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Our SUMMER COURSE 2024 - Beguiling Baroque is planned for Wednesday 3 January to Friday 5 January, 9.15am to 3.45pm, in North Sydney. Summer Brochure & Enrolment Form are now available to peruse & download.

An Invitation to a Ball to Celebrate the Spring
(which seems to have been somersaulting into Summer)
Date Thurs 16 November 2023 (=Term 4 Week #6)
Time 6.15 for 6.30pm—9.30pm
Place 181 Blues Point Rd, North Sydney (Class venue)
Entry Free for currently enrolled students
$10 for visitors/friends (See Invitation for payment options)
Wear Spring colours, costume if desired, dance shoes
essential, but try to avoid high heels or trailing skirts
Bring Finger food (ready to eat) or
non-alcoholic drink (cups, plates &c provided)
RSVP: 11 November, 2023 SMS 0400 104 969
E enquiries@earlydanceconsort.com.au

* The illustration is from a 1599 treatise on dance & gymnastics

CLASS UPDATE - Evening Classes resume for Term 4 at 6.15pm on October 12, at 181 Blues Point Road, North Sydney. The term will run for 10 weeks until 14 December, when we will have a little Christmas-End-of-Year gathering. Week 6 of the term, November 16, will be our Spring Ball - the first such event for 4 years since COVID. We have missed seeing so many EDC friends in that time, so we hope that you'll be able to make it.

Please let us know if you'd like to come along to Classes, and/or to the Ball.
See Classes for general information, and Schedule for more details about location, dates (including for 2024 classes), times etc., 2023 Class Brochure PDF is indicative, with 2024 brochure in preparation.

Term 3 - Evening Classes resumed for Term 3 at 6.15pm on July 20, in North Sydney. The term ran until 21 September, but was only 9 classes, with no class on August 3 due to a performance engagement.
Beginners welcome - no experience or partner needed. Drop us a line if you'd like to come along. See Classes for general information, and Schedule for more details about location, dates, times etc.
2023 Class Brochure PDF

Term 2 - with apologies - our evening class on May 4 was cancelled due to COVID. Classes resumed on May 11.

After a successful Term 1, and - we hope - a relaxing time over Easter, our Term 2 Evening Classes will resume on Thursday 27 April, at 6.15pm, 181 Blues Point Road, North Sydney. The term will run for 10 weeks, until 29 June. Please let us know if you'd like to come along. See Classes for general information, and Class Schedule for more details about location, dates, times etc.
2023 Class Brochure

(For those planning Term 3, please note that there will be no class on Thursday August 3.)

Evening Classes recommenced for 2023 at 6.15pm on February 2, in North Sydney. The term ran for 10 weeks, until 6 April. See Classes for general information, and Class Schedule for more details about location, dates, times etc. 2023 Class Brochure

Our Summer Course 2023 "Back to baroque" was held in North Sydney January 4-6. Thanks to all those wonderful devotees of early music and dance who came from far and wide to share their talent and enthusiasm, and learn some elegant and energetic dances from early 18th century France and England.

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Our 2023 Summer Course in Early Dance will be held in North Sydney Wednesday 4-Friday 6 January. The Theme is "Back to baroque". Follow link for more details.

Postscript

Thanks to all those wonderful devotees of early music and dance who came from far and wide to share their talent and enthusiasm, and learn some elegant and energetic dances from early 18th century France and England.

Brochure & Enrolment form

Term 4 Evening Classes begin at 6.15pm on Thursday 13 October, and will run for 10 weeks in North Sydney to 15 December.
Please see Class Schedule and 2022 Class Brochure for information.
We have been continuing with a revised COVID-19 Safety Plan to permit some proximity and contact while wearing masks. However, for Term 4 we would like to make mask-wearing optional, if students are happy with this. We encourage everyone to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and take advantage of the latest boosters. Numbers will continue to be restricted and hand hygiene, ventilation and cleaning will continue as before.
If you are interested in coming along to the classes, please email your details and let us know that you'd like to attend. We advise you to bring your own water and snacks, and to wear warm clothing in layers to keep warm as we maintain open windows for ventilation. As ever, if you are at all unwell, or have been exposed to any recent close contact or other risks, do get a COVID-19 test and stay home, following all NSW Health guidelines.

With Timbrell and Dance

Update: See https://consort8.org/videos/ for video excerpts of the Renaissance dances.

A concert to celebrate the Sesquicentenary of St Paul’s Anglican Church Burwood

Members of the EDC will once again join Consort 8 in a concert of early music and dance as part of the Sesquicentenary celebrations for the beautiful St Paul's Anglican Church in Burwood.
With Timbrell and Dance - 6.00pm Saturday 13 August 2022
at St Paul's Anglican Church, 205-207 Burwood Rd, Burwood.
Please see https://consort8.org/concerts/ or download flyer for important information about the performance, tickets & transport. Bookings. PDF Flyer

Term 3 Evening Classes in Court Dance began at 6.15pm on Thursday 21 July, and ran for 10 weeks in North Sydney to 22 September.
Please see Class Schedule and 2022 Class Brochure for information.
We continued with a revised COVID-19 Safety Plan to permit some proximity and contact while wearing masks, but required everyone in attendance - teachers, students and any visitors - to show that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (unless having a valid medical excuse). Numbers were restricted, and masks were to be worn indoors including during the class. Hand hygiene, ventilation and cleaning requirements continued as before.
If you are interested in coming along to the classes, please email your details and let us know that you'd like to attend. We advise you to bring your own water and snacks, and to wear warm clothing in layers as we maintain open windows for ventilation. As ever, if you are at all unwell, or have been exposed to any recent close contact or other risks, do get a COVID-19 test and stay home, following all NSW Health guidelines.

Our friends from Consort 8 presented In the Stillness of Time on Saturday 30 April, 6pm, at St Paul's Anglican Church in Burwood, featuring music of Ahle, Caldini, Campion, Cavendish, Dowland, Kogler, Lane, Ravenscroft, Sieg and Tunder. Details https://consort8.org/concerts.

Evening Classes 2022 Term 2 commenced at 6.15pm on Thursday 28 April, and ran in North Sydney on 10 Thursday evenings to 30 June.

2022 Evening Classes Term 1 commenced on Thursday 3rd February at 181 Blues Point Road, North Sydney. We managed to get through the whole term, returning to the former extended schedule, observing the necessary precautions.

PLEASE NOTE for the safety of all, CLASSES will resume in 2022 under a COVID-19 Safety Plan
and subject to NSW Government Health regulation.

See Schedule for the full details. 2022 Class Brochure

Summer Course 5 - 7 January 2022
A special Baroque edition....
With sincere apologies for the late notice due to COVID-19 uncertainties, yes, we have decided to plan and hope to hold a Summer Course - Wednesday 5 to Friday 7 January, between 9am and 4pm each day, at 181 Blues Point Road, North Sydney. See Summer 2022 for details. Brochure Enrolment Form

Please let us know if you are interested in attending the course, which will focus on the technique and select repertoire of the Baroque dance. La Belle Danse - the beautiful dance - evolved at the court of Louis XIV of France, and had a major influence on the development of what we now know as classical ballet, and on the European musical repertoire from the late 17th century through much of the 18th.

For the safety of all participants, we will be conducting the course under a COVID-19 Safety Plan, with double vaccination, check-in, limited numbers, masks (optional during exercise) and distancing and hygiene requirements. Baroque dance is well-suited to these needs, with limited or no partner contact, and a variety of steps and figures to suit solo or couple performance. Learning something of the precise technique of the different dance types in the Baroque repertoire can be a revelation to musicians. It can provide insights for dancers and actors into the cultural origins of classical ballet and ballroom dance, and into courtly deportment for the stage.

Footnote to the 2022 Summer Course - yes, it really happened, and we were delighted to welcome a wonderful group of students from near and far, for three days of intensive Baroque dance. Thank you all!

With Timbrell and Dance - Concert postponed
Members of the Early Dance Consort will (sometime) be appearing in another concert with Consort 8. Originally scheduled for 6.00pm on Saturday 7 August, at St Paul's Anglican Church in Burwood, the concert is postponed due to the current Greater Sydney COVID-19 lockdown, with a date yet to be announced. It will be part of celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of the Church. See https://consort8.org/concerts/ for more information.

PLEASE NOTE:
CLASSES will recommence for part of Term 4, 2021 under a COVID-19 Safety Plan
and subject to NSW Government Health regulations

2021 Evening Classes - term 4 planned to commence, but late

Please see Class Schedule for the 2021 Class Program in North Sydney.
We hope to begin Term 4 on October 28 (2 weeks later than scheduled), with a new COVID-19 Safety Plan. Everyone in attendance (16 years and over) - teachers, students and any visitors - will be required to show that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (unless having a valid medical excuse). We will need to restrict numbers, wear masks indoors including during the class, and use QR check-in, observe physical distancing, hand hygiene, ventilation and cleaning requirements.

Recent students have been contacted by email to advise of resumption of classes, and we welcome any one else who may be interested in attending. However it is essential that you let us know if you'd like to attend, as we need to limit numbers, ensure vaccination status, and record contact details for COVID-19 tracing and our administrative purposes. Everyone will now be familiar with the Service NSW smartphone app required to scan our QR code, check in and out of classes, and to provide proof of vaccination. Please wear a mask, and bring your own water and snacks. If you are at all unwell, or have been exposed to any recent contact, hotspot or travel risks, do get a COVID-19 test and stay home, following all NSW Health guidelines.

See Classes for more info & Schedule for dates & details. PDF Brochure .

2021 has been an interesting year for classes, as we lost Term 3 in the limbo of lockdown. Term 4 is under way and will continue until 16 December. We have been operating under a new COVID-19 Safety Plan, with various health requirements including masks, QR check-in, vaccination, distancing and other hygiene measures.

2021 Summer Course 6 to 8 January CANCELLED as of 31 December 2020

Sadly, the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney in December led to our decision to cancel the course out of concern for the health of all involved. A sincere thank you to everyone who was planning to come, from near and far. We missed seeing you all at what was to have been our 12th Summer Course, and hope to meet up again before too long.

See History for more ....

THE EARLY DANCE CONSORT ~ Renaissance & Baroque Dance

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