances) to live music by Becky Tracy and Keith Murphy from 3:00-5:30pm.  FAC members $13, non-members $15, students/need a break $7.  Attendance is limited and attendees must pre-register via the website.  

Tuesday, November 29th ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook page) (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
7:30-10:00pm (plus).  Lesson with Clayton & Kelly from 7:30-8:30, then I will be DJing blues from 8:30 until at least 10:00, possibly longer if the dance floor is full!  Indoors with excellent ventilation; masks and proof of vaccination required.  Sliding scale donation, $5 to $20.  Volunteers get free admission!

 

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 December: back to Boston again to DJ for Second Sun Rising and call a waltz mixer at Boston Gender Free Contra Dance.  Then home for the holidays!

October 2022 Gig Calendar

Writing time!  I have a huge backlog of papers and articles to get written, so I'll be spending most of October home doing that, with one trip at the end of the month to the UK for an academic conference.

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Friday-Sunday, October 28-30th ~ London, England
European Association for Dance History Conference (Facebook group)
"War, Peace & Politics in Dance".  Extensive program of academic papers with some workshops.  I will speaking and teaching a workshop on French social dances celebrating the Franco-Russian Alliance.  Note that this is late nineteenth-century material which is not in any way connected with current events.

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 November: back to the beautiful Gettysburg Hotel for the The 18th Annual Remembrance Day Dinner & Ball!

September 2022 Gig Calendar

Finally, a month that begins to look like normal for me, with workshops and DJing and lots of research time.  On the road again!

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Friday, September 2nd ~ Chicago, Illinois
Steampunk Dance Workshop at Chicon 8 (Facebook group)
7:00-8:00pm.  Workshop on my own steampunk choreographies: historically-inspired figures set to Abney Park music - probably "Wanderlust" (USA premiere!) and "Overboard".  Masks and vaccination required.  Limited to attending members of Chicon 8, the 80th World Science Fiction Convention.  See their website for membership information.

Saturday, September 10th ~ Oak Park, Illinois (Chicago area)
Workshops & Dance (Facebook event) for Chicagoland English Country Dance
1:00-10:00pm.  Two dance workshops and an evening dance with live music by Jonathan Whitall and Meg Dedolph.  Workshops: (1) steps for early 18th century hornpipe country dances and (2) cotillions.  Evening dance: a potpourri of dances from the 17th to 21st centuries, modern style.  Masks and vaccination required.  $15 per workshop, $20 for evening dance, $40 for the full day.  Payable in cash or check at the door.  More information at the website.

Tuesday, September 20th ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston area)
Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook page) (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
7:30-10:00pm (plus).  Lesson with Julie Brown from 7:30-8:30, then I will be DJing blues from 8:30 until at least 10:00, possibly longer if the dance floor is full!  Outdoors if the weather is good, indoors with excellent ventilation if not.  Masks and vaccination required for indoors.  Sliding scale donation, $5 to $20.

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 October: the European Association for Dance History Conference in London!

August 2022 Gig Calendar

Onward goes the hot and quiet summer!  I am still consolidating and collating and cataloguing my research collection, with interesting results, especially in the "collating" area, with my only event this month a reunion with my pandemic group of online cotillion students!

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Saturday, August 13th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group Reunion Class
6:00pm-7:30pm.  Private event.

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 September: I will be in Chicago for the first ten days of the month doing research and teaching!

July 2022 Gig Calendar

Well, now I have two months of a fairly long, hot summer ahead of me without much going on before things kick back into gear again in the autumn.  I've been making a project for the last month or so of organizing and cataloguing my rather enormous collection (and, um, backlog) of research photos from various libraries, so I expect I'll continue with that, and I have plenty of writing to do!  But first, one more online lecture!

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Sunday, July 17th ~ ONLINE / Maryland-based
Lecture for the Jane Austen Society of North America - Maryland Region (JASNA-MD)
2:00-3:00pm.  Private event for JASNA-MD members; see their website to join the group.

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I am available to travel for in-person dance teaching, lecturing, and ball precepting, pandemic permitting.  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 August: a quiet month at home!

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!

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.

 

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

April 2022 Gig Calendar

Spring has sprung, I'm still in the USA, and I have one more month of online events before transitioning back to primarily in-person teaching in May and June!

Please note: online events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Saturday, April 9th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group Reunion Class
12:00pm-1:30pm.  Private event.

Sunday, April 24th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

Friday-Sunday, April 22nd-24th ~ ONLINE / Boston-based
New England Folk Festival (NEFFA) Online (Facebook group) (Facebook event)
Large festival featuring contra, English country dance, international folk dance, waltz, many other forms as well as music (lots!), crafts, etc.  I will be teaching two sessions with an emphasis on quick instruction and then participatory dancing: Hand Jive! (Saturday, 12:00-12:50pm) and Having a Brawl: 16th Century French Circle Dances (Sunday, 10:00-11:00am).  I will also have an informal dance history chat (about anything people want to discuss) in the Cafeteria breakout rooms on Saturday from 6:00-7:00pm - come to the Cafeteria and look or ask for the room.  The full schedule is posted here.  Registration info here.  

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I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in May: the Early Dance Circle conference and an 1814 Ball in Connecticut!  In person!!!

March 2022 Gig Calendar

Well. 

The major possibility I was expecting for March was to move back to Moscow and resume teaching dance in Russia and Ukraine, so I didn't plan much of anything else.  As anyone who has not been living under a rock for the last few days is no doubt aware, that is probably not happening this month, and it's hard to say whether it will happen in the foreseeable future.  Or at all.

So...new possibilities are needed.  I'll make a quick research trip to Boston early this month and will be working on other events and workshops in the USA for later this spring, plus planning for one or two conferences in Europe.  For those who've been wanting me in the USA but have been blocked first by my mostly being in Russia and then by the pandemic, this is a great time to book me.

Is anyone else tired of being resilient after the last two years?

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Sunday, March 20th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

 

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I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in April: online dance workshops at the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA)!

February 2022 Gig Calendar

As we come out of the Omicron surge, I'm starting to plan actual, in-person events for later this spring (May/June), hoping they will actually take place this year.  Meanwhile, I'm back with the California-based Historical Tea & Dance Society again this month for another Zoom lecture and will have a research trip or two as well.

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Saturday, February 19th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group Reunion Class
12:00pm-1:30pm.  Private event.

Sunday, February 20th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

Saturday, February 26th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Dancing à la Carte: a Century of Dance Cards (Facebook event)
for The Historical Tea & Dance Society (Facebook page)
2pm Pacific/5pm Eastern.  "Whether plain or fancy, covered with feathers or in the shape of a fan, your dance card guided you through the ball. It ensured you didn't miss your waltz with Walter Whirligig or your quadrille with Quentin Quickstep, and then became a treasured souvenir forever after. But what were dance cards? When did they arise, what did they look like, and what can they tell us about dancing in the past?"  A popularly-oriented Zoom lecture on dance cards, primarily nineteenth century, with lots of lovely images! $5 per person, limited to fifty people.  Registration information in the sidebar here!

 

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I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in March: life is full of possibilities...

January 2022 Gig Calendar

Happy new year!  It's got to be better than the last one, right?  Did I say that last year, too?  (Nope.)

This month I'm back (online) with the California-based Historical Tea & Dance Society for another lecture and will have a research trip or two, but we're in the midst of the Omicron surge, so not much else is happening, alas.

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Saturday, January 22nd ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group Reunion Class
12:00pm-1:30pm.  Private event.

Sunday, January 23rd ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

Saturday, January 29th ~ ONLINE / California-based
From Jane Austen to Fezziwig, and Beyond: Why the last dance of the evening became the best dance of the night.  (Facebook event)
for The Historical Tea & Dance Society (Facebook page)
2:00-3:30pm.  A popularly-oriented Zoom lecture on three popular finishing/finale dances from England and France in the late 18th and 19th centuries.  The official description: "The ball is almost over: you've worn holes in your slippers, your hair is coming down, and you may be a little bit drunk -- but you still want that one last dance, the finishing dance! Whether it's La Boulangère (the only dance mentioned by name in Jane Austen's novels) or Sir Roger de Coverley (stretching through the Regency to Charles Dickens), or the Grandfather dance, the finishing dance was your last hurrah of the evening."  $5 per person, limited to fifty sixty people.  See the Facebook event or the HT&DS website for registration.

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I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in February: more of the same, including another lecture!

December 2021 Gig Calendar

And...we may be heading into another winter viral surge.  Fortunately, I've only got online events this month, but I'll be making research trips to Boston and Washington, D.C., and continuing to push my writing (now with extra added translation!) forward.  Life may be quite, but it's not boring!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Saturday, December 11th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group Reunion Class
12:00pm-1:30pm.  Private event.

Sunday, December 12th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

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I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in January: a new year!  Better things?  Another lecture on La Boulangère?

November 2021 Gig Calendar

Back in the ballroom at last!  This month I will return to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for a Remembrance Day Ball (though in a different location and with a different organizer than in previous years) as well as doing a presentation for an online conference in the UK.  I'll squeeze in a research jaunt around the Gettysburg trip and expect to spend time early in the month sewing a new costume for it since my ballgown is (sigh) still in Moscow.  I'm so excited to get back on the dance floor in costume for the first time since early March, 2020!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Sunday, November 14th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

Saturday, November 21st ~ Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Remembrance Day Ball hosted by Civil War Lady / Joy Melcher
In person!  American Civil War-era dinner and ball.  I will be calling the dancing to live music by the Susquehanna Travellers.  This is not my usual Remembrance Day Ball, which is still on pandemic hiatus; this is a different organizer and location.  Tickets $40; Covid vaccination strongly recommended.  See the website for registration and hotel information.

Saturday-Sunday, November 27-28th ~ ONLINE / UK-based
An Assembly for Jane Austen
An online conference run by the UK's Historical Dance Society (Facebook page) with historians, dance researchers, and practitioners giving Austen-themed presentations.  There will also be an evening soiree with a nautical theme with live music by Green Ginger's Meryl and Ian Thomson and prompting by Lizzy Curzon.  I will be speaking at 4:20pm (UK time!) Saturday on the history of the Boulanger, the only dance mentioned by name in Jane Austen's works and letters.  Tickets £20; register here.

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I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in November: a real, in-person ball in Gettysburg and an online Jane Austen conference in the UK!

October 2021 Gig Calendar

All right, this month is actually less of the same, relative to last month.  Let's hope that roots grow deep in the dark, because this is definitely a dark and quiet month for me.  But better things - including an in-person thing - are coming in November!  Edited to add: And better things have arrived!  I will be doing an in-person dance class!  In person!!!  Not open to the public, alas, but in person!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Sunday, October 17th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

Monday, October 27th ~ New Britain, Connecticut
Dance workshop at Central Connecticut State University
9:25am-12:05pm.  Guest teaching (in person!!!) nineteenth-century dance for a dance history class.

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I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in November: a real, in-person ball in Gettysburg and an online Jane Austen conference in the UK!

September 2021 Gig Calendar

I'm cautiously optimistic that things will start to pick up this autumn, though I'm not sure about winter.  This will be a fairly quiet month (like so many recently...) with an online lecture and a research trip.  

And if your dance group us back to actual in-person dancing, I'm willing to travel for small, vaccinated-only events and classes and, of course, to do Zoom lessons and talks for those who are not yet back to in-person events.

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Tuesday, September 14th ~ ONLINE / Massachusetts-based
Lecture on masquerades and fancy dress balls
for LIRA (Learning in Retirement Association - University of Massachusetts, Lowell)
10:00am-12:00pm (Massachusetts time). Zoom lecture. This will be similar to the lectures I've done this year on Regency-era masquerades, but expanded to cover the later nineteenth century and into the twentieth.

Saturday, September 18th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group Reunion Class
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Private event.

Sunday, September 19th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

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

I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in October: likely more of the same, but it's very hard to plan, nowadays...

August 2021 Gig Calendar

I'm now in that in-between space in which online lesson series are no longer viable but, with the delta variant surge, in-person lesson and classes have not really started up again, at least not to the extent of hiring traveling teachers.  But I have a wonderful research trip planned this month -- two separate libraries, two days in each, plus seeing friends I haven't see since 2019 -- and expect to have plenty of work to keep me busy, what with wrapping up my July events, revamping my masquerades lecture for another outing in September, and pushing several research and writing projects forward.

That said, I'm also still somewhat willing to travel for small, vaccinated-only events, depending on what and where and how the pandemic is going.  And (sigh) to do Zoom lessons and talks.

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance! 

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Sunday, August 1st ~ ONLINE / California-based
Hand Jive Dance Review
for Stockton Folk Dance Camp
At approximately 6:25pm (Pacific time), I'll be doing a quick (ten-minute) review of my second Stockton Hand Jive class (the Hand Jive Dance) at the closing party.  The schedule is subject to slippage, so it may happen a bit later.  The overall festival is free, though it's a bit late to join in an eight-day event at this point, and donations are encouraged.  Register to attend here.

Saturday, August 28th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group Reunion Class
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Private event.

Sunday, August 29th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

 

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I am available for private or group online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in September: another version of the masquerades lecture!  And maybe more!

July 2021 Gig Calendar

All right, this is getting a little ridiculous.  Remember I said last month that that series of online classes was really the last one?  Well...it wasn't. 

So let's try this again:

Still no in-person classes, but this month I'll be doing one more series (the last one! really!) of cotillion working group classes, using a different potpourri scheme - multiple figures repeating multiple times.  I'll also be lecturing for the Regency Fiction Writers Virtual Conference and teaching hand jive at the fabulous (and free!) online Stockton Folk Dance Camp.  Stockton is a fabulous bargain - a week of classes with an international cast of teachers, tons of dancing and music, and free.

And if anyone is ready to sponsor in-person classes in the USA again...I'm fully vaccinated and ready to travel!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

 

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Saturdays, July 10th-31st ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group III: The Last Series
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Online lesson series experimenting with a three-figure, nine-change potpourri cotillion of the Federalist period (1780s-1800s).  Continuing students only.

Thursday-Saturday, July 22nd-24th ~ ONLINE / EDT-based
Lecture: Regency Masquerades
for the Regency Fiction Writers 1st Annual Conference - 2021 “A Brand New Day: The Many Facets of Regency Fiction”
Part of a three-day writers' conference for the Regency Fiction Writers (a.k.a. The Beau Monde).  My lecture will be from 3:00-4:00pm on Friday, July 23rd.  Attendance is limited to conference attendees.  Conference registration is open through July 15th.  More information at the RFW website.

Friday, July 23rd - Sunday, August 1st ~ ONLINE / California-based
Workshops: Hand Jive (two)
for Stockton Folk Dance Camp
I will be teaching two session of 1950s hand jive as part of this huge online folk dance event with teachers and musicians from all over the world.  My workshops will be Thursday the 29th at 3:00pm (Pacific time) and Friday the 30th at 4:00pm (Pacific time).  The first will be typical hand jive moves and clapping rhythms.  The second will be something new (for "1958" values of new) and rather unusual as hand jive goes.  Then at approximately 6:25pm (Pacific time) on Sunday the first, I'll be doing a quick (ten-minute) review of the second class at the closing party.  The event (the whole camp, not just my workshops) is free to all, though donations are encouraged.  Register to attend here.

Sunday, July 25th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

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I am available for private online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in August: research time!  Because somehow I haven't had enough isolation?

June 2021 Gig Calendar

I just can't seem to quit the online classes!  Much to my surprise, I'm doing one more series - this is really the last one, I think - of experimenting on students with fresh cotillion research.  I also hope to add a couple of Connecticut-local, vaccinated-only, in-person classes later this month.

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Four Saturdays, June 5th-26th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group II: A Patriotic Potpourri!
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series experimenting with an American potpourri cotillion of the Federalist period (1780s-1800s).  Fresh research; students are the guinea pigs.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  To be followed by an online cotillion-dancing party on July 3rd.  Prerequisite: returning students or instructor permission.  Contact me directly for permission and registration information.

Sunday, June 13th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

 

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I am available for private online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.  I am also available for small-group in-person dance events; fully vaccinated dancers only, please!

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Coming in July: Stockton Folk Dance Camp and the Regency Fiction Writers/Beau Monde Annual Conference, both online!

May 2021 Gig Calendar

Moving right along, pandemic-wise, I've now had both vaccinations (Pfizer/BioNTech) and am waiting out the two weeks until my immunity matures.  For May, I'm teaching what will probably be my last full series of online classes and starting to plan out summer travel, which will with luck include both research and, just maybe, some in-person teaching!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Four Saturdays, May 1st-29th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Cotillion Working Group
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Five-part Zoom series experimenting with American cotillions of the Federalist period (1780s-1800s).  Fresh research; students are the guinea pigs.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  Plan (subject to change) is for four classes and a cotillion-dancing party.  Prerequisite: rigadaun step and previous experience with historical footwork.  $35 for the series; limited to twenty students.  Contact me directly for permission and registration information.

Sunday, May 16th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

 

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I am available for private online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.

April 2021 Gig Calendar

I am now half-vaccinated and anticipate being fully so around the end of the month!  Lessons and events continue to be online-only for me for now, with a return to limited in-person teaching possible as early as June.  This month's highlight for me: after many years, a return to NEFFA (online version) to teach, of all things, 1950s hand jive!  Details below!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Four Saturdays, April 3rd-24th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 102c (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series covering basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  Prerequisite: 101 class or permission. This is the third in the HT&DS rotation of 102-level footwork classes, a revised version of last year's 102c.  The class assumes that you have an understanding of the basic steps for Regency and Colonial footwork, including the chassé-jeté-assemblé sequence, the kemshoole and kemkossy for Scotch reels, and the rigadaun step, and moves on from there to more complicated steps and sequences for quadrilles and reels.  This is a friendly, gently-paced class for footwork beyond the absolute basics.  $20 for the series; see event page for registration link.


Sunday, April 11th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

Tuesday, April 13th ~ ONLINE / Boston & Philadelphia-based
Social Time & Blues DJing (Facebook event)
for Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook group) & Powerhouse Blues (Facebook group)
8:00-8:15pm Social Time; 8:15-9:00 Dance lesson with Kerian Pearson.  9:00-10:00pm DJed dance music.  I'll be hanging out during the first half of the evening and spinning the tunes for at-home dancing for the second half!  Zoom link at Facebook event.  Suggested donation $5.00.

Sunday, April 25th ~ ONLINE / Massachusetts-based
Hand Jive! 
at the Online New England Folk Festival (NEFFA)  (Facebook event)
11:00am-12:00pm.  1950s hand jive was much more than shown in "Grease," with many different movements, patterns, and musical rhythms. Learn different arm and hand motions for grooving to the music even when there's no space to dance. No partner needed, family-friendly, and accessible to those with lower-body disabilities.  Attendance only through the full Online NEFFA, which runs from 4:00pm on April 23rd to 7:00pm on April 25th and includes many online music, dance, and discussion lessons plus social spaces.  Pay what you can (suggested donation $40) for the festival as a whole; register here.

 

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I am available for private online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.

March 2021 Gig Calendar

The pandemic continues, but vaccines are rolling out apace in the USA, so I am feeling cautiously optimistic about later this year, though I've no idea when I'll be able to resume significant travel again.  In the meantime, I'm still online-only!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Four Saturdays, March 6th-27th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 101 (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
1:00pm-2:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series covering absolute basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  No previous experience needed!  This is the first in the HT&DS footwork classes, a revised version of last year's 101, and is the prerequisite for the 102 and 103 level classes.  The class is intended for absolute beginners and moves very slowly.  Steps include the chassé-jeté-assemblé sequence, the kemshoole and kemkossy for Scotch reels, and the rigadaun step.  $20 for the series; see event page for registration link.

Four Saturdays, March 6th-27th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 102b (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series covering basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  Prerequisite: 101 class or permission. This is the second in the HT&DS rotation of 102-level footwork classes, a revised version of last year's 102b.  The class assumes that you have an understanding of the basic steps for Regency and Colonial footwork, including the chassé-jeté-assemblé sequence, the kemshoole and kemkossy for Scotch reels, and the rigadaun step, and moves on from there to more complicated steps and sequences for quadrilles and reels.  This is a friendly, gently-paced class for footwork beyond the absolute basics.  $20 for the series; see event page for registration link.

Sunday, March 21st ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

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I am available for private online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.

February 2021 Gig Calendar

My excitement for February: returning to DJing blues!  I'm not a big blues dancer, but I love the music and look forward to spinning online for my old Boston-area pals at Bluesy Tuesy and new folks from Powerhouse Blues!  I'll also be returning to my ultra-basic footwork classes and might add another pop-up class or lecture somewhere in there...

Otherwise: it's still a pandemic.  But the vaccines are coming!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Four Saturdays, February 6th-27th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 101 (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
1:00pm-2:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series covering absolute basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  No previous experience needed!  This is the first in the HT&DS footwork classes, a revised version of last year's 101, and is the prerequisite for the 102 and 103 level classes.  The class is intended for absolute beginners and moves very slowly.  Steps include the chassé-jeté-assemblé sequence, the kemshoole and kemkossy for Scotch reels, and the rigadaun step.  $20 for the series; see event page for registration link.

Four Saturdays, February 6th-27th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 102a (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series covering basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  Prerequisite: 101 class or permission. This is the first in the HT&DS rotation of 102-level footwork classes, a revised version of last year's 102a.  The class assumes that you have an understanding of the basic steps for Regency and Colonial footwork, including the chassé-jeté-assemblé sequence, the kemshoole and kemkossy for Scotch reels, and the rigadaun step, and moves on from there to more complicated steps and sequences for quadrilles and reels.  This is a friendly, gently-paced class for footwork beyond the absolute basics.  $20 for the series; see event page for registration link.

Tuesday, February 9th ~ ONLINE / Boston & Philadelphia-based
Social Time & Blues DJing (Facebook event)
for Bluesy Tuesy (Facebook group) & Powerhouse Blues (Facebook group)
8:00-9:00pm Social Time; 9:00-10:00pm DJed dance music.  I'll be hanging out during the first half of the evening and spinning the tunes for at-home dancing for the second half!  See Facebook event for Zoom link.  Suggested donation $5.00.

Sunday, February 21st ~ ONLINE / UK-based
Online Club Session 9: Regency Ballroom: or the art of being improper (Facebook event)
for Nonsuch History & Dance (Facebook group)
1:00-3:00pm.  "Despite their success and long-lasting popularity, waltzes and quadrilles took time to conquer regency ballrooms. This session will connect dance master instructions with reviews, diaries and caricatures to understand the first impression these continental dance forms left on the British public before becoming long-term favourites."  I will be responsible for about half an hour of the event, briefly talking about quadrilles and teaching variations of turn for the figure dos-à-dos then discussing wilder dance moments from French ballrooms.  Other presenters include Darren Royston, Professor Michael Burden (University of Oxford), and Alena Shmakova.  Short talks and dance practices will include: a Strathy-based warmup, Regency waltz, eighteenth-century masquerades, body/posture-shaping devices, and ballroom etiquette.  Short Q&A at the end.  £10 per person; register in advance via the website or Facebook event.

 

Sunday, February 28th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

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I am available for private online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.

January 2021 Gig Calendar

Well, we're still online-only...this month is planned as a research/writing month, so while I'm doing one brand-new lecture, I'm not planning any other major teaching events, just a few low-key private pop-up classes, which will keep popping up here throughout the month.  I expect more organized public classes to resume in February!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Saturday, January 2nd ~ ONLINE / California-based
Pop-Up Class: Arbeau's Bransles
3:00-4:30pm.  Private event.  Fun and easy dances for the new year!  Sixteenth century line and circle dances.  Easy steps, great music, and no partner needed!  $5 per person; pay by Paypal at class.  This class is limited to students of my HT&DS 101-102-103 classes only.  Facebook link for student group only.

Saturday, January 9th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Regency Masquerade Lecture (Facebook event)
10:00-11:30am.  Lecture and discussion on late 18th- and early 19th-century masquerades and fancy dress balls in England.  Discussion time afterward.  $5 per person, preregistration required - see Facebook event for registration info.  Limited to 50 people and likely to sell out SOLD OUT.

Saturday, January 9th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Pop-Up Class: Arbeau's Bransles II
3:00-4:30pm.  Private event.  Fun and easy dances for the new year!  Sixteenth century line and circle dances.  Easy steps, great music, and no partner needed!  Price split by number of students; pay by Paypal at class.  This class is limited to students of my HT&DS 101-102-103 classes only.  Facebook link for student group only.

Saturday, January 16th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Pop-Up Class: Minuet
3:00-4:30pm.  Private event.  Basic minuet step forward and sideways, basic minuet "Z" figure and hand turns.  No partner needed!  $5 per person; pay by Paypal at class.  This class is limited to students of my HT&DS 101-102-103 classes only.  Facebook link for student group only.

Saturday, January 23rd ~ ONLINE / California-based
Pop-Up Class: Minuet, part two
3:00-4:30pm.  Private event.  No partner needed!  $5 per person; pay by Paypal at class.  This class is limited to students of my HT&DS 101-102-103 classes only.  Facebook link for student group only.

Sunday, January 24th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

Sunday, January 30th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Lecture on Regency ballroom practices/etiquette
for Teel House Emma Virtual Regency Retreat (Facebook event)
7:00-9:00pm.  Online "ball" with concerts, at-home dancing, and at some point my prerecorded lecture (about 25 minutes) and brief Q&A time.  Lecture will be first-person, living history style, on Regency ballroom practices and etiquette.  This event is limited to attendees of the weekend-long Teel House Emma Virtual Regency Retreat.  Register here.  Full schedule here.

Saturday, January 30th Sunday, January 31st ~ ONLINE / California-based
Pop-Up Class: Minuet, part three
3:00-4:30pm.  Private event.  No partner needed!  $5 per person; pay by Paypal at class.  This class is limited to students of my HT&DS 101-102-103 classes only.  Facebook link for student group only.  Rescheduled from Saturday to Sunday!

 

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I am available for private online lessons and talks via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson or talk.

Coming in February: a return to regular basic footwork classes and an online blues DJing gig!

November 2020 Gig Calendar

November is going to feel strange this year, with no trip to Gettysburg for the Remembrance Day Balls.  Hopefully they will be back next year!  In the meantime, I'm going to spend November ping-ponging from the 17th century (unusual for me) to the early 20th, with a detour for footwork classes focusing mostly on late 18th to early 19th century dance.  I'm especially excited about both the Playford Then and Now Festival, hosted by The Historical Dance Society (formerly the Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society) in the UK with a great lineup of speakers, and the chance to repeat for the Historical Tea and Dance Society in California a lecture I gave for a university group back in September on the intertwined lives of the dancers Vernon and Irene Castle and the musician James Reese Europe.  Both the Castles and Europe are frequently discussed, lectured, and written about separately.  I'm thrilled to bring their stories together!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Saturday-Sunday, November 7-8th ~ ONLINE / UK-based
Playford Then and Now Festival (Facebook event)
for The Historical Dance Society (Facebook group page)
12:00-18:30 (UK time) Saturday / 12:00-18:00 (UK time) Sunday.  Please adjust times for your own time zone!  Online (Zoom) dance festival/conference centered around historical and modern English country dance.  I will be giving a presentation at 14:10 (UK time) Sunday on songs attached - or not - to the country dance tune "Jamaica".  Other presenters include Anne Daye, Charlotte Ewart, Jeremy Barlow, Colin Hume, Aaron Macks, and more.  More details on the event website.  Tickets £15; purchase online here.

Sunday, November 15th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-2:00pm.  Private event.

Saturday, November 21st ~ ONLINE / California-based
A Ragtime Revolution: Vernon and Irene Castle and James Reese Europe (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
10:00-11:30 (Pacific time).  Online (Zoom) lecture: "For a few brief years in the 1910s, an English vaudeville actor, a New York socialite, and the son of a former slave were some of the most famous entertainers in America. Join us to explore their intertwined stories, ranging from Harlem to Broadway, from New York to Paris, from World War I’s flying aces to the trenches of France, before this magical historical moment ended in tragedy. This lecture will trace the parallel careers of James Reese Europe and the Castles, their complicated interracial collaboration, and their influence on music, dance, and entertainment."  Limited to 50 people, advance registration required, tickets $5.00/per person.  Ticket link here.

Four Saturdays, November 21st-28th/December 5-12th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 103b: Fitting Steps to Dances (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
2:00pm-3:30pm.  Four-part Zoom series covering basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson plus after-class discussion.  Prerequisite - 101 class or permission. Continuing the HT&DS series of historical steps for country dances and related forms, this second "fitting steps" series will again focus on using steps we've learned with the specific figures of dances from different historical periods. Some previous experience required - either our 101 class or basic knowledge of steps such as doubles and singles, the chassé-jeté-assemblé Regency sequence, and the rigadaun. Other steps will be reviewed or taught briefly as needed. This is a friendly, gently-paced class going beyond the absolute basics to how to apply steps in the ballroom.  $20 for the series; registration link here.

Saturday, November 28th ~ ONLINE / Maryland-based
Macoronarena! (Facebook announcement)
for Chessiecon 2020 (Facebook group)
4:00-5:00pm.  A short dance class in Sidney Grant's new solo dance, the Macoronarena, a pandemic-inspired, socially-distanced variation of the Macarena.  Catchy bilingual music, easy dance, family-friendly, and lower-body-disability-friendly - can be done upper-body only!  This event is limited to members of Chessiecon, an online science fiction convention, only.  Weekend memberships $10 or free with purchase of 2021 membership - see webpage for details.

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Coming in December: I wrap up my classes for the year...and perhaps do a Jane Austen event?

I am available for private online lessons via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice) during the pandemic; please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson.

October 2020 Gig Calendar

Life continues on in pandemic time, which feels like a cross between time flying by and a sort of vague timelessness. 

October will be a quiet teaching month for me while I work on a new research project for a festival next month, but I have a new double series of California-based basic country dance footwork classes this month before we probably take a break over the holiday period.

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Four Saturdays, October 3rd-24th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 102c (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
1:00pm-2:30pm.  (FIRST CLASS ONE HOUR EARLIER)  Four-part Zoom series covering basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  Prerequisite - 101 class or permission. This is the third in the HT&DS rotation of 102-level footwork classes! Footwork 102c assumes that you have an understanding of the basic steps for Regency and Colonial footwork, including the chassé-jeté-assemblé sequence and the rigadaun step, and moves on from there to more complicated steps and sequences for quadrilles, cotillions, country dances, and reels, covering different material than 102a and 102b.  This is a friendly, gently-paced class for footwork beyond the absolute basics.  $20 for the series; see webpage for registration link.

Four Saturdays, October 3rd-24th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 103a: Fitting Steps to Dances (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
3:00pm-4:30pm.  (FIRST CLASS ONE HOUR EARLIER)  Four-part Zoom series covering basic steps for Regency and Colonial era dance.  One-hour lesson including warm-up/cool-down plus after-class discussion.  Prerequisite - 101 class or permission. Continuing the HT&DS series of historical steps for country dances and related forms, this new class series will focus on fitting steps we've learned into the specific figures of favorite dances from different historical periods. Some previous experience required - either our 101 class or basic knowledge of steps such as doubles and singles, the chassé-jeté-assemblé Regency sequence, and the rigadaun. Other steps will be reviewed or taught briefly as needed. This is a friendly, gently-paced class going beyond the absolute basics to how to apply steps in the ballroom.  $20 for the series; see webpage for registration link.

Sunday, October 11th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-1:00pm.  Private event.

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Coming in November: a country dance history festival based in England!

I am also available for private online lessons via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice); please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson.

September 2020 Gig Calendar

Well, I had hoped to be moving back to Russia this month as usual, but it's clearly not to be.  So, online lessons continue.  September is going to be a (relatively) lively month for me, bookended by a lecture and class at a Russia-based festival at the beginning of the month and wrapping up with a pair of USA-based lectures at the end.  In between, my double series of California-based basic country dance footwork classes continues!

Please note: the events listed below are hosted in different cities/countries in different time zones.  Please adjust for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

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Saturday-Sunday, September 5-6th ~ ONLINE / Saint Petersburg-based
Historical Dance Festival Online  (Facebook)  (VK - in Russian)
for Международный фестиваль"Анно Домини"
10:00-18:00 (Moscow time) Saturday / 9:00-19:00 (Moscow time) Sunday.  An online festival of classes and lectures with teachers from Russia, France, England, and the USA!  There will be a total of eighteen hours of classes, lectures, and seminars offered in English (eight hours) and Russian (ten hours) with translation both ways.  Material will range from the 16th century through the 1920s.  I will be offering both a class and a lecture, unrelated to each other.  The class will be on an 1896 American recital solo, "Cachucha", which is based on the famous ballet solo "La Cachucha" performed by Fanny Elssler in 1836.  The class will be in some mixture of English and Russian, with translation as needed, and will be held from 16:00-17:00 Moscow time/9:00-10:00am NYC time on Saturday.  The lecture (in English with Russian translation) will be "Hunt the Squirrel, Chase the Lady!" and will cover two centuries' worth of evolution of this country dance, from early 18th century England to late 19th century America.  This will be from 14:00-15:00 Moscow time/7:00-8:00am NYC time on Sunday.  Please adjust times for your own time zone!  Registration: fifteen Euros or 1000 rubles for the entire weekend.  Tickets: in English and in Russian.

Saturday, September 5th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 101 (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
1:00pm-2:30pm.  Class #3 of a four-part series.  Continuing students only.

Saturday, September 5th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 102b (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Class #3 of a four-part series.  Continuing students only.

Saturday, September 12th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 101 (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
1:00pm-2:30pm.  Class #4 of a four-part series.  Continuing students only.

Saturday, September 12th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Low-Impact Historical Footwork 102b (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
3:00pm-4:30pm.  Class #4 of a four-part series.  Continuing students only.

Sunday, September 13th ~ ONLINE / Connecticut-based
Dance Historian Meetup
11:00am-1:00pm.  Private event.

Saturday, September 26th ~ ONLINE / California-based
Lecture: "Hunt the Squirrel, Chase the Lady!" (Facebook event)
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
2:00-3:30pm (California time).  Zoom lecture.  The lady flees and the man pursues her…and then when she turns to him he runs away!  Is it a dance or the story of courtship?  How did the elegant weaving figures of an early eighteenth century English country dance turn into the simple chases of a late nineteenth-century American contra dance?  Or did they?  The lecture will look at how a single country dance evolves, disappears, and - perhaps - reappears over the course of two centuries and two countries and place it in context with other chasing dances and figures from both Europe and America.  $5.  See the Facebook event for registration link!

 

Wednesday, September 30th ~ ONLINE / Massachusetts-based
Lecture: "A Ragtime Revolution: Vernon and Irene Castle and James Reese Europe"
for LIRA (Learning in Retirement Association - University of Massachusetts, Lowell)
10:00am-12:00pm (Massachusetts time).  Zoom lecture.  For a few brief years in the 1910s, an English vaudeville actor, a New York socialite, and the son of a former slave were some of the most famous entertainers in America.  Join us to explore their intertwined stories, ranging from Harlem to Broadway, from New York to Paris, from World War I’s flying aces to the trenches of France, before this magical historical moment ended in tragedy.  In this lecture, I will trace the parallel careers of James Reese Europe and the Castles, their interracial collaboration, and their influence on the music and dance of the 1910s and onward.

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Coming in October: more California-based basic footwork classes!

I am also available for private online lessons via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice); please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson.

May 2020 Gig Calendar

As I slowly regain my footing in this new pandemic world, I am beginning to schedule online events of various sorts.  It's not as rewarding as teaching or lecturing in person, but given the worldwide emergency and the extreme risk of in-person dancing right now, it's the best we can do.

Note that the events below are being hosted in different cities (and countries!) in different time zones - please remember to adjust times for your own time zone before planning online attendance!

There will be some updates to the events below and possibly a couple of other events added later in the month; check back mid-month for more information!

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Saturday, May 16th ~ ONLINE / California-based
"5 Things...inside the Dancing Mind of Susan de Guardiola"
for the Historical Tea and Dance Society (group Facebook page)
10:00am-12:00pm (California time).  Online interview (one hour) then post-interview discussion.  Interview hosted on Zoom and Facebook Live; discussion on Zoom.  Preregistration required for Zoom.  Details are posted on Facebook here!  No set price, but donations (Paypal) are requested.

Sunday, May 17th ~ ONLINE / Ukraine-based
Онлайн-пікнік зі Сьюзан де Гуардіола та історії ампірної доби (Facebook event)
Online Regency Picnic and StoryTime with Susan de Guardiola
19:00-21:30 (Kyiv time).  Dress up in Regency costume and take tea with me online!  The first hour will be story time on the theme of "Regency Dancers Behaving Badly" with time for questions.  This will be followed by tea (make your own!) and social time, during which I will take and answer random dance questions as best I can.  Questions submitted in advance via the Facebook event will have the best chance of getting good answers!  Regency costume is admired but not required - other historical or fantastical costume, or simply nice modern clothes are also fine.  Language: English from Susan, translation to Ukrainian/Russian as needed.  No set price, but donations (Paypal) are happily accepted.  Arrangements are being made for Ukrainians to donate by credit/debit card.

Saturday-Sunday, May 23rd-24th ~ ONLINE / Russia-based
Historical Dance Festival Online (Facebook - English)  (VK-Russian)
for Международный фестиваль"Анно Домини"
10:00-18:00 (Moscow time) Saturday / 10:00-19:00 (Moscow time) Sunday.  An online festival of classes and lectures with teachers from Russia, France, England, and the USA!  Material will range from the early 17th century through the 1920s.  I will deliver a lecture/class (Facebook link-English, VK link-Russian)  intended as a pair, though each also stands alone.  The lecture (in English with Russian translation) will be on the ballroom gavottes of the 1910s.  This will be from 18:00-19:00 Moscow time on Saturday.  The class will be on a specific gavotte recital piece which can be danced solo - perfect for quarantined individuals! - though it was also noted as possible for four or eight dancers.  This class will be in some mixture of English and Russian, with translation as needed in both directions, and will be held from 15:00-16:00 Moscow time on Sunday.  Full weekend price: 10 Euros through May 15, then 15 after.

Sunday, May 24th ~ ONLINE / Maryland-based
Balticon 54 (Facebook)
A Zoom-hosted workshop and a DJ'ed dance party!  11:00-11:50am, basic hand jive movements and practice time.  10-11pm (or midnight if interest is high!) DJ'ed blues/slow dance music.  Video optional for both - watch/listen privately or turn on the camera so we can see your moves.  Misbehavior on camera or mic will get you booted!  Free, but pre-registration for each is required.  Open the drop-down menu for Sunday, May 24th, on this page and register for each item individually.

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Coming in June: online classes on dance reconstruction and composing/calling Regency-era country dances!

I am also available for private online lessons via Skype or Zoom (or your videoconferencing software of choice); please email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson.

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!

February 2020 Gig Calendar

I'm having a ball!  Literally, a ball!  In Moscow!  In Russian and English!  Mixing all sorts of crazy dancing together!

I'll be doing other things this month too, but holding a ball in Moscow is something I've wanted to do for years, so I'm dipping my toe in with a small, beginner-friendly event.  Details and links to the ball prep classes will appear later in the month - check back for updates! 

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Saturday, February 1st ~ Moscow
17:30-19:30.  Private lesson.

Saturday, February 8th ~ Moscow
17:30-19:30.  Private lesson.

Sunday, February 9th ~ Moscow
Birthday Party ~ N.N. Lukyanov-Razumovsky  (VK event)
16:00-21:00.  I am not the main ball leader, but will be teaching a dance or two during the evening - most likely the Ragtime Crawl and my own waltz mixer Маша, пока! (Bye, Masha!).  Otherwise, I'll just be enjoying myself dancing!

Friday, February 14th ~ Moscow
Masterclass: 19th Century American Social Dances (Valentine Party)
(VK announcement)  (Facebook announcement)
for the American Center in Moscow
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 roughly every other Friday.  This class includes a small St. Valentine's Day party with light refreshments!

Saturday, February 22nd ~ Moscow
17:30-19:30.  Private lesson.

Saturday, February 22nd ~ Moscow
First Ball Prep Class for February 29th Ball
(VK class info link)  (VK event for ball) 
19:30-21:30.  First prep class for this ball.  See the class info link above for full details.  Note that security procedures are in effect, so names for the class are needed in advance, or pre-arrangement to meet someone to be taken through security.

Tuesday, February 25th ~ Moscow
Second Ball Prep Class for February 29th Ball
(VK class info link)  (VK event for ball) 
19:00-20:00.  Second prep class for this ball.  See the class info link above for full details.  Security procedures are in effect, so names for the class are needed in advance, or pre-arrangement to meet someone to be taken through security.  Anyone who attends the first class will receive an access pass there that will admit you to the complex for this class.  Note that this class is in a different studio than the first one!

Saturday, February 29th ~ Moscow
Masquerade Ball "Evening of Friendship"  (VK event)
16:00-20:15 (arrive 17:15, hall closes 21:00).  A lighthearted evening mixing American dances from the mid-nineteenth through the twenty-first century.  Contra dances, cotillion (game) figures, sequences, Steampunk dances, and lots of waltz!  This is beginner-oriented; most dances will be taught briefly, but see the listings above for two pre-ball prep classes.  Registration and all other pertinent information is available in both Russian and English at the VK link above.

 

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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: February 1-29

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Coming in March: more public classes in Moscow and a weekend of historical dance in Vladimir!

January 2020 Gig Calendar

Happy new year!  January is going to be a tough month, as I'm having to move to a new flat, which is a challenging task in Moscow.  But I'll still have a few events here and there!  Hopefully normal life will return in February!

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Monday, January 6th ~ Moscow, Russia
Festival-Competition Planet of the Arts-Moscow "Christmas Stars" (Festival website - in Russian)
10:00-18:00 (approximate).  Dance school contest and showcase.  I am serving as a judge.

Saturday, January 11th ~ Moscow
17:30-19:30.  Private lesson.

Friday, January 17th ~ Moscow
Masterclass: 19th Century American Social Dances
    (Facebook announcement) (VK announcement - in Russian)
for the American Center in Moscow
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 roughly every other Friday.

Saturday, January 18th ~ Moscow
18:00-20:00.  Private lesson.

Saturday, January 25th ~ Moscow
Black & White Chess Ball (in Russian)
for Ballroom Dance Studio "Ларец"
15:00-18:00 (arrival 14:00).  I am attending this primarily as a social event, but I will briefly teach the mid- to late-19th century American version of the Spanish Dance.  Dress code: black and white.  Tickets 700 rubles in advance, 900 at door.  See link above (in Russian) for ball program, location, etc.

Saturday, January 25th ~ Moscow
19:15-21:15.  Private lesson.

Friday, January 31st ~ Moscow
Masterclass: 19th Century American Social Dances
    (Facebook announcement) (VK announcement - in Russian)
for the American Center in Moscow
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 roughly every other Friday.

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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: January 6-31

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Coming in February: public classes in Moscow, a Valentine dance at the American Center, and a ball!

December 2019 Gig Calendar

December will be a quite month of hibernation, research, and private lessons and classes.  The dance series at the American Center at the U. S. Embassy will continue with one regular dance and a holiday party!

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Sunday, December 1st ~ Moscow
16:00-18:00.  Private lesson.

Tuesday, December 3rd ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class.

Friday, December 6th ~ Moscow
Masterclass: 19th Century American Social Dances
for the American Center in Moscow
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 roughly every other Friday.

Saturday, December 7th ~ Moscow
20:00-22:00.  Private lesson.        Cancelled

Tuesday, December 10th ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class.

Tuesday, December 17th ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class.

Friday, December 20th ~ Moscow
Masterclass: 19th Century American Social Dances
for the American Center in Moscow
18:30-20:00.  Holiday party!  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 roughly every other Friday.  This week will be an informal party - light refreshments will be served and festive attire is encouraged (but not required).

 

Saturday, December 14th ~ Moscow
17:30-19:30.  Private lesson.

Saturday, December 21st ~ Moscow
17:30-19:30.  Private lesson.

Tuesday, December 24th ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class.

Sunday, December 29th ~ Moscow
19:00-21:00.  Private lesson.

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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: December 1-31

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Coming in January: public classes in Moscow and more dances at the American Center!

October 2019 Gig Calendar

I am once more happily ensconced in Russia!  I am not launching a full public schedule this month, but I will be experimenting with teaching a short class at the American Center in Moscow (part of the U.S. Embassy); if it goes well, it will become a regular series.  And I may throw a small party at the end of the month - watch this post for updates!  (Edited to add - but I decided not to!  Maybe later in the autumn!)

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Tuesday, October 1st ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class

Tuesday, October 8th ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class

Saturday, October 12th ~ Moscow
17:15-19:15.  Private lesson

Tuesday, October 15th ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class

Friday, October 18th ~ Moscow
Masterclass: 19th Century American Social Dances
for the American Center in Moscow (VK post)  (Facebook post)
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 required; see the form here (in Russian).  If all goes well, this will be the first class in a regular series in November and December.

Saturday, October 19th ~ Moscow
17:30-19:30.  Private lesson

Tuesday, October 22nd ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class

Saturday, October 26th ~ Moscow
Festival-Competition Planet of the Arts-Moscow (Event website - in Russian)
11:00-18:30.  Dance school contest and showcase.  I am serving as a judge and offering a short class on a couple of historical American contra dances.

Tuesday, October 29th ~ Moscow
19:00-22:00.  Private class

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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: October 1-31

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Coming in November: classes in Kyiv, Ukraine, and back to the USA for Remembrance Day Weekend!

September 2019 Gig Calendar

One last non-gig calendar for my extended summer vacation!  This month I am moving back to Russia, and starting in October there will once more be classes, parties, and the occasional weekend of travel.  I don't expect any public events this month.  In the meantime, I am still available for private lessons in Connecticut before I leave (though I will be super-busy packing!)  and in Moscow once I arrive.  Email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson.

See you in October!

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Saturday, September 21st ~ Moscow
17:30-18:30.  Private lesson

Saturday, September 28th ~ Moscow
17:30-19:30.  Private lesson

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Connecticut: September 1-14
Moscow, Russia: September 17-30

August 2019 Gig Calendar

I probably should start calling these summer calendars non-gig calendars, since I'm having a quiet summer dance-wise.  I don't have anything planned this month, nor am I planning to change that.  I am still available for private lessons in Connecticut when I'm there.  Email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson.

See you in September!

Connecticut: August 1-12, 20-31
Dublin, Ireland: August 13-18

July 2019 Gig Calendar

I am still mostly on my summer reading/research/writing break, but I plan to emerge briefly for my second lecture to the Beau Monde (Regency-focused) subgroup of the Romance Writers of America at their conference in New York in July.  Other events may emerge, but I'm not really seeking them.  Lots of work to do!

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Tuesday, July 23rd ~ New York City
Beau Monde Annual Conference and Soirée
3:15-4:15pm, lecture; 7:30-11:00pm, soirée.  Regency romance writers' conference.  I will be delivering a lecture on Regency-era dance and ballroom etiquette and leading the dancing at the evening soirée.  This event is open to registered members of the conference only, with a limit of one hundred attendees.  Pre-registration cutoff is July 13th.  See the conference webpage for details.

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I am available for private lessons in Connecticut, 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.

New Haven, CT: July 1-22, 25-31
New York City: July 23-24

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June 2019 Gig Calendar

I have some personal and research travel planned during June, but otherwise am taking my annual summer reading/research/writing break.  I don't expect (and am not looking for) any public events at all this month.  I am still available for private lessons in Connecticut, 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.

Connecticut: June 1-7, 14-18, 25-30
New York City: June 8-9
Boston area: June 10-13

May 2019 Gig Calendar

Last month in Moscow!  Along with preparing for my homeward migration at the end of the month, I'll be traveling to Odessa for Vintage Dance Exchange 2019 - By the Sea and teaching a full slate of waltz and nineteenth-century classes and private lessons.

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Friday, May 3rd ~ Moscow, Russia
Private class
3:00-6:00pm
Noted here just to hold the date/time.

Sunday, May 5th ~ Moscow, Russia
Private lesson
6:00-8:00pm
Noted here just to hold the date/time.

Thursday-Sunday, May 9-12th ~ Odessa, Ukraine
Vintage Dance Exchange 2019 - By the Sea (Facebook event)
A weekend of classes, balls, and parties with multiple teachers and both historical and folk dance!  My classes will include: Gentle Polka Mazurka Variations (late 19th century American), Dolce Amoroso Fuoco (16th century Italian), Musicality: New Waltz Musical Crossovers (late 19th century American), Quadrille Cinq Parties du Monde (mid-19th century French), and more!  Events will include an open mic dance party, a Renaissance ball, a Regency picnic, a late nineteenth century ball, a trip to the Odessa opera, and an early twentieth century afterparty.

Tuesdays, May 14th & 21st  ~ Moscow, Russia
Intermediate Cross-Step Waltz
7:00-10:00pm; lessons 7:00-8:15/8:30-9:45 + two 15-minute practice sessions.  New variations and review of material from 2018-2019 season.

Thursdays, May 16th, 23rd, 30th ~ Moscow, Russia
Late 19th Century Polka Mazurka Plus
7:00-9:00pm
Improvisation in polka mazurka using steps and sequences from American variations of the 1880s.  Emphasis on musicality.  Steps work with polka-mazurka, redowa, and mazurka music.  Also: applying these variations in galop and jig time!  Pay by the week or for the full four-week course.

Friday, May 24th ~ Moscow, Russia
Beginner's couple dance class
8:00pm
Easy partner dance choreographies from the early 20th century!  Beginner-friendly! 

Saturdays, May 19th & 26th ~ Moscow, Russia
Private lessons
5:15-7:15pm
Noted here just to hold the dates/times.

Tuesday, May 28th ~ Moscow, Russia
Farewell Waltz Party (VK event - in Russian)
7:00-10:00pm.  Waltz, waltz, and more waltz!  Light refreshments.

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

Moscow, Russia: May 1-6, 13-31
Odessa, Ukraine: May 8-12

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April 2019 Gig Calendar

April is going to be busy with local teaching for me: my regular weekly cross-step and "polka mazurka" (now expanding to all sorts of late-nineteenth-century dance) classes and waltz party plus private lessons and an Easter ball!  In between, I'll be preparing a whole list of classes for Vintage Dance Exchange 2019 - By the Sea, coming up in mid-May in Odessa!

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Tuesdays, April 2nd, 9th, 16th  ~ Moscow, Russia
Intermediate Cross-Step Waltz (generic VK post with times - in Russian)
7:00-10:00pm; lessons 7:00-8:15/8:30-9:45 + two 15-minute practice sessions
Concentration on "skater's" variations done with matched feet and making smooth and subtle transitions from matched to mirrored feet and through different arm positions!  Second and third classes will incorporate tango variations from the second class as well!  Pay by the week or for a full month including the waltz party on the 23rd

Thursdays, April 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th ~ Moscow, Russia
Late 19th Century Polka Mazurka Plus (generic VK post with times - in Russian)
7:00-9:00pm
Improvisation in polka mazurka using steps and sequences from American variations of the 1880s.  Emphasis on musicality.  Steps work with polka-mazurka, redowa, and mazurka music.  Also: applying these variations in galop and jig time!  Pay by the week or for the full four-week course.

Saturdays, April 13th & 20th ~ Moscow, Russia
Private lessons
5:15-6:15pm
Noted here just to hold the dates/times.

Saturday, April 13th
Easter ball preparatory class (VK announcement - in Russian)
7:00-9:30pm
I will be teaching from about 8:00-8:45; the rest will be the other ball leaders.  Easy choreographies!  First of three.

Saturday, April 20th
Easter ball preparatory class
7:00-9:30pm
Second of three, details TBA.

Tuesday, April 23rd ~ Moscow, Russia
Spring Waltz Party (VK event - in Russian)
7:00-10:00pm.  Waltz, waltz, and more waltz!  Light refreshments.

Friday, April 26th ~ Moscow, Russia
Private lesson
9:00-10:00pm
Noted here just to hold the date/time.

Saturday, April 27th
Easter ball preparatory class
7:00-9:30pm
Third of three, details TBA.

Sunday, April 28th ~ Moscow, Russia
Easter Ball (VK event - in Russian)  (Facebook photo-announcement - in Russian)
Easter ball [note: Orthodox Easter!] mixing historical, modern, and traditional dancing.  I am co-directing with dance studio "Russian Traditions" and Pavel Kundius.  Dress code: early 19th century (1800-1840) or modern formal; pink/red colors encouraged for ladies.  (See prep class on April 13th above!)

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I am available for private lessons in Moscow, 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: April 1-5, 8-30
Tula, Russia: April 6-7

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Coming in May: Vintage Dance Exchange 2019 - By the Sea! in Odessa, Ukraine!

March 2019 Gig Calendar

Local classes only this month as the Moscow winter hopefully wraps up: cross-step waltz (two intermediate classes) and polka mazurka variations with a bit of a wander through other musical rhythms as well, plus my monthly waltz evening.  Lots of research and writing in between...

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Tuesdays, March 5th, 12th, 19th  ~ Moscow, Russia
Intermediate Cross-Step Waltz: Skater's Variations (VK post - in Russian)
7:00-8:15pm; practice time 8:15-8:45pm
Concentration on "skater's" variations done with matched feet and making smooth and subtle transitions from matched to mirrored feet and through different arm positions!  Second and third classes will incorporate tango variations from the second class as well!  Pay by the week or for a full month including the waltz party on the 26th.

Tuesdays, March 5th, 12th, 19th ~ Moscow, Russia
Intermediate Cross-Step Waltz: Tango Variations (VK post - in Russian)
8:45-10:00pm; practice time 8:15-8:45pm
Variations from tango, including lunges, molinetes, ruedas, scissors, and ganchos.  Pay by the week or for a full month including the waltz party on the 26th.

Thursdays, March 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th ~ Moscow, Russia
Late 19th Century Polka Mazurka Variations (VK post - in Russian)
7:00-9:00pm
Improvisation in polka mazurka using steps and sequences from American variations of the 1880s.  Emphasis on musicality.  Steps work with polka-mazurka, redowa, and mazurka music.  Also: applying these variations in galop and jig time!  Pay by the week or for the full four-week course.

Saturdays, March 16th & 23rd ~ Moscow, Russia
Private lessons
6:00-7:00pm
Noted here just to hold the dates/times.

Tuesday, March 26th ~ Moscow, Russia
Belated St. Patrick's Day Waltz Party (VK event - in Russian)
7:00-10:00pm.  Waltz, waltz, and more waltz!  Light refreshments.  Wearing of the green!

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I am available for private lessons in Moscow, 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 1-31

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February 2019 Gig Calendar

I will spend most of February in Moscow, with one trip to Saratov at the end of the month for a weekend of classes on late nineteenth and early twentieth century dance, with an emphasis on improvisation in everything from tango and foxtrot to polka mazurka and quadrilles.  This is something of a sequel to my intensive weekend in Samara three years ago.  I'm really excited about teaching this material -- finally, back to advanced nineteenth century! -- and visiting a new Russian city!

Other than that -- my usual classes, a waltz party, and balls to attend!

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Tuesdays, February 5th, 12th, 19th  ~ Moscow, Russia
Cross-Step Waltz for Beginners: Skater's Variations (VK post - in Russian)
7:00-8:15pm; practice time 8:15-8:45pm
Concentration on "skater's" variations done with matched feet and making smooth foot changes, plus a cross-step line dance!  Pay by the week or for a full month including the waltz party on the 26th.

Tuesdays, February 5th, 12th, 19th ~ Moscow, Russia
Intermediate Cross-Step Waltz: Skater's Variatons (VK post - in Russian)
8:45-10:00pm; practice time 8:15-8:45pm
More complex figures and techniques for shifting between shadow, skater's, hammerlock, and cradle positions.  Pay by the week or for a full month including the waltz party on the 26th.

Thursday, February 7th ~ Moscow, Russia
Open Cross-Step Practice (VK post - in Russian)
7:00-9:00pm
Open dance floor for cross-step practice.  I will DJ and practice with people individually but am not doing any formal teaching.

Thursdays, February 14th, 21st, 28th ~ Moscow, Russia
Late 19th Century Polka Mazurka Variations (VK post - in Russian, second, third)
7:00-9:00pm
Three classes on improvisation in polka mazurka using steps and sequences from American variations of the 1880s.  Emphasis on musicality.  Steps work with polka-mazurka, redowa, and mazurka music.

Saturday-Sunday, February 23rd-24th - Saratov, Russia
Master Classes in XIX and XX Century Dance (VK community - in Russian)
Weekend of classes in the dances of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century; emphasis on couple dance improvisation.  Topic include: late nineteenth century waltz, polka, and polka-mazurka variations; 1840s polka figures and the Orientale; 1910s tango and foxtrot; and American-style called quadrilles (both dancing and calling).

Tuesday, February 26th ~ Moscow, Russia
Mardi Gras Waltz Party (VK event - in Russian)
7:00-10:00pm.  Waltz, waltz, and more waltz!  Light refreshments.  Purple/green/gold clothing and masks encouraged (but not required)!

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I am available for private lessons in Moscow, 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: February 1-21, 25-28

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January 2019 Gig Calendar

Happy new year!  January is going to be a quiet month for me.  I'm going to DJ blues in Russia for the first time at a swing dance camp, which I'm really looking forward to, and restart my regular waltz and historical dance classes and parties at some point (edited 1/27/19 to add) with a waltz evening at the end of the month before beginning regular classes in February.  Most of my time after the holidays (through January 8th in Russia!) is going to be spent on some research projects and pulling together a bunch of material for my February weekend in Saratov.

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Friday/Saturday, January 4th/5th ~ Moscow, Russia area
Moscow Christmas Swing Dance Camp (January 3rd-8th)
Five-day camp covering Lindy, Balboa, blues, and more.  I will be DJing a blues set or two late (after 1:00am) the night of the 4th -- technically, in the very early hours of the 5th.

Tuesday, January 29th ~ Moscow, Russia
Winter Waltz Party (VK Event - in Russian)
7:00-10:00pm.  Waltz, waltz, and more waltz.  Light refreshments.

Thursday, January 31st ~ Moscow, Russia
Private class

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I am available for private lessons in Moscow, 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: January 6-31

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Coming in February: a weekend of nineteenth and early twentieth century dance in Saratov!