Bal d'Argent

Highlights Intensive dance and music workshops The Bal itself! Arts and Sciences display Supper by the Peerless Kitchen Free dance picnic with heavy and rapier tournaments and Southron Gaard's Spring Quarter Day Court

Bigger, brighter, and whiter than before! Southron Gaard brings you Bal d'Argent, the dance event of Lochac! There will be workshops, dance fanatics, musicians, dazzling decorations, a picnic, a supper prepared by the most esteem'd Peerless Kitchen, and a Bal of tremendous magnificence!

Polish off those dancing skills and bring along your dancing shoes, your instruments, and your teaching prowess!

September 16-17, 2006, hosted by the Barony of Southron Gaard, Christchurch, New Zealand. See booking form below or email Lady Emma of Wolvercote for more information.

The Bal d'Argent is The annual gathering of Lochac's dance Guild of the Silver Rondel.

Schedule:

Dance and music classes: 10am to 4pm, Saturday 16th September. Site: Our City, cnr Oxford Tce and Worcester Blvd (location of the Heritage Week Muster in October 2005). The Guild's AGM will be held during this day. Medieval garb is not required for the classes. See class list below.

Time	Hall	Library
09:45	Warm-up
10:00	C15th "One hard lesson" - Del	Intro to dance band -- Mathilde
11:00	Fedelta - Joanna	(cont'd)
12:00	(no class)	How to teach - Del
1:00	Gavotte - Katharine	Arranging for a dance band - Mathilde;
2:00	C15th improvisation - Del	Il Conto del Orco - Mathilde
3:00	Villanicco - Joanna	Dance band practice - Mathilde
4:00	Hall closed for set up	Rondel/Semibreve testing and AGM

Testing for the Guild of the Silver Rondel: During the day, those wishing to join the Guild by acquiring either a Semibreve (musician) or Silver Rondelle (dancer) will be tested. Please see the Guild website for more information.

Bal d'Argent and supper: 7pm, Saturday 16th September. Site: as above. Theme: silver/white with red and blue trim, in garb. (Garb matching this theme is encouraged, and also eligible for the garb competition. If you cannot manage a preponderance of white garb, aim for red or blue. However, any garb is better than none!). See dance sets and sheet music list below.

Spring Quarter Day Tournament (heavy and rapier), picnic, and dance: 11am, Sunday 17th September. Site: Abberley Park, 55 Abberley Cres, in garb. (Wet weather venue (no tourney): The Hermitage, 74 Augusta St, Redcliffs). Note: attending this part of the event is completely free, and a prior booking is not required if you just wish to attend on the Sunday.

Bookings

Please use this Word Booking Form (64KB) or this PDF (98KB).

Cost:
Classes only: $5 member/$7 non-member
Bal and supper only: $15 member/$17 non-member (children under 12 years, $7)
Combined classes and Bal and supper: $18 member/$20 non-member (children under 12 years: $11)
Spring tournament/dance picnic on Sunday has no charge.

Cheques to be made out to "SCA - Barony of Southron Gaard", see booking form for Internet payment options (NZ only). Bookings and payment to the Steward no later than September 9th please.

Saturday - Workshop Classes

Current outline of classes during Saturday (ungarbed):

• Master Delbert von Strassburg
  • -- Everything You Need To Know About 15th C Dance In Four Easy Lessons Or One Hard One. (Option B: one hard one).
    This class is suitable for beginners, or people who have not done very much 15th C Italian dance before. We will begin by learning a few of the steps and time sequences of 15th C Italian dance, and then put it together in three simple dances -- Petit Vriens, Anello, and Rostiboli Gioioso.
    1 hour. No handouts available but cheat sheets can be downloaded from http://www.sca.org.au/del/ddb/.
  • Improvisation and Maniera in 15th C Italian Dance.
    This class will cover several important stylistic issues in 15th C Italian Dance. We will work on Misura, Maniera, Diversita di Cose, and Compartimento di Terreno as described by Cornazano, figure out what all of that means, and apply it to one or two dances.
    1 hour. No handouts available but cheat sheets can be downloaded from http://www.sca.org.au/del/ddb/.
  • How to teach dance (or anything else for that matter).
    The way in which children learn and respond to teaching is relatively well known and understood. The way in which adults learn is also relatively well known but commonly misunderstood. Come along and learn a bit about learning, and pick up a few tricks of the trade in running a dance class.
    1 hour, no handouts.
• Countess Mathilde Adycote of Mynheniot - Mathilde Adycote is a tin miner's daughter from mid sixteenth century Cornwall. She spent a number of years living and partying in Venice until she was swept off her feet by Stephen Aldred a dashing soldier of fortune. Unfortunately the sweeping included a failed coup at the Doge's palace so they had to move back to Cornwall to help Mathilde's father maintain the passages of his tin mines. Mundanely Katrina Hunt lives in Canberra, Australia where she teaches music to anyone who'll listen.
  • Introduction to setting up a dance band and arranging dance music for the SCA
  • Il Conto Del'Orco - 16th century Italian dance (this is also the piece the music arranging class will be working on)
  • Arranging and playing Il Conto Del'Orco
  • Dance band rehearsal for the Bal
• Katharine von Regensburg -- Katharine joined the SCA in Innilgard, with the College of Blessed Hermann the Cripple, but for some years followed her husband, Ludwig, through distant kingdoms and strange courts, lingering in Trimaris and, later, the Midrealm. They have recently returned to civilised parts, settling in Ildhafn, where they have been made most welcome. Katharine is a dancer, singer, musician and tailor, and finds all these subjects far too encompassingly interesting to settle on a single time or place.
  • Arbeau's Gavottes; or, When a Branle and a Galliard Fall in Love
    An improvised dance from late 16thC France. No experience is needed, just lots of energy and strong ankles. This is not the reconstruction of the Gavotte usually danced in Lochac, so there will be something new to try even if you've been Gavotting for years.
• Lady Joanna of the Beechwoods -- Joanna is a 12th Century Norman-English woman who inexplicably wandered into 16th C Italy and decided she liked it there. A two renaissance woman :). Joanna has been doing renaissance dance, and renaissance and medieval music, for more than 20 years now - a figure that scares her a little and pre-dates her involvement with the SCA by a few years too. Her favourite things in the SCA are music of all kinds and dance - doing them, teaching them and, these days, researching them, but she also enjoys a bit of archery now and then and making stuff, especially the usual sewing, although she hopes to not have to make any more tents. NB: See competition dance music here.
  • Fedelta
    One of a fairly bouncy group of Caroso's (16th C Italian) dances called cascarde. Neither easy nor frightfully hard - in fact, not as hard as Ciara Stella, another cascarda which was one of last year's competition dances. Unusual in that it is a cascarda for more that one couple and it's progressive. A bit of a stamina test if you progress more than a couple of times.
  • Il Villanicco
    A Negri (16th C Italian) dance for two couples in a square. About the same level of difficulty as Fedelta. At one stage it seems like Negri Does English Country :)

Bal d'Argent Dance Sets

Note: ** denotes competition dances, see instruction link below.

Set the first: Bransles and Processionals

Mimed branles: Malte, Lavandieres, Pois, Hermites, Sabots, Chevaulx
L'Official
Earl of Essex
Queens Alman
Lorayne Alman
[Any dances taught that fall into this set]
Jouissance vous donneray/Known Worlde Bassa Danse (individual serif)**
Known Worlde Galliard (individual serif)**

Set the second: English Country Dances

Gathering Peascods
Jenny pluck Pares
New Boe peepe
Hearts ease
Cuckolds all a row
Saints Martins
If all the World were Paper
Merry Milke Mayds
Whirligig
[Any dances taught that fall into this set]

Set the third: The Fifteenth Century

Petit Riense
Belfiore
Colonesse
Anello
Rostiboli Gioioso
Amoroso
Prexonera
[Any dances taught that fall into this set]
Ly Bens Distonys (non-Rondel)

Set the fourth: The Sixteenth Century

Spagnoletta
Gracca Amorosa
Contentezza d'Amore
La Castellana
[Any dances taught that fall into this set]
Fedelta (individual serif)**
Lo Spagnoletto
Il Villanicco (group serif)**

Instructions for all but one of the competition dances may be found at: http://joannaandmurray.homemail.com.au/

Bal - Arts and Sciences Display

Condesa Catalina Orosol is coordinating an A&S display of works-in-progress and/or completed works at the Bal. Documentation is not required for the display, but she won't say no if you've got it!

If you are interested in displaying an item, please email Condesa Catalina as soon as possible, thanks.

Bal - Sheet Music

The following arrangements can be found from http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/del/

Set one:

• Robert Smith -- Malte branle
• David Yardley -- Lavandieres, Pois, Hermites, Sabots, Chevaulx branles
• Russel Almond -- L'Official
• Steven Hendricks -- Earl of Essex
• Robert Smith -- Queens Alman, Lorayne Alman

Set two:

• David Yardley -- Gathering Peascods
• Robert Stockton -- Jenny pluck Pares
• Phaedria -- Hearts ease
• David Yardley -- Cuckolds all a row
• Monica Cellio -- If all the World were Paper
• David Yardley -- Merry Milke Mayds
• David Yardly -- Whirligig

Set three:

• Monica Cellio -- Petit Riense
• Monica Cellio -- Belfiore
• Monica Cellio -- Anello
• Monica Cellio -- Amoroso
• Monica Cellio -- Prexonera

Set four:

• David Yardley -- Spagnoletta
• Katrina Hunt -- Contentezza d'Amore
• Katrina Hunt -- Lo Spagnoletto
• Stephen Hendricks -- Gracca Amorosa

The following arrangements can be found from http://joannaandmurray.homemail.com.au/

• Jouissance vous donneray/Known Worlde Bassa Danse
• Known Worlde Galliard
• Ly Bens Distonys
• Fedelta
• Il Villanicco

Others can be found at the links below:

• Rostiboli Gioioso can be found in this Noteworthy file
• Colonesse
• New Boe Peepe
• Saints Martins
• La Castellana (Noteworthy)

Sunday: Heavy Tournament

Spring is here, and what better way to celebrate than a tournament! So please come one and all to demonstrate and witness the martial prowess of Southron Gaard's fighters on display.

In order to promote chivalry, courtesy, and gallantry upon the field, the winner of this tournament will be chosen not by their martial prowess, but by the acclaim of the ladies in attendance. Ladies wishing to participate will be given tokens and asked to watch the whole tournament.

After each fight, they will place a token in the container of the fighter they felt best comported themselves on the field. At the end of the fighting, the winner will be the fighter with the most tokens.

Lists open and armour inspections commence at 11 of the clock; please do not be late! (Garbed event, no entry fee or booking required).

Sunday: Quarter Day Court

The Barony of Southron Gaard's Spring Quarter Day Court will be held 'twixt the Heavy and Rapier Tournaments on Sunday. If you have business to transact at this Court, please advise the Baronial Herald.

Please note: If the weather forecast for Sunday seems dubious, essential Quarter Day business will be brought forward to the Opening Court of the Bal at 7pm on Saturday.

Dancing at the Sunday Tournies

To break from the more tradition and formal dancing of the Bal of the previous night, we will be taking requests at the tournies for the ... less traditional dances of the SCA. Dances such as the Bear Dance, Saracen's bransle, and the version of Nonesuch that is popular among the youth of today will be on the menu.

Sunday: Rapier Tournament

Whilst he/she should undoubtedly excel in skill of dance, the first and true profession of a courtier must be that of arms.

Therefore, in conjunction with the Bal d'Argent and Spring tourney and Picnic, on Sunday 17th September, shall there be held a tournament of the rapier. Commencing shortly after the heavy tournament and at stake a fine argent feather, for the victors cap!

Please inform Lord Martuccio Cavalcanti, c/o bsibly@paradise.net.nz or telephone 03 980 6732 if you intend to take the field.

Sunday: If the Weather be Bad

Sunday's primary activities are outdoors. In the event that the weather is poor, look on the SGDiscuss email list and/or this page for a rescheduling notice. In that case, the alternate plan is to bring your picnic food to a casual, garbed get-together at the Baronial residence -- The Hermitage, 74 Augusta Street, Redcliffs (park on the street and walk up 50m). Bring stories, songs, dances-with-very-small-footsteps, musical instruments, games and gentle past-times suitable for an indoor venue with many rooms and alcoves. All welcome!

Can't make this year's Bal d'Argent? Consider Canterbury Faire 2007 or Midwinter Coronation 2007, both in Southron Gaard, and both of which will feature much music, entertainment and dancing.

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