The New York Baroque Dance Co.

Contributed by Rachel

Caroline and Catherine have been hard at work on this project and on Oct. 6, eight dancers and three musicians presented “An Entertaining Assembly for George Washington” as part of the re-opening celebration of Federal Hall in lower Manhattan. Federal Hall is a beautiful 18th century building that was the site of George Washington’s inauguration. Dances presented in the beautifully restored Rotunda included a Fancy Minuet, La Bretagne, The Louver (L’Aimable Vainqueur), La Nouvelle Yorck, and George Washington’s Favourite Cotillion. The presentation ended with a lively game of Blind Man’s Buff performed to the tune and lyrics of Yankee Doodle sung by our “master of ceremonies” Paul Shipper.

Rachel List, Catherine Turocy and Sarah Edgar

On Sept. 26, six NYBDC members left New York on quite an adventure. We were to travel to Anchorage, Alaska to perform Catherine Turocy’s ballet “Les Petits Riens” with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Continue Reading »

 Contributed by Rachel

After Armide had such a good time at the Bates Dance Festival last summer, Terpsicore decided to try it out, too. I was able to introduce her to the BDF community when I performed an excerpt from Catherine Turocy’s version of the Handel opera Terpsicore during the Faculty Gala on August 5.

The audience gasped audibly (don’t you just love that?) when the curtain went up revealing my beautiful new costume made by Deirdre McGuire and Lisa Marzolf. (Of course, it’s not too hard to make a splash when the rest of the concert is being performed in more pedestrian, modern dance attire…) Audience members who had seen Armide last year said they were pleased to see an “unmasked” dance this year, for contrast. Continue Reading »

Hello all, here are some pictures from our show several months back at Indiana University. Enjoy.

Continue Reading »

Contributed by: Sarah

Hello, friends of baroque dance! As you may have heard, I have recently moved to Cologne, Germany for a few years. From this European vantage point, I will be searching for new Feulliet notations to reconstruct, paintings by Boucher to contemplate, as well as reading those treatises we all know and love.   I am so happy that I will also continue to perform with the company on occasion, and I will be back in NYC to perform with the NYBDC in the fall performances at Florence Gould Hall.

However, first things first – one must take class! Continue Reading »

Contributed by Rachel

This photo was taken backstage at Oberlin College and shows Terpsicore (Caroline Copeland) instructing her Graces (Patricia Beaman, Sarah Edgar, and Rachel List) in the proper ways of incorporating the elements into one’s dancing to properly describe various states of love, as per Apollo’s command. AIR and WATER had already been discussed, and now Terpsicore had moved on to the more advanced concept of FIRE. Our happy group was completed by the lovely Jennifer Lane in the role of Apollo and the equally lovely Kendra Colton who sang Erato and took this historic photograph.

Contributed by Rachel

From April 6-9, a group of 12 Hofstra University dance majors performed a suite of Baroque dances that I put together as part of the Junior class’ repertory project. We rehearsed during the fall semester, took a break over the holidays, and picked it up again in February, getting ready for the Spring faculty dance performance. Continue Reading »

The New York Baroque Dance Company will perform at the World Financial Center, the Winter Garden in New York on February 9, 2006 at 12:30 pm. The performance, titled “Courting an English Lady Proper and Improper”, will include dancers Caroline Copland, Tim Wilson, Seth Williams, Seth Davis, Jason Melms, and Sarah Edgar. The performance will also include Judson Griffin on violin and Paul Shipper on lute, recorder and voice.

In 18th century England, dance was instrumental to winning the heart of a lady. Courting an English Lady reveals the secret code between the sexes in ballroom and stage dances. Performing dramatic, comedic and country dances, costumed dancers accompanied by live music on period instruments, will demonstrate the proper and improper ways to woo a winsome heart. The audience will be taught a country dance to The Old Bachelor by Henry Purcell.

The performance is free to the general public. The World Financial Center is located in Lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City. The World Financial Center is bordered by West Street, the Hudson River, Vesey and Liberty Streets.

Program follows:

Courting an English Lady, Proper and Improper

The New York Baroque Dance Company
Catherine Turocy, Artistic Director
Dancers: Caroline Copeland, Sarah Edgar, Seth Davis,
Jason Melms, Seth Williams, Timothy Wilson
Musicians: Judson Griffin, violin and Paul Shipper,
voice, recorder, lute
PROGRAM:

I. Introduction

II. A Chacone by Mr. Isaac (or “How to be an English Lady”)
danced and reconstructed by Sarah Edgar from “An Essay for the Improvement of Dancing” by E. Pemberton, London, 1711
music: Anonymous

III. A Chaconne from Amadis (or “How to be an English Gentleman)
danced and reconstructed by Seth Williams from a Collection of Dances from the Stage choreographed by Anthony L’Abee and published
in London circa 1725
music by Jean Baptiste Lully

IV. An Ecchoe by Mr. Groscort (or ” Battleground of Courtship”)
danced by Sarah Edgar, Timothy Wilson and Jason Melms
reconstructed by Sarah Edgar from “An Essay for the Improvement of
Dancing” by E, Pemberton, London, 1711
music: Anonymous

V. An Entertainment of Dancing from the Island Princess (or “Courtship Progresses)
danced by Caroline Copeland and Seth Williams and reconstructed by Seth Williams from Kellom Tomlinson’s personal workbook (London dancing master first half of the 18th century)
music: Henry Purcell

VI. A Song and Sung Dance (or “Reflections on Love and Beauty)
danced and choreographed by Caroline Copeland
music by Henry Purcell

VII. Sarabande for Two Men (or “If Love Fails, Friendship Prevails)
danced by Seth Davis and Seth Williams and reconstructed by Seth Williams from Kellom Tomlinson’s personal workbook
music: Jean Baptiste Lully

VIII. Sprightly Country Dances (or “The Origins of the Mixer” as seen through “The Old Batchelor” and “Short and Sweet”)
danced by the Company and reconstructed by Timothy Wilson from John Playford’s Collection of Country Dances published, updated and and republished in London since the 1600’s.
music by Henry Purcell.
IX. Country Dance Lesson for the General Public followed by a Question and Answer period

Costume design: Marie Anne Chiment
website: www.nybaroquedance.org

Here is an update on the Village Voice issue that we raised on this blog a few postings ago:

Dance/NYC has been monitoring the Village Voice situation closely and has found that it is still unclear that the current publisher and senior editors will remain at the Voice once the merger is completed. Thus, we are waiting for clarity since it would be ineffective and counter-productive to raise an issue with editors who might well be gone in the next few weeks.

The New York Baroque Dance Company is conducting a FREE workshop for PROFESSIONAL DANCERS. All dancers must audition for the workshop.

The audition is scheduled for Saturday, January 7th from 4-6 at the Lower Studio at the 92nd Street Y located at Lexington Avenue and East 92nd Street in Manhattan.

Two men and two women from the workshop will be chosen to join our company-in costume- to demonstrate two 18th century c ountry dances at our February 9th lecture/demonstration taking place at lunchtime in the World Financial Center in NYC. The free class instruction from the workshop plus the performing opportunity are offered to you as compensation for your participation in the lecture/demonstration. (Please note that not everyone who passes the audition and takes the workshop will be in the lecture/demonstration.)

The purpose of the workshop is to stimulate interest among professional dancers in historical dance and to develop new dancers for historical performances with our company and others. We will be able to accept 10-12 dancers for this workshop.

Classes will be from 5:30-7 on Wednesday nights, January 18, 25, February 1 and February 8. Description:
1. Caroline Copeland will teach the first class and introduce Baroque style, technique and step vocabu lary. There will be an exploration of mirror symmetry as experienced in excerpts from a danse a deux published in the first quarter of the 18th century.
2. The second class will be taught by Sarah Edgar and Tim Wilson, focusing on bouree and rigaudon step combinations which will be used later in the country dances. Beaten ornaments in cadence phrases of duple meter will be covered.
3. The third class will cover both country dances to be learned for the lecture/demonstration.
4. In the fourth class students will refine these dances and learn proper bows, walking, taking of hands, how to stand, etc. – all in the 18th century manner.

This is a rare opportunity to expand your vision and physical experience of dance. Anyone who wishes to audition must register first by email to Sarah Edgar at sarahesther2000@yahoo.com or call Catherine Turocy directly at 212-662-8829

We hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays from The New York Baroque Dance Co.!

PS: no previous historical dance training necessary and just wear class attire…ballet or jazz shoes.