Regular events organised by the EDC

·         The EDC Annual Festival

This one-day event, hosted by different Early Dance groups around the country, provides the opportunity to meet and dance with friends, to show your latest work and to see that of others. The Festival itself is always on a Saturday, in the autumn, and there are often associated activities on the Friday evening or the Sunday morning. These have included lectures and visits to local museums, country houses or costume collections.

The next Festival

Past Festivals

·         The Early Dance Annual Lecture

This lecture, given in London, is open to all - and free.

The Annual Lecture is usually held on the third Friday in February.  An eminent speaker is invited to talk on a topic relevant to Early Dance.  The aim is to promote Early Dance to a wider audience and to demonstrate that it is a serious field of study. 

The lecture is followed by an opportunity for informal talk.

The next Lecture

Past Lectures

The text of the most recent Lecture

·         The EDC Biennial Conference

This is a one-day event often held on the Saturday following the Early Dance Lecture.  A number of speakers address a topic (a theme or a specific period) relevant to the study and appreciation of Early Dance.  The programme usually includes some practical demonstration of dancing. 

The Proceedings are published (see Publications).

The next Conference

Past Conferences

·        One-off events organised by the EDC

Workshops, study days and additional lectures are also arranged as opportunity offers.  For the most part, however, there are now enough events of this kind organised by local groups and individual teachers to make national initiatives superfluous.   

Future events of all kinds are notified in the Diary of Early Dance Events.  

Events organised by the EDC will be found at Forthcoming EDC events.

Forthcoming EDC Events

• 5th - 13th July 2008
  Big Dance Week
  
  Historical Street Dance
  Free Classes for All at Big Dance !
  Classes for Professional Performers
  Big Dance Week: LONDON
  Family Days with Nonsuch History and Dance
  Big Dance Week: NATIONWIDE
  2008 Summer Schools

For  Programme of Events, click here

• Friday - Sunday, 17th - 19th October, 2008
  25th Silver Jubilee Early Dance Annual Festival
  
  Venue - Ashville College
   Green Lane, Harrogate,
  North Yorkshire, HG2 9JP

  Friday, 17th October  7.45 p.m. -  in the Ashville College’s Memorial Hall
  A Trip to Harrogate, 1798-1820.
  This lecture-demonstration will present Tunes, Songs and Dances from a 1798 manuscript
  by Joshua Jackson, North Yorkshire corn-miller and musician.
  
  Saturday, 18th October, in the Auditorium of Ashville College
  1.15 p.m.         Early Dance Circle AGM
  2.00 to 5.45 p.m.  -  The Festival
  After a dinner of Yorkshire fare, the evening’s dancing will take a Regency theme,
  the music provided by the Spa Bar Tatters band. 
  Regency costume would be appreciated.
  
  Sunday, 19th October  
  
  Sunday morning’s Guided Walk will include a visit to the Valley Gardens and the Royal Pump Room Museum. 
  Betty’s Café Tea Rooms, 1919, and the Pump Rooms are situated close by.

  Accommodation details and further information on local activities are available on 0845 3 893223
  or www.enjoyharrogate.com

   

For an  25th EDC Annual Festival Ticket Reservation Form,  click here. 
For an  25th EDC Annual Festival Group Booking Form,  click here. 

Past EDC events

Annual Festivals

1984      29 September             LONDON, The Camden Centre

1985      15 September            LONDON, Porchester Hall, Bayswater

1986      13 September            LONDON, Porchester Hall, Bayswater

1987      31 October                LONDON, Porchester Hall, Bayswater

1988      15 October                LONDON, Porchester Hall, Bayswater

1989      14 October                NELSON, Silverman Hall

1990      13 October                STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, Town Hall

1991        5 October                LONDON, All Saints Arts Centre, Barnet

1992      10 October                WORCESTER, The King’s School

1993      30 October                BROMLEY, The Ravensbourne School

1994        1 October                OXFORD, Gosford Hill School, Kidlington

1995      14 October                LONDON, Ealing Town Hall

1996      12 October                CAMBRIDGE, Long Road Sixth Form College

1997      18 October                WATFORD, Queen’s School, Bushey

1998      17 October                ROCHDALE, Town Hall

1999        9 October                PLYMOUTH, College of St Mark & St John

2000      14 October                FARNHAM , Frensham Heights

2001      13 October                EDINBURGH, The Edinburgh Academy

2002      19 October                LUDLOW, The Assembly Rooms

2003      11 October                BATH, Kingswood School

2004      17 October                ROCHDALE , Town Hall

2005        9 October                NORWICH, Assembly House, Norfolk

2006      21 October                CANTERBURY,  St. Edmund’s School

2007      13 October                STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, King Edward VI School
 

Early Dance Lectures 

1988  Belinda Quirey                ‘Bel Salto’
                                         The Place, St Pancras, London

1989   Molly Kenny                ‘Claims to a Dance Inheritance’
                                         Byron Theatre, Old Cavendish Street, London

1990    Peter Brinson                ‘The Nobility of Dance’
                                         Central Halls, Westminster, London

1991    Peggy Dixon                  ‘Early Dance in Perspective’
                                         Royal Academy of Dancing, London

1992     Mary Collins                 ‘Early Dance in Education’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

1993      ---------------

1994     Joan Rimmer                   ‘On the Coranto’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

1995      Roger Savage                 ‘Purcell and Theatrical Dance’  
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

1996      Margaret McGowan      
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

1997      Stanley Glasser      
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

1998      Jeremy Barlow                  ‘The Minuet Remembered’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

1999     Peter Holman                      ‘When is a Dance not a Dance?’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2000      Jack Edwards                      ‘Staging 17th- and 18th-century Baroque opera’   
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2001      Geraldine Stephenson       ‘Swirling Skirts Fill the Screen’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2002       Barry Grantham                  ‘The Dancer as Actor:  lessons from the Commedia dell’Arte’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2003       David Wilson                      ‘But how do you know how they danced so long ago?’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2004       Ellis Rogers                          ‘The Image in the Mirror - social dance as the reflection of its society.’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2005      Barbara Segal                       ‘Heroes and Harlequins: Dance & Pantomime on the English Stage
                                                    in the early 18th century.’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2006      Anne Daye                        ‘The Queen's Revels: Henrietta Maria and the Stuart masque’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2007      Dr. Anne Bloomfield      ‘Agent of the Enlightenment: The significance of the Dancing Master
                                                in creating a civilised society in the 18th century.’
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

2008      Ian Chipperfield - Staymaker:      ‘A Laboured Hoop to Ornament the Fair’
                                                                        comparing and contrasting the 16th C. Farthingale, the 18th C. hoop
                                                                        and the 19th C. Crinoline, their affect on deportment and movement
                                         St Bride’s Institute, Fleet Street, London

Concert

10th November 1990

‘Step Stately:  a Measure in Time’

The Commonwealth Institute, Kensington, London

An Early Dance Show with dancers in period dress, music on period instruments and words from period texts.

A programme of 40 dances was performed by a troupe of 70 dancers, drawn from 13 dance groups, with 21 musicians and readings by 2 speakers.

Youth Dance Competition for Young People 2005-2006

February 2006

Conferences

5th April 1997

‘Belinda Quirey and Historical Dance’

Birkbeck College, London

Phrosso Pfister         ‘Belinda Quirey, MBE:  glorious eccentric’

Anne Daye         ‘Historical Dance in Higher Education’

Velma Pursehouse       ‘The Belinda Quirey Memorial Fund’

Ann Hutchinson Guest         ‘Belinda Quirey:  an appreciation’

Diana Cruickshank     ‘ “We’ve got a carriage!” ’

Peggy Dixon         ‘Historical Dance – past, present and future’

Brian Trowell         ‘Some memories of Belinda Quirey’

For the proceedings, see Publications

27th February 1999

‘Education and Early Dance’

Royal Society of Arts, London

John Harland         ‘Effects and effectiveness of the teaching of Dance in schools’

Mary Collins         ‘ “The Art that All Other Arts Do Approve” ’

Judy Smith         ‘Dance teaching packs:  guidelines for producers’

Anne Bloomfield         ‘The dancing children of Clifton Hall’

June McKay         ‘Blind Dance’

Nicola Gaines ‘Early Dance in the preliminary training of children in Classical ballet’

Diana Scrivener ‘Setting the stage for Early Dance’

Catherine Bowness ‘From goals and scrums to mediaeval drums:  conversion in a non-dancing society’

For the proceedings, see Publications

23rd February 2002

‘The Restoration of Charles II:  public order, theatre and dance’

Bankside House, London

Roy Sherwood ‘Cromwell’s Merry England’

John Miller ‘Back to normal?  Government and society in Restoration Norwich’

Anne Daye ‘Theatre dance in the private and public domains of Stuart and Commonwealth London, 1625-85’

Jeremy Barlow ‘ “Mockmusick” and survival of antimasque traditions in the Restoration theatre’

Moira Goff ‘Shadwell, Saint-André and the “curious dancing” in Psyche’

For the proceedings, see Publications

21st February, 2004

The Great Divide?:   A Conference to Explore the impact of the French Revolution on Dance, Costume and Culture

St. Bride Institute, London

There was also a demonstration by the Jane Austen Dancers

For the proceedings, see Publications

25th February, 2006

Masks, masques and masquerades: a living tradition

St. Bride Institute, London

For the proceedings, see Publications

23rd February, 2008

Dancing Master or Hop Merchant?  The role of the dance teacher through the ages.

St. Bride Institute, London

For the proceedings, see Publications