Don't forget to sign up for the Jane Austen Ball! Deadline for registration is April 15. KCEnglishDance is NOT HOSTING this, so you need to register with JASNAKC to attend... Leah, from JASNA, is my friend and our party planner for the evening.
All are welcome! I am teaching, Rebecca and Greg are our musicians. Leah is our hostess. JASNA will be providing refreshments for our mid-dance break. IF YOU ARE NEW and need to be walked through basic concepts/structure/steps, I will start teaching a basic beginner session at 6pm sharp. I tend to be fairly quick. Arrive 20 minutes late and you will have missed the beginner lesson and we'll be working on learning our first dance. Shoes... I advise against wearing heels. Imagine going for a 3 hour hike in the shoes you choose... we'll be dancing about that amount of time, and while most of what we are doing is walking, we are walking with purpose. Shoes that are likely to flop about or will give you blisters would be unwise. It's not uncommon for me to wear tennis shoes, even under a ball gown. Length of dress should hit right around the top of your foot. Longer than that and you are likely to be spending the evening stepping on that hem. Test your hem length by taking a big step back with a bit of bend in your knees. Attire is "dressy". Modern dressy will be just fine. The recent popularity of the Bridgerton series HAS had positive effects on being able to find Regency attire, now. Search on Amazon or google for Regency Dress or Bridgerton costume. There are even some options! Additional possible ideas on fudging clothes or making/having made something for the next ball, but this post is a decade old and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the links no longer work or something's no longer relevant: https://kcenglishdance.weebly.com/blog/costume-ideas View email online: https://mailchi.mp/baa08fe27743/kc-english-dance-updates
Subscribe to the email list: http://eepurl.com/cbI-XD Dear Dancers, I figured I should give you an update, as I would normally be sending you the final reminder notice about our June dance around now. Our dances are, unsurprisingly, still on hold (the joys of covid's effects on social dance). When I checked in with Immanuel to cancel our June dance, they informed me that, based on our city's current statistics, they're nowhere near ready to open up yet. In the meanwhile, check out CDSS.org, our national organization, for online events, some of which are for English Country Dance. I have tried and recommend the following:
Inspired by a silly video I saw of people dancing something ridiculously basic (and definitely not ECD) with each other from opposite sides of a street, I have been mulling over the idea of an outside dance where we only dance with corners (I'm hoping to eliminate partners and neighbors to make social distancing more feasible), with masks, and without touching. I'm a ways from figuring out the details (I currently only have one dance in mind that should actually work under these restrictions, and I have absolutely no idea where we would meet to dance outside that would give us the space we need, no tripping hazards, and no need to duck cars or people). If anyone has ideas (especially about location) or is interested in helping discuss logistics, let me know and we can arrange a zoom gathering to brainstorm actually make this happen somewhere at some point... As always, should you be aware of online dance opportunities (of any sort) that might be of interest, please loop us in on our Facebook group or send me a note and I'll get links up on our website. The more ideas to keep us moving, the better. Missing seeing all of you on the dance floor, Martine FYI... Day of workshops up in Omaha on April 25. Registration deadline: March 15. If you can't see the above scribd document, you can download the brochure below.
The ordinary dances don't get photographed as often as the balls do (everyone always wants to take photos when they're all dressed up), but Katie took an ordinary dance photo last night. :)
I am tired of not having a list of times and locations for English Dance weekends (on the off-chance that I should feel available some weekend), so I decided I'd create a list. If you see dances I missed, let me know.
Mar 2nd Weekend Spring Dancefest (Durham, NC) Mar 2nd Weekend Set for Spring (rotates b/w Austin, Dallas, Houston, and OKC) Mar Final weekend Playford Ball weekend (Nashville, TN) Apr 1st weekend Spring Maggot (Pittsburg, PA) April Final Weekend John C Campbell School’s weekend EOM April Cascadia (Seattle, WA) Labor Day weekend High Tea (St Louis, MO) Sept Final Weekend Fandango (Atlanta, GA) Oct 2nd Weekend Fall Maggot (Pittsburg, PA) Oct 3rd Weekend Harvest Moon (Chicago, IL) Oct 3rd Weekend Sharpes Assembly (Sebring, FL) Oct 3rd Weekend Fall Frolick (Santa Cruz, CA) Oct 4th weekend Columbus ECD weekend (Columbus, OH) Oct EOM/Nov BOM Fairfield’s Adv dance weekend (Fairfield, IA) This facebook event page should be open to anyone to view, and a couple of us have been sharing our photos: https://www.facebook.com/events/438795422948180/ We had our mandatory "pretty dresses" pictures: A few of the gentlemen were also enticed to pose for the camera (mostly those who had come in costume):
Most people don't have a Regency gown stashed away in the closet, ready to pull out for the next ball. That is FINE. All you need is something fancy (modern is fine) to attend the ball.
However, if have the desire to make one, the following are what I see available at the moment (the first four can be bought at any local Joann's or Hancock Fabric store):
If you're looking at your calendar, make sure to put these dates on it. VERY important dates. :) Time and place for the annual Jane Austen ball have been settled! Everyone familiar with Immanuel Lutheran? ;) Beginner lessons 6:30-7, the dance is 7-10. But even if you're not a beginner, think about arriving around 6:30 anyways, because everyone will want to set their stuff down and chat and take pictures of all the fancy clothes. Regency attire is NOT REQUIRED (we don't expect everyone to have Regency gowns stashed away in their closets)... just wear something elegant. :) Oh, previous experience is also not required. The national organization is sending absolutely awesome instructors to LAWRENCE! This means we don't have to travel for hours and hours to get the most renowned teachers and musicians in the business! I am so EXCITED! Make sure you have a few different pairs of super-comfy shoes, because you do NOT want blisters to drag you down. :)
The English Dance events relevant to us should be scheduled on the weekend: Nov 20-22nd. I believe the 17-19th is reserved for children in schools. If you want your child's school to be a part of this, contact Jill Allen of the Lawrence English Dance group and submit your plea. :) I am so thrilled that I managed to talk Martha Edwards (violinist from St Louis) into joining our own Rebecca Bell (our own pianist). Martha plays with so much personality that it's a delight to hear her play, and Rebecca is, as always, amazing on the piano. An absolute pleasure to dance to the music.
Minor mishaps and glitches throughout the evening did keep us on our toes... Things certainly didn't flow as seamlessly as they did in April. Regardless, it was a lovely evening, and I hope everyone had fun. Keep in mind the Jane Austen ball in November... we can have a sewing party in July for the people who need encouragement to work on making something to wear. I've made a number of gowns and will share what knowledge I have, and we have a talented seamstress who is ready and willing to donate time, energy, and her machine to the effort. You don't need to know how to sew going into this... just bring the materials you'll need to bring and join us on July 12th! Next dance is August 1st. I look forward to seeing you then! |
KC
|