This is my third attempt to post pics from the WONDERFUL English County Dance Lesson this past Sunday. Typepad keeps freaking out and freezing. Weird.
I can't say enough about how much fun this was. 18 people showed up, 3 of whom were from the Baltimore Folk Music Society (to help guide us along). The venue was the 19th Century ballroom of the Baltimore Hostel (www.baltimorehostel.org), which was gorgeous and perfect. And our caller was fantastic - Michael Barraclough (www.michaelbarraclough.com). He was a great teacher and paced us well, going back over steps we clearly weren't getting as many times as we needed, which was exactly what I wanted for the lesson. He also gave us a Power Point presentation on country dancing in England, Scotland, and the US, with a slide that showed what steps we would learn that evening. Awesome.
By the second dance, I looked down the set and everyone was getting it! We still messed up - that always happens - even to the most experienced - but nobody cared. It was a group with great spirit and humor and we laughed and laughed. I think some people caught the bug!
The following night, I went to the dance at St. Mark's Church in Pikesville (see the link to the folk music society in the right hand bar below the books I'm reading for info if you're in the area and interested) and was much better at processing the calls and flowing with the dance than I was the first time I went back in September. It clicked, though I still messed up royally during one dance. I managed the other four quite well!
So here are some pics - a little blurry as my camera doesn't handle action photos well. You get the idea!
Comments