Tag: French

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2025 Summer Course in Early Dance

beautiful & … bizarre baroque

Wednesday 8 to Friday 10 January, 2025
in North Sydney

An invitation to our 15th Summer Course in Early Dance.
The Baroque era of the late 17th & early 18th century is our focus again, as we explore both the beautiful and bizarre.
Noble dance technique was common to both ballroom and stage. It could be elegant and charming, flattering the noble dancer with grace and apparent ease. On stage it could also be majestic, dramatic or comic, as the occasion demanded, and as records show.
Why learn baroque dance?
18th-Century dance notation provides a rare window into some favourite choreographies of the era, for the ballroom, and for the theatre. They allow the possibility of embodying the experience of the courtier: the posture, gesture & dance forms forgotten over the centuries. This is invaluable physical insight for musicians, actors, dancers & historians: into musical rhythms and forms, into manners, deportment, gesture, performance & aesthetics.
The Summer Course provides an opportunity to develop an appreciation of this distinctive dance heritage.
Over three days, students will learn movements, steps & sequences in preparation for excerpts & whole dances in different rhythms. Fundamental technique will be introduced for newcomers, while experienced students will refine technique & style, and build repertoire.

No previous dance experience required. No need to bring a partner.
Go to https://earlydanceconsort.com.au/EDC_Archives/EDC-2025/Summer-2025.htm

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Summer Course 2019

In 2019 we celebrate our 10th Summer
Course, first held in 2010. New and returning
students are invited to explore and enjoy a
selection of dances from the Renaissance,
Baroque, and 18th Century eras, in all their
elegance and vigour. They can tell us much
about society, fashion, and music of the past, and provide a context for more recent dance forms, all part of the universal human desire to express joy through music and movement.

The course runs from Wednesday 9th to Friday 11th January, between 9.15am and 3.45pm each day. The venue is 181 Blues Point Road, North Sydney (close to trains and buses at North Sydney Station).

For more information see Summer 2019 or download a PDF brochure and enrolment form.

  • Please note that there is an early-bird enrolment period ending on Friday 21st December, so don’t miss out. 
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Baroque Dance Music CD “Les Matelots”

This Baroque Dance Music CD by the Leipzig-based ensemble Les
Matelots is a crowd-sourced project on https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cd-les-matelots#home
It will run only until April 30, 2014. They write:

After years of performing early music with connections to period dance we decided as ensemble Les Matelots to produce CD of French and English Baroque-dance music. Our goal is not just to please the listener’s ears, but to bring you music which fits the dance perfectly.
We chose a colourful collection of 18 dances and contredanses and made our own arrangements… and we have invited other musicians to participate. You will find up to 10 instruments playing on our CD.
As you can imagine, such a project wouldn’t be possible without support. Therefore we have started a crowd funding campaign, in which you can support us financially or pre-order our CD.
It would be very helpful for us, if you could pass the message on to friends and colleagues possibly interested in our project. In summer 2014 you get a CD,  which hopefully pleases every dancer and lover of Baroque music as a reward.

For more info including track-list see http://www.lesmatelots.com/cd-english.html
YouTube clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzg4dpsQOng

So please consider supporting  this with a contribution towards a rarity – a new CD of music specifically for baroque dance choreographies and contredanses. And there is a bit of an Australian connection here, as harpsichordist Chris Berenson used to play for the ensemble for a while.

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Summer Course 2014

Advance notice that the Early Dance Consort’s 2014 Summer Course in Renaissance & Baroque Dance will be held in North Sydney from Wednesday 8 January to Friday 10 January, 2014, with a Summer Bal à la Française on the evening of the Friday 10 January, 6.30pm – 9.30pm. And yes, the theme is all French!