JaneAustenDancing
updated April 29
Upcoming Danceweavers, 1812Dance and JaneAustenDancing events
————————
Historical breakfast and dance at Montgomery's Inn
-- date coming soon
Discover some of the lost joys of the past. The social dances of Jane Austen's time and the 1812 era are fun, full of variety, and easy to learn.
No partner or dance experience needed.
————————
A Weekend with Jane Austen
April 20-22, 2012
Toronto, Ontario
All welcome — you do not have to be a member of the Jane Austen Society to attend, but you can join this weekend if you wish!
Dress code: Regency attire is optional, though encouraged for the Saturday evening ball.
*** April 18 — THE BALL IS SELLING OUT FAST, AND THERE AREN'T MANY TICKETS LEFT. This notice will be updated frequently. ***
————————
Workshops, lectures, fashion show, tours, concert, ball — poster
————————
PROGRAMME and SCHEDULE
(subject to change; for the detailed schedule, click here)
Friday, April 20
An evening at 1812-era National Historic Site Fort York
6 p.m. — Registration opens; the programme begins at 7. Includes a lamplight tour of selected Fort buildings, a dance demonstration, fashion show, and cold buffet supper featuring a variety of both hearty and delicate fare. Suitable for vegetarians.
Saturday, April 21
At St. Barnabas Anglican Church Hall, 361 Danforth Ave. at Chester subway
The wonderful Book City will provide a book table for Saturday morning and afternoon. The novels of Austen, Burney and other late-Georgian writers will be featured, as well as relevant non-fiction. They will accept Visa and Mastercard on-site; for large purchases there will be the option of paying by debit across the street at the Book City store.
"The accommodations to be had on board a man o' war" — a lively and informative talk by renowned military historian Peter Twist.
Illustrated talk on dance in the novels of Jane Austen and Fanny Burney, by Karen Millyard
Portraits of Respectability: The middling classes and
formal portraiture in England, 1730 to 1810 — a power-point presentation by Prof. Karen Stanworth of York University. Professor Stanworth will give us a brief overview of trends in portraiture in 18th-century Britain as well as a discussion on how portraiture was used as a form of social representation in this time of great change.
Prof. Robert Morrison of Queen's University, Kingston, will give a talk on his new, annotated edition of Persuasion, just published by Harvard University Press. Copies will be available for purchase and signing. For a review of the book, click here.
Hands-on letter-writing workshop; materials and postage will be provided; the quill is yours to keep. Letters will be franked and posted at Toronto's First Post Office.
Pre-ball workshop: English Country Dance basics (no partner or dance experience required)
Evening ball with live music, Regency-era refreshments and polite society. Only about 20 tickets left, so register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!
Sunday, April 22
A day at the historic and lovely Montgomery's Inn.
Georgian breakfast: hot and cold dishes eaten for breakfast in Austen's time; tea, spiced drinking chocolate, coffee and cider. Suitable for vegetarians. Priced separately.
MENU FOR GEORGIAN BREAKFAST 11 a.m., SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2012
Steel-cut oatmeal with cream
Plum cake
Eliza Smith’s cake
Fine white bread with butter, honey, marmalade
Whole grain bread
Hot crumpets
Ham
Eggs
Smoked herrings
Fruit
Coffee, tea, spiced drinking chocolate, cider
12 o'clock Did she or didn't she? A talk on Regency underwear by Elizabeth Webb
1 p.m. Historical lacemaking: a lecture and demonstration by Linda Lorraine
2 p.m. Tender and Impassioned: a concert of music from Austen's personal collection. Programme researched and selected by Dr. Dorothy de Val. Austen's taste was eclectic, as this selection of contemporary instrumental and vocal music will show. Charming and often dramatic, these pieces by the fashionable London composers of her time are rarely if ever heard today, and will recreate the atmosphere of elegant music-making that prevailed in the drawing rooms of her time. Featuring Barbara Ackerman on flute, Stephen Fuller on violin, Laura Jones on violoncello, Dorothy de Val on piano and Susanna McCleary, soprano.
For the concert programme, click here (pdf).
Regency table games (instructions provided)
Tours of the Inn
Farewell tea and mingle — see you next year!
*** The Toronto chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) will set up an information table during the weekend. You can join on the spot! ***
*** The Jane Austen Shop will be on-site during the weekend. ***
*** GEORGIAN BREAKFAST SUNDAY, APRIL 22nd ***
At Montgomery's Inn. The breakfast is priced separately. A selection of hot and cold dishes eaten in Austen's lifetime will be served, as well as tea, coffee, cider and spiced drinking chocolate. For the menu, click here. Suitable for vegetarians. Due to problems some site visitors were having with the registration buttons this past week, Montgomery's Inn has graciously permitted the extension of breakfast ticket purchases.
————————
Registration form (pdf)
Important registration information (pdf)
*** NEW PAYMENT OPTION — JAD can now accept American cheques. ***
Payment options, student/senior rates, and registration — revised April 19. Single-session tickets, including for Saturday (specific lectures or workshops), will be available at the door only, space permitting, on a first-come, first-served basis. They cannot be reserved in advance. As of April 19, it looks as though some single-session tickets will be available for various parts of the event. However, this can change quickly. Watch this space or e-mail me to be sure whether the session you want to attend is still open.The ball in is selling out fast. Cheques and cash in Canadian or American currency will be accepted (USD at par) at the door; no credit cards can be accepted on-site, except for Book City purchases.
Reduced rates for students and seniors: if you're using Paypal, these rates can only be seen on the drop-down menus, so make sure to click on the tiny arrows or they won't show.
If paying by cheque, please make your cheque out to Karen Millyard and mail it along with your registration form to 75 Ulster St, Toronto, ON, M5S 1E8. You must send a completed registration form along with your cheque, or your registration will not be processed!
Paypal users must complete and send a registration form as well as submitting their payment. Canadian registrants can use Paypal or personal cheques; registrants from the United States or overseas can use Paypal, cheques or international money orders, in either USD or Canadian funds. Please do not send cash through the mail. Credit cards cannot be used on-site except for book purchases made through Book City. Don't forget to fill out and e-mail your registration form when you pay through Paypal. Fill out the form with the names of all attendees, as well as full details of which parts of the event EACH PERSON is attending, so that we know where to place you on the registration list. Thank you -- this will help us prevent confusion and delays at the registration desk.
REGISTER NOW
If you have trouble with the buttons, please reboot or try using a different browser.
April 20 — An Evening at Fort York
April 21 — A day of lectures and workshops / dancing
Option A. Daytime (non-dance) package
Option B. Dance-only package (afternoon dance workshop, evening ball)
Option C. Complete Saturday package (full day and evening, dance workshop and ball included)
April 22 — Sunday at Montgomery's Inn
Georgian breakfast $17
Option A: Full day package. Includes two lectures, concert, tea, games and tour. Breakfast priced separately.Option B. Concert package. Includes concert, tea, games and tour. Does not include lectures or breakfast.
Option A. Full weekend non-dance package (Friday, Saturday daytime, Sunday). Does not include dancing or breakfast.
Option B. Complete weekend package (Friday, all of Saturday, Sunday). Includes dance workshop and ball. Does not include breakfast.
This page is being updated very frequently with new links and information on the programme, schedule, travel, accommodations, and so on, so please check regularly for new information. You can check the date of the most recent revisions by looking at the bottom of this page.
NEW — The charming and historic Hotel Victoria, in the safe and populous heart of downtown Toronto, has graciously extended their special rates to us at $114 Cdn per night, available from April 19th through 21st. A short walk from VIA, GO trains and buses at Union Station and the shuttle to Billy Bishop airport (only minutes away itself), this hotel is also mere steps from Toronto's excellent subways and streetcars. Optional breakfast, but excellent restaurants abound in the area as well. Perfectly located for all three days of A Weekend with Jane Austen, one streetcar ride will take you either along King St. or along the lakeshore via Queen's Quay to within a few hundred yards of Fort York. Another will take you through the original old town of York, across the Don River and up scenic Broadview Ave to Danforth Avenue (Greektown) and a two-block, pleasant walk to St. Barnabas Anglican Church. Or the subway can take you right across the road from St. Barnabas within a few minutes, and will carry you to Islington Avenue for our Sunday at Montgomery's Inn.
Please note: there is no online booking form for this rate. You must reserve via phone or e-mail (see the Hotel Victoria website for details), and mention that you are attending this event.
Other hotels and b&bs: there are many options in the city. You can search BBCanada and the Toronto Bed and Breakfast Association, but keep in mind that there are b&bs in the city that aren't members and so aren't listed on their sites. Do your own web search for them and you'll come up with some very nice places.
GETTING AROUND
Toronto is a safe, clean city, with an outstanding network of subways, streetcars, buses and commuter trains. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) offers inexpensive one-day passes that can be used by two adults travelling together (weekends only) or one adult making multiple trips. Single-trip tokens and students or seniors' tickets can be purchased at all subway stations; tickets can sometimes be purchased at local shops such as newsagents.
Details: Letter-writing workshop -- lively talk on letter-writing in an age not only before our "keyboard culture" but long before the ballpoint pen! Full of fascinating detail and followed by a hands-on workshop. You will learn how to use a quill pen and ink, write, fold and seal your own letter, which will be posted at Toronto's First Post Office. All materials are furnished, and the quill is yours to keep. Letter-writing materials, including antique stone inkpots, will also be available for purchase. Workshop led by Kate McAuley of
Toronto's First Post Office.
Porter airlines has a seat sales until midnight on Thursday, April 19. Please note that their quoted prices are inclusive, with all taxes and departure fees already factored in. They fly from Canadian and American cities right into downtown Toronto — about a five-minute cab ride from Fort York — so travel times, lineups and waits are all much shorter than travelling via Pearson International outside the city. Lower departure fees, as well. American cities include Burlington, Vermont; Myrtle Beach; Chicago; New York; Boston; and Washington DC. Canadian locations include St John's; Moncton; Halifax; Quebec City; Montreal; Mt. Tremblant; Ottawa; Timmins; Sudbury; Sault St Marie; Windsor; and Thunder Bay. For information on Billy Bishop International Airport and its fantastic central location, click here.
Cheap, quick and hassle-free.
————————
PARKING
If you are driving in from out of town for the weekend, consider buying a temporary parking permit from the City. They are extremely inexpensive and will allow you to park overnight on the street in most of the city neighbourhoods. Please note that these permits are area-specific; it makes most sense to buy one for the area where you plan to lodge for the night. Check the city's website parking map to see which district you'll need.
————————
*** DANCE-FLOOR SHOE POLICY ***
Flat shoes only. No heels, sandals, clogs, slingbacks or similar open-type shoes will be permitted on the dance floor. No exceptions will be made. Please wear shoes that allow you to turn easily on a wooden floor, but are not too slippery. Leather soles work well, as can suede. Very old (shiny, hard) rubber, such as well-worn running shoes, is good. (Don't wear new running shoes -- fresh rubber is way too sticky. You'll have trouble turning, which is hard on the joints.) Walking shoes, jazz shoes, Oxford-style shoes, and some plastic-soled flat shoes (such as Chinese canvas shoes) can work. Please test your shoes on a wooden floor. You are also welcome to bring more than one pair to test on the floor on Saturday.
For more information on Karen Millyard's 1812 dance, music and lectures, click here.
For more information on services available to museums, schools, municipalities, film and theatre production companies, click here.
In the works for later this year: a Regency breakfast dance, a Regency supper club, lectures, a Midsummer ball, Trafalgar Ball, Netherfield Ball, Fezziwig's Christmas party, Dinner at Pemberley, and much more!
Your Dancing Mistress Karen Millyard has been leading English Country Dances (specializing in 1812-era, or Regency style) for years. She is a choreographer, researcher, consultant and professional dance teacher who works in museums and historical sites, theatre, television, schools and the community. She believes that dancing at Publick Assemblies ought to be fun rather than perfect!
It may be possible to do without dancing entirely. Instances have been known of young people passing many, many months successively, without being at any ball of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind; — but when a beginning is made — when the felicities of rapid motion have once been, though slightly, felt — it must be a very heavy set that does not ask for more.
— Emma, Jane Austen
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Toronto English Country Dancers
for information on the modern-dress community-based dance group
Past events
Friday, February 24
1812 dance — introductory talk and beginners' workshop
An Ontario Heritage Trust Heritage Week event
Canadians were dance-crazy in 1812, men and women alike. Come find out why!
Easy to learn: no partner or dance experience required, no lead or follow, and no fancy footwork! This is not like the couples' dance you're used to. You will
be weaving patterns in groups with the other dancers, to lively and
beautiful traditional tunes.
All welcome.
————————————————
Schedule
7.30 — Doors open
7.45 — Registration
8 - 10 — Informal talk on social dance in the 1812 era and beginners' dance workshop. Includes a break with light refreshments.
Cost
If you pre-register via e-mail: $20 / $15 for students; group and family rates are available for pre-registration only. Cheques accepted for pre-registration.
At the door: $25 / $20
What to bring
A reusable cup or water bottle. Please wear comfortable, layered clothes and flat shoes — no heels or sandal-type shoes will be allowed. Old running shoes work well (new ones are too sticky and won't let you turn well). Jazz shoes and Oxford-type shoes are also good. Rubber soles can be too sticky; check to see if you can turn easily on the ball of your foot.
Venue
St. Barnabas Anglican Church hall, 361 Danforth Ave at Chester subway. The entrance is on the side street, Hampton Ave., south side of Danforth. Go through the gate and straight through the playground.
Venues: Danceweavers, 1812Dance and JaneAustenDancing events take place in various locations, but central and on the subway line unless otherwise specified. We also travel — if you would like me to do an event in your community, please contact me at 1812Dance at Danceweavers dot ca.
|
Midwinter Masquerade Ball (and the start of JaneAustenDancing's 4th year!) *** costumes optional; as always, the focus is on dancing and fun! *** Saturday, February 18 featuring Stephen Fuller fiddle Start thinking about who you’d like to be! Joan of Arc? A pirate? Shepherdess or King? Ordinary Regency or 18th-century clothing is fine, as are modern-day party clothes, but please refrain from wearing modern Hallowe'en-style outfits such as Batman costumes. Masks are not necessary, and actually make dancing more difficult. Also, cloaks may be worn to the event, but will not be permitted on the dance floor. The evening will feature decorations, Regency-era refreshments, table games and door prizes. Special prizes for the best costumes! Scroll down for schedule, pricing and registration details. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
JaneAustenDancing Spend an evening in Jane Austen’s world. Dress in the elegant clothing of the period, try Regency-era treats and table games, and — best of all — dance at the ball! No partner, dance experience or fancy footwork necessary. No lead or follow. In just one afternoon, you will learn the dance skills and how to use your own closet to put together a Regency look at no extra cost. By the evening, you’ll already know some of the company and will be ready for the ball! I hope you will join us! Dancing Mistress Karen Millyard Venues: Danceweavers, 1812Dance and JaneAustenDancing events take place in various locations, but central and on the subway line unless otherwise specified. We also travel — if you would like me to do an event in your community, please contact me at 1812Dance at Danceweavers dot ca. ———————— Details for February 18 ball *** NEW Schedule *** Please plan to arrive at least half an hour before your first workshop so that everyone can sign in, change their shoes, and get settled in good time. We have very large numbers of people arriving at once, and your consideration will be most appreciated by everyone. Thank you!
***Please note: the early-bird pricing deadline is now one week earlier. For the early-bird ball discount your registration form and payment must be received or postmarked by midnight on Friday, February 11th.*** However, I urge you to register as soon as possible, especially if you are a first-timer: there are things to be collected for the afternoon workshops, and one-third of the tickets are already sold; if you wish to attend this event, please register soon!) EARLY-BIRD PRICING (applicable until midnight, Friday, February 11)
* Ball prerequisite: either attendance at the afternoon workshop or strong skills in English Country Dancing. If you are not a regular English Country Dancer, or you’re not sure where you fit, or have any other questions about the workshops or ball, please write me at < JaneAustenDancing at danceweavers dot ca >. Local calls only, and no texts, please: (416) 578-1031. PRICING AND REGISTRATION AFTER MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11
* Ball prerequisite: either attendance at the Feb. 18 workshop or strong skills in English Country Dancing. If you are not a regular English Country Dancer, or are not sure where you fit, please contact me. To register: Fill out the registration form send it with your cheque to Karen Millyard, 75 Ulster St, Toronto, ON, M5S 1E8 and an e-mail to < JaneAustenDancing at danceweavers dot ca > so I can send you your information package, including your list of things to bring for the clothing and hair session. For same-day registrations, please print the form and bring it with you, AND send an e-mail. Location: Details will arrive in your registration information package, which cannot be delivered unless you send an e-mail. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contact me for more information at JaneAustenDancing at gmail dot com.
Updated April 19, 2012.