I guess, for the record (now that there's somebody here besides just me and

Guillaume), I ought to introduce myself.



Hi.  I'm Arwen, and I like to dance.



I was just trying to remember how long I've been dancing in the SCA.  My

first event was in June, 1983; I think I went to my first Caer Galen dance

practice in August of that year.  (See, this cute cavalier guy that I met at

my first event invited me to go to dance practice with him, and he asked so

nicely, how could I possibly refuse ...)



Over the next couple of years, I learned all the dances I could from anyone

who would teach me (Mistress Richenda, Mistress Kate ...).  And somewhere

along the way, I started to teach others what I had learned.  Guillaume

(a.k.a. "the cute cavalier guy") and I even sort of unofficially took over

Caer Galen practice for a while.  I tried (semi-successfully) to get a dance

practice going in what is now Unser Hafen, too.  I danced and taught people

to dance at events all over what is now the Northern Outlands, from

Aarquelle to Winddragon (now Windkeep).  And when Guillaume married me and

took me away to the East, I tried my best to carry on with dancing there.



Now, I just have to look back and wonder where I ever got the guts to do it.

For a long time, I had no written dance sources whatsoever, just the oral

instructions that had been passed on to me by my teachers.  I'd made a copy

of Mistress Richenda's tape, and believe me, it has been well used!  And I

had only a vague idea of which dances were period and which ones were not.



Eventually, of course, I began accumulating a few dance books, and some

additional tapes.  And I got to go to a Carolingian dance practice once, and

learned some dances from Baron Patri.  I also remember that he came up and

taught dancing at one of our events.  That was cool.



When we moved back to the Outlands, we went to dance practices in Caer Galen

and Unser Hafen (while I was gone, their practice had really taken off) as

often as our work schedules allowed, but it wasn't until fairly recently --

the last two or three years -- that we've been trying to get a regular

practice going in Caerthe, with the help of THL Wyndylyn.



I started this list because I want to see more period dancing done at

events, and I want to try to figure out ways to make that happen.  Any

suggestions anyone has will be most welcome.



Arwen Southernwood

Hi.  My name is Berengaria.  I like to dance.  I started dancing...well,

when I was about four, there are a whole bunch of embarrassing photos of

me after I saw my first ballet and struck "ballet poses" every time

someone wanted to take a picture of me.



Formal lessons soon followed.  I took ballet, modern and square dance.

Later various polyglot folk, Tahitian and jazz.  I was slow to catch on

to dancing in the SCA precisely because so much of it did not even *look*

right for the period at first.



I started studying, slowly and unsurely at first, some sources; and not

all of those were primary.  It was hard to get primary sources in Oertha,

which is when I started to get interested.



I really got into studying and practicing period dance living int he

central West, where I had the opportunity to attend several practices

a week.  I have a Pied d'Argent and a Silver Rondel (from Lochac) which

have various requirements for performing dance but no real requirements

for teaching, etc.  I also discovered the joys of Victorian ballroom

and Regency.



I haven't done much dance lately just due to a busy schedule.



Berengaria

-----Original Message-----

From: JEANNE STAPLETON <jstaplet@...>



Hi.  My name is Berengaria.  I like to dance.  I started dancing...well,

when I was about four, there are a whole bunch of embarrassing photos of

me after I saw my first ballet and struck "ballet poses" every time

someone wanted to take a picture of me.

<<<



Mom enrolled me in ballet lessons for 2-3 years, in hopes it would make me

more graceful (I was klutzy even as a kid).  I think she finally gave up

when she saw it wasn't really helping any.



Later, when my folks took up square dancing, they tried to get me involved,

but when you're 16, lack of a regular partner is just too embarrassing to

put up with on a regular basis ...



<<<

I started studying, slowly and unsurely at first, some sources; and not

all of those were primary.  It was hard to get primary sources in Oertha,

which is when I started to get interested.

<<<



Which reminds me of another thing I wanted to do, (though I don't have time

today), which is to make a list of readily-available sources.  A couple of

things are out on the web, and I had reasonably good luck with interlibrary

loan.  And a couple of things (like Arbeau and Caroso) are currently in

print from Dover Books.



I'll see if I can get that done and get it posted in the next few days ...



I have a fairly substantial library now, but it's taken many years, a lot of

searching, and a little just-plain-dumb-luck (found a copy of deLauze--early

1600's French-- for $.50 on the "miscellaneous" table at the Denver Botanic

Gardens used book sale a couple of years ago).  And there are some things I

would still very much like to find.



>>>

I really got into studying and practicing period dance living int he

central West, where I had the opportunity to attend several practices

a week.

<<<



<whimper>  Several practices a week!  <whimper>  I'm lucky to get to one,

and that's mostly because I run it!



>>>

I haven't done much dance lately just due to a busy schedule.

<<<



Come dance with us, then.  I'll try to remember to remind you every

Thursday.



Arwen