2022 Summer Course in Early Dance
EDC Home | Summer 2022 | Details | Brochure | Enrolment
2022 Summer
Course in Early Dance - Going for Baroque!
January 5-7 (Wednesday to Friday)
in North Sydney
If our 2022 Summer Course in Early Dance happens, it will be our second attempt at a twelfth course, after COVID-19 lockdowns obliged us to cancel for January 2021. It will begin on Twelfth Night (or its eve), meaning the Twelfth Night of Christmas. This marked the beginning of a festive season, leading up to Mardi Gras and then Lent. Masquerades, balls, operas, plays, and concerts distracted those who could afford entertainment from the gloom of Northern winters. Louis XIV even decreed that dancing was a valuable indoor winter exercise to keep men fit and ready for fighting during the warmer months.
We will focus on Baroque dance, which is well-suited to the constraints of COVID-19 health requirements. Distancing works as there are mostly couple dances (with little or no contact) plus solos (whereas dances of earlier eras tend to need sets or ensembles).
Baroque dance is precise, graceful and quite technical, being the precursor to classical ballet. This course presents an opportunity to develop baroque dance technique, steps and style, and to feel and understand its distinctive rhythms and accents through physical practice.
Course details (see also Brochure)
Morning A sessions will introduce the basics of Baroque dance style: the deportment and movements which distinguish it from other styles, its precise steps and the way they fit the rhythms of different dances—from Bourrée and Gavotte to Minuet, Sarabande and Gigue.
Morning B sessions will focus on original choreographies, working on steps, sequences and figures, building towards one or more complete dances, including a ballroom Minuet.
Afternoon C sessions will extend B to more complex steps, subtleties of hand and arm movements, to further an appreciation of the precision and delicacy of the Belle Danse. Plus exploration of the dance notation known as chorégraphie, which is key to discovering the treasures of this unique dance repertoire.
For greatest benefit, participants are urged to begin on Wednesday
and choose between:-
* full course (9 sessions over the 3 days) or
* Wednesday only (3 sessions) or
* Mornings A only, or A + B, on 1, 2, or 3 consecutive days beginning on
Wednesday
Requirements: No previous dance experience required, nor do you need to bring a partner.
COVID-19: Please be prepared. For the safety of all involved, the Summer Course will run under the EDC's COVID-19 Safety Plan. Proof of full vaccination, QR code check-in using Service NSW app on smartphone, health status and risk check, distancing, hand hygiene and mask rules will apply. See https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/covid-safe-check-customers-faqs for information about checking in. For those without a smartphone, or the NSW app, we can check you in using a concierge form, which asks for name and contact phone number, and registers time of entry to the venue. See https://apply.service.nsw.gov.au/covid-checkin-card/ for how to obtain and print a check-in card to expedite the data entry process and also preserve privacy when entering other commercial venues which may require check-in.
Venue 181 Blues Point Road, North Sydney. From North Sydney Train/Bus Station: turn left on Blue Street, 1st left into Blues Point Road. A Short walk south down hill to Hall on left-hand-side just before Lavender Street. Google Map
What to wear
Light comfortable clothes, and secure shoes without rubber soles.
Flat, light shoes for warm-ups (e.g. ballet flats, jiffies).
Low-heeled shoes (1-4cm) for Baroque dance (e.g. Grecian sandals, or
Jazz shoes for both)
See What to wear for classes for
more information.
To eat & drink
Light refreshments will be provided for morning tea.
Bring water to drink, and pack/buy lunch if staying for the day.
Enrolment
Please complete
enrolment form
and return by email/post. Prior booking is essential.
Preferred payment is by direct deposit (bank details on enrolment form).
Otherwise cheque or exact cash in envelope.
Early-bird rates available until December 20.
Do get in touch by phone or email if you have any questions, and you
can't find the answers here.
EDC Home |
Summer 2022 |
Details
|
Brochure |
Enrolment