Event Announcement - Returning Heroes 2012

Every year, my dance troupe, the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers, hosts several balls that are open to the public. Sometimes people come in the most incredible clothing, and sometimes they come in hardly credible clothing. We always require a certain level of dress (in my opinion it really is difficult to get into the elegant spirit of things if everyone around you is wearing shorts or jeans, and sneakers are as useless for dancing as they are ugly), but we are always juggling the issues of accessibility and atmosphere. On the one hand, these events ought to be pretty and special. On the other, I don't want to keep out potential new friends just because they do not have a perfect ballgown hanging in their closet (though I'm happy to have friends like that, too!). As a compromised, we only have one ball a year where period dress is truly required. In my opinion, this makes Returning Heroes one of the most special and amazing experiences possible. And not only is everyone in the hall required to wear appropriate clothing, but all other aspects of the ball (dancing, music, refreshments) are carefully researched and correct. I like to say that Returning Heroes is the closest thing to a mid-nineteenth century ball since the mid-nineteenth century!

This year is even more special, because our favorite historical dance band, Spare Parts, is coming out with a new mid-19th century CD that shares a name with the ball. This year, Returning Heroes will be the launch party for the CD. So you can come hear the fantastic music live in person, and then buy a CD to remember it by.

I hope I have you convinced that this is an un-missable experience. Go empty your schedule for March 10, arrange a ride to Holliston, MA, and make your reservations this very moment. And if your only obstacle is the dress requirement, send me an email so we can try to work something out. You really don't want to miss this exclusive event. As always, more details (and tickets) available at the CVD website: http://www.vintagedancers.org/2012rh.html

Event Announcement - The 1812 Ball

America declares war on England, Napoleon invades Russia, and everyone dances!

It is time! Registration is open! Go register now, or be prepared to miss out on the best ball ever! Seriously, we did this event for the first time last year and almost sold out. It is perfect for anyone who likes the Regency, Federal, or Napoleonic era, plus we get to celebrate the year 1812 in 2012! Get your details and buy your tickets at the website. http://www.vintagedancers.org/2012ball1812.html

The 1812 Ball

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Salem Old Town Hall,

32 Derby Square, Salem, MA

Music by The Ad Hoc Regency Band

Precepting by Antonia Pugliese

Adults $25

Students (with id) $15

Event Announcement - Fezziwig's Ball 2011

Make sure to buy your tickets now... this event could easily sell out like last year, and you don't want to miss it!

You are Cordially Invited to
Fezziwig’s Ball

Saturday, December 10, 2011
7 pm lantern procession, 8 pm Ball
at Salem’s Old Town Hall
32 Derby Square, Salem, MA

Live Music by Spare Parts
Sponsored by
The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers
and
The Institute for Public History
at Gordon College

ADMISSION
Adult $35; Students (with id) $15
  $5 surcharge for Tickets purchased at the door

For all the details, or to make reservations, go to the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers website: http://vintagedancers.org/fezziwig.html

Event Announcement - Scarlet Pimpernel Ball

The Scarlet Pimpernel Ball
Saturday, September 24, 2011, 7:30 pm
First Congregational Church, 11 Garden St., Cambridge, MA
Music by the Ad Hoc Waltz and Quadrille Band.
$25 general / $15 student

They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere – but if they really want to find him, they should be searching in Cambridge at the Scarlet Pimpernel Ball. Join us for a glorious mash-up of regency and ragtime eras, celebrating the French Revolution setting of Baroness Orczy’s early twentieth century novel. Dances will be drawn from both eras, so expect romantic waltzes, bouncy one-steps, and sprightly country dances. Likewise, costumes may range from foppish regency tailcoats to Gatsby-esque suits, from elaborate powdered wigs to sleek bobs, and from ragtime ballgowns to angry peasant clothing. Intrigue, adventure, and dancing! This is a job for the Scarlet Pimpernel!

Register now at http://www.vintagedancers.org/2011pimpernel.html to avoid the $5 at-the-door surcharge!

Event Announcement: Picnic in the Public Gardens 8/13

Come to the Boston Public Gardens this Saturday at 11:30 and have a picnic with me! This is an informal event, so no RSVP or admission is required. Really, I am going to be having a picnic with some friends, and you could be one of them! Bring a sandwich (or buy one - there is a Boloco really close by), or bring cookies to share. Wear your most picturesque picnic outfit - anything 19th or early 20th century would be perfect, but modern clothing is fine if it is pretty. Please no jeans or sneakers. We'll be sitting under some shady tree, probably within sight of the swan pond, so just show up and walk around until you see the people in pretty dresses. There will be stories, treats, nice people to talk to, and perhaps even dancing. I could even bring croquet if there is a demand. See you there!

Event Announcement - La Traviata Ball

Once upon a time, I decided that something was missing. Yes, our balls are beautiful. Yes, we have high standards for historical accuracy. Yes, they are the best and most affordable fairy tale experience available in the area. But I knew something was missing.

Gypsies. In the words of Blackadder, hot dancing gypsies. I was watching a lovely version of La Traviata and got to the party scene where gypsies descend, singing "Noi Siamo Zingarelle." Gypsies know how to party. The took a beautiful, extravagant ball, and made it wild.

So make sure to keep April 30 free! If Returning Heroes had too strict a dress code for you, pull out your best gypsy gear and come visit! Or recycle your 1860s ballgown from the last ball. Or just show up! This ball is going to be spectacular. Hope you are ready for:

La Traviata Ball

Saturday, April 30, 2011
8 to 11 pm

Berlin’s 1870 Town Hall
Berlin, MA

As usual, more details are available at the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers website (here), and questions can be directed to query@vintagedancers.org.

Event Announcements - Returning Heroes Ball

The time has come! The biggest ball of the season! This is the closest you can really get to time traveling - imagine a room full of people, doing dances of the 1860s, with appropriate clothes and refreshments, all in the absolutely lovely setting of the Holliston Town Hall. It does not get better than that. Clear your Saturday, go make a reservation, and I will see you there!

RETURNING
HEROES BALL
an 1860's GRAND BALL

SATURDAY
MARCH 5^th, 2011
dancing is 8 to 11 pm
Ballroom Doors open at 7:30 pm

Free Dance Workshop 3 to 5 pm
at the Holliston Town Hall
703 Washington Street, Holliston, MA

Live Music by The fine Musicians of
Spare Parts
William Matthiessen, Elizabeth Stell
and Frank Orsini

Precepting by Barbara Pugliese

ADMISSION
Adult $30
Students (with id) $15

(There is a $5 surcharge if you do not pre-register, so get to it now!)

Event Announcement - A Trip to the Museum of Fine Arts

This should be really fun. I love going on random outings in fabulous clothing, and this won't have any specific time period, so just grab whatever you have. It is the perfect opportunity to trot out a new outfit never worn before (yeah, stay tuned... I started something a couple of days ago), OR even wear modern cloths. I would love to see my friends or make some new ones, and this should be a particularly welcoming event.Meet us at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, on Sunday, February 27 at 2 pm in the new Art of the Americas wing. From 2-5 we will be strolling, ready to see and be seen, in our historical best. We would love to see you, so dress-up in your favorite historical (or modern!) outfit, and join us! Pre-registration is not necessary. Consider getting a discount on museum admission at your local library.

For more information or answers to your questions phone CVD at (617) 819-4283,
or email query@vintagedancers.org

Event Announcement - Regency Ice Skating Party

Will you be looking for more opportunities to wear your regency outfit after the ball this Saturday? Then keep February 19 free for some fun and ice skating! This is more of a meet-up type event, so you don't need to register with us, just pay admission at the skating rink. Come in your best regency clothes (and a few warm layers too - the rink is outside), or just wear anything and come skating anyway. You can even come if you didn't go to the ball (but I know you want to go to the ball too!). Really, there are no requirements for this event, but I am really excited about it - so show up!

Regency Ice Skating Party
February 19, at 1 pm
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Sponsored by: The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers

Meet us at Kendall Square Community Skating, 300 Athenaeum St (near 3rd St), Cambridge. We will be skating from 1 to 4 pm. The rink has skate rentals and hot drinks, and is reasonably priced. No pre-registration is necessary, so just come join us! For more information or answers to your questions phone CVD at (617) 819-4283, or email Query@vintagedancers.org.

Event Announcment - Dancing with the Dashwoods

All the balls that the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers run are fun and beautiful, but this one is going to be particularly special. First of all, I will be teaching, so I am particularly excited. Second of all, we are working with lovely musicians in a perfect hall (the Salem Old Town Hall was built in 1816!). Also, it is still kind of early, and we already have a lot of registrations. So if you haven't registered, I suggest you get right to it (just in case we run out of space - anyone who went to Fezziwig's ball knows it is possible to hit capacity on this hall). Here are the details, and as always go to vintagedancers.org for more information, or write to query@vintagedancers.org for questions.

You are Cordially Invited
to the

Sense and Sensibility
Bicentennial Ball

Saturday, February 12, 2011
Salem’s Old Town Hall
32 Derby Square, Salem, MA

Workshop 4 to 6 pm
Ball 8 to 11 pm

Live Music by
Jaqueline Schwab and Eden MacAdam-Somer

ADMISSION
General $25
Students (with id) $15
($5 surcharge after Friday February 11)
Please inquire for group rates

The Technocrat's Ball

The Technocrat's Ball is this Saturday, so you only have a few more days to buy your tickets at the advance purchase price!

Admission is just $25, or $15 for students when purchased by January 28 ($5 more at the door), and includes a dance workshop from 3:00-5:00PM on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday, January 29, 2011
Masonic Hall
1950 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA
(opposite Porter Sq. Shopping Area)

Workshop 3-5 pm
Ball 7-10:30 pm

Event Announcement - Fezziwig's Ball (and Les Plaisirs de la Paix)

Go here to buy tickets, and go soon! Last year was really crowded, and you don't want to miss it!

You are Cordially Invited to

Fezziwig’s Ball

Saturday, December 11^th 2010
Salem’s Old Town Hall
32 Derby Square, Salem, MA
Sponsored by
The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers and
The Institute for Public History at Gordon College


ADMISSION
Adult $30
Students (with id) $15


And if you are interested in early music and early dance, I am going to be in the Harvard Early Music Society's opera for the semester. Come see it this weekend!

Les Plaisirs de la Paix
An entertainment of opera and ballet,
featuring music of Charpentier and Lully

December 9-11; 8 PM. New College Theater, 10-12 Holyoke St., Cambridge, MA

The Harvard Early Music Society brings Versailles to life with an evening of entertainment featuring Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Les Arts Florissants (1685) and scenes from Jean-Baptiste Lully's Armide (1686) and Phaëton (1683). This production explores the dilemma of peace -- the line between peace of mind and complacency. As a troupe prepares to present its noble patrons with an evening of entertainment, the reality of life outside the theatre cannot be forgotten. With period instruments and dance, in the New College Theater.

Event Announcement - Black Cat Speakeasy

It's not too late! You can still register for the Black Cat Speakeasy, the coolest dry Speakeasy ever! This Saturday, October 30 in Melrose MA at Corinthian Hall (which is really pretty, by the way), the Commonwealth Vintage dancers will be hosting the Black Cat Speakeasy from 8 to 10 PM. And if you go to the website right now and register, you can avoid the $5 at the door surcharge. So hurry! More information (and a chance to register) here. I hope to see you there!

Event Announcement: 1920s Dress Workshop

What are you doing this Saturday? I know! You're going to go to this very cool dress workshop in preparation for attending the best speakeasy ever (on Oct 30). Just to be clear, this is a dress workshop about dresses that can be made in one hour, but the workshop itself is longer than that (1-4 pm). And it includes tea! Here are the details:
The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers are pleased to present a costume workshop based on Mary Brooks Picken's 1923 classic The One Hour Dress.

This workshop will give you all the information you need to make your very own authentic 1920's style gown, whether you are a beginning or advanced dressmaker. Just in time for Halloween, and perfect to wear to next month's 1920's themed ball, the Black Cat Speakeasy!

Admission is just $15 per person and includes:

• A light tea and brief lecture on fashion in the 1920's
• A live dress making demonstration
• An opportunity to take all the notes and measurements needed to make your own dress at home
  
• Your own copy of the 1923 One Hour Dress booklet, with additional color fashion plates to inspire your creativity

A copy of the booklet alone can cost up to $18 online, making this an unbeatable bargain for a full afternoon of fashion fun at Melrose's beautiful Corinthian Hall.

Where: Corinthian Hall, 253 Franklin St, Melrose, MA, 02176
When: Saturday September 25 from 1-4 PM

To register, go here! And you should, right away!

Event Announcement - Inspiration: Renoir! La Promenade

I am insane. I am doing two back to back dance weeks, directly followed by a performance. Not a day of rest between these three things. On the bright side, I am only doing this because they are all really exciting events. So this post is to announce that I will be at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a Renoir inspired event organized by the lovely Shien Lee of Dances of Vice. The event is on August 6th at 5 PM, and admission is free with museum admission ($12-$16). There are going to be several performances, and I expect to have a super-amazing-exquisite new ballgown done by then (currently about 45% completed...), so if you are in the area it will be very worth seeing. Get more details from the Dances of Vice website here. See you there!

Event Announcement - Nahant Day Victorian Ball on July 17

This is not technically a Commonwealth Vintage Dancers event, but it is organized by one of the members for the benefit of the Nahant Historical Society, so there is a lot of overlap. If you like CVD balls, you will probably like this event just as much. There is also going to be a picnic in Boston, with rides on the Swan Boats, the next day. So go make your reservations! Here are the details, from the Vintage Victorian website, where you can also buy tickets right now (here). See you there!The Nineteenth Annual
NAHANT
VICTORIAN DAY BALL
An 1860’s SUMMER BALL
to Benefit the Nahant Historical Society
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Nahant Town Hall, Nahant, MA
7:00 to 10:30pm
Free Dance Workshop, Saturday July 17th
Nahant Town Hall, 3 to 5pm

with live music by Spare Parts
Bill Matthiessen, Liz Stell and Anne Hooper
and Mr. Ben Bishop, Prompter

Ball Admission:
$30 per person ($15 student) at the door,
Advance Registration Discount:
$25.00 per person, ($10 student)


And here are some details about the picnic the next day:

We are planning something a little bit different for this year’s after-the-ball afternoon event. Please join us for a ride on the Historic Swan Boats in Boston’s Public Garden. The Swan boats, introduced in 1877, are a unique Victorian Summer destination.

We will meet at 1 pm near the Dock to join the next available trip; the boat ride lasts about 15 minutes. After we ride we will stroll in the gardens and find a shady spot under a tree in Boston Common for an informal snack. We ask that you bring your own refreshments. The event will end by approximately 3:30 pm. Please check back here for further updates on pic-nic and promenade plans. In the event of rain or excessive heat the trip will be cancelled, please check here, email or call (see below) for last minute updates.

This event is free. The only charge is for the actual boat ride. Payment will be made individually at the dock. Reservations are not required, but we would like to have and idea of how many people are planning on attending, please let us know if you can come.

Suggested dress for this event is Summer day dress of the Victorian or Edwardian eras or modern Summer wear.

Event Announcement - Returning Heroes Ball

Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Berlin Massachusetts Town Hall

The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers will be holding their annual Returning Heroes Ball. And it is in less than two weeks! You should definitely show up to this most elegant of fairy-tale experiences. It is an 1860s ball, and it is the only ball where we require period dress. So in terms of the time-travel experience, this is probably as good as it gets. There will be gorgeous music by the lovely Spare Parts, delicious refreshments, beautiful people, and of course fantastically fun dancing!
For the serious details, see the CVD website here. In fact, go there this very moment to buy a ticket in advance! Here is a brief rundown of the facts, though:

The event is in the Town Hall of Berlin, MA, on May 29.
The fee is $25 per person ($20 Berlin residents, $15 students) if registered in advance. ($5 additional if tickets purchased at-the-door)
This includes admission to the ball and to a pre-ball workshop. I promise you don't need to know how to dance to learn enough to have a wonderful time. Dances will be taught at the ball.
If you have any questions about the clothing, dancing, etc, you can call Barbara at 781-396-2870 or email query@vintagedancers.org. Unfortunately this event is our most intimidating, but it is also incredibly special. So don't be intimidated! Everyone is really nice, and you shouldn't hesitate to ask questions. We'd love to help, and we'd love to see you there!

Dances of Vice - Swan Lake Masquerade Ball

Good news. I recently heard from the lovely Shien Lee, who runs monthly events in New York. So far I have only managed to get to one of these "Dances of Vice" events, although I keep hoping to go to more of them. On the other hand, the internet is littered with gorgeous pictures of people in stunning clothes at these events, so if you enjoy beautiful and excessive clothing this would certainly be something to check out.

On April 30 Dances of Vice will be hosting a Swan Lake Masquerade Ball, and I am very excited to say that I will be teaching some dancing there. There are some other performers lined up for this event, and they all sound wonderful. And of course, I expect to see some incredible clothing. I know New York is a bit of a trek for me, but if I can manage it, you should consider going too! I look forward to seeing wonderful people there. The website is here, and it is very easy to find the page for this specific event.That weekend is going to be a busy one for me. I have a Steampunk event the next day in Boston (stay tuned for more information soon), and will probably be attending a ball that the Harvard Gilbert and Sullivan group will be having that evening. Oh my! It is good to be busy, though, and I am very excited about all these things. Now, time to sew an outfit for this...

Steampunk Ball!

I have noticed that a lot of my posts lately have been about art. I think this is because art is prettier than organic chemistry midterms, and there hasn't been much else going on in my life lately. But this weekend, all that will change! This Saturday in Harvard Square:
Information is as follows:
Dance Workshop 5-6pm.
Ball begins at 7pm.
Where the Dancing that was meets the technology that was not!
Enchanting Music by Spare Parts.
Registration is $25, or $15 for students. No additional fee for the workshop.

I will be there, and you should be there too!!!