The annual Across the Lake 2012 event put on by the Burlington English Country Dancers is already sold out this weekend for Dancers – but you are welcome and encouraged to join in the festivities as a Spectator, certainly more fun for those with two left feet or perhaps too shy to display an ankle to the masses! So here are the details:
Spectators are welcome to the dance sessions at the Across the Lake English Country Dance Weekend, held at the Elley-Long Music Center, 223 Ethan Allen Avenue, Colchester, VT.
Friday Night, June 8 – Welcome Dance — casual dress, 8pm to 11pm
Saturday Afternoon, June 9 – Challenging Dance Workshop in the Big Hall 1:30pm to 4:30pm
Saturday Night, June 9 – Gala Dance 8pm to 11pm — dancers are requested to wear period (typically Regency) or formal/dressy attire
The Spectator price is $10 per session — and includes the refreshments served during that session. The live music is by Bare Necessities and promises to be incredible.
Details about the Across the Lake Weekend (filled/sold out for dancers): www.burlingtoncountrydancers.org
Info about the band, Bare Necessities: http://homepages.sover.net/~marylea/bnhome.htm
Join in the fun, even if you must only stand on the sidelines – who knows, you might find yourself in a state not unlike Harriet Smith, and a Mr. Knightley might offer you his hand for a dance or two!
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Also mark your calendars for the BCD instruction series scheduled this summer at the Richmond Library: take part, learn a few steps, and next year you can advance from Spectator to Dancer, happily abandoning those left feet and ankle shyness to the sidelines…
English Country Dance
Move to joyful music in a relaxed, beginner-friendly atmosphere
Richmond Free Library
201 Bridge Street, Richmond, VT
6 Tuesday Nights in 2012: July 10, 17, 24, 31 & August 7, 14
7:00 pm to 9:30pm
More information here: ECD class in richmond summer 2012
[from Val and Tom Medve, for the Burlington Country Dancers]
Jane Austen in Vermont 
Is there a date error here? It’s listed as Wednesday nights, but the dates you’ve got down are all Tuesdays.
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Excellent eye litlfrog! – I have contacted Val to get the correct dates and will change this – every organizer’s nightmare!
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I have heard back from Val – Corrections has been made – the classes are all on Tuesday, not Wednesday – thank you again for catching this!
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Deb, in that top picture they almost look as though they are floating. Full of energy and light footed too.
Dancing is not my thing. Now, standing in a mosh pit doing some head banging to The Who or Led Zeppelin playing live in front of me, that’s my sort of thing OR WAS!!!!( a long time ago) Need to grow my hair again.Ha! Ha!
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Yes, ECD looks like one is floating, at least if one does it right – Jane as we know was a very good dancer – do not think the mosh-pit idea is a good one amidst the ECD crowd! but when everyone is swinging and turning it can get quite mosh-pit-like – at least if there are too many Mr. Collinses about!
I think you should try your hand at it Tony – are there many regency dance groups to choose from? do you think Marilyn could get into this aspect of Jane Austen’s life? – or how about Abigail? – you are 60 now after all – time to slow down and forget the mosh-pit head-banging bit!
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Yes, 60! maybe you are right, Deb. maybe head banging is no longer my thing. However I’m still pretty good with the air guitar. Pete Townsend has nothing on me Ha!Ha!
I could do air violin or even air harpsichord at one of your dances I suppose!!!!!
As for country dancing over here. Yes, most country villages still have their country dancing events. And I presume all the Jane Austen groups over here will do18th century dancing.
I am not a member of any JA societies over here. I used to be a member of JASA for a couple of years and know all the people concerned with that. Met a few too in London. But Sydney is rather a long way to go for weekly or monthly meetings. I used to have articles published in their Chronicle but that only appears twice a year. Their website isn’t for blogging.
I don’t live near any branches of JA over here but if I did I would probably join up.
I must admit I love the freedom of the blogosphere!!!
Tony
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Actually Deb my harping on about head banging in respect to Jane Austen dances is not as ludicrous as you might think. A couple of years ago on a Tv comedy programme there had a Jane Austen spoof. I think it was actually filmed in the Upper Assembly Rooms in Bath. All these sedate Elizabeth Bennetts were floating gracefully around the ballroom with their Mr Darcys when the orchestra replaced their instruments with electric guitars and drum kits and burst into a heavy metal number and indeed the Darcy’s and Elizabeths did partake of some violent head banging.
Well. I thought it was quite funny at the time.. When the music stopped they all reverted to their 18th century alter egos!!!!!!!
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Would there be a video of this anywhere?! – one is tempted to do the same at our next JASNA-Vermont gathering!
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