Ghosts of SCA past
Dec. 13th, 2021 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
storytimewithjoeGather ‘round chi’rens. Uncle G is gonna tell you a story.
In the 50+ years that the SCA has graced this planet, we have seen many changes. As much as we like to rely on tradition and keeping certain things going-as-established; we have either been forced to change, or have grown naturally, based on advances, technology, and the shifting of the sands of time. Long gone are the days of carpet armor and freon can helms (thank the gods!) But slightly more subtle are the changes that have taken place in the arts. I recall a conversation a few years back with a wonderful clothing laurel who was telling me about how things were back in the day. At the time she was laureled, interlibrary loan was the key thing. It was pretty much the ONLY way that one could lay their hands on a copy of Janet Arnold. But as time creeped on, and the interest in such things grew, we saw publication of historical-based research become more popular and readily available. It may seem almost trivial in many ways, but to switch from only being able to check a book out on rare occasion to having the option of OWNING one’s own copy… this was monumental and a fantastic change!
I have experienced a very similar situation in the arena of historical dance. And I was reminded of this the other night as we were relaxing in our front parlor. “Alexa,” I called out. “Play some medieval Christmas music.” Much to my surprise, Alexa played a really nice selection of ancient music. Without even realizing it, my feet began moving to the steps of a bransle. The tune was not a familiar one. But the structure was unmistakable as a typical 16th century French dance. My brain knew it. And my feet absolutely knew it. And this is where a 20-something year old Giuseppe in the back of my head began to squee.
You see, back in the day when I was young, immortal, and had intact knees; I absolutely loved to teach dance. But it had its challenges – mainly resources. When I began to learn dance, the last regular instructor had moved out of kingdom. So at the time, I knew four dances by heart (none of which were period), and very little access to the music. Having no musicians to call upon, I had to rely on canned music. And even that was really hard. I had a copy of a copy of an SCA dance tape. And the rest came down to ingenuity and inventiveness. I remember combing record stores in the classical music section to see if I could find a tape that had at least one tune that might have been a period dance. Many times, I ended up with a tape of nice-to-listen-to music. But none of it was usable. Sometimes, I would find a tape that had one dance tune, only to find that they had done some alternate arrangement. Sure, it may have made the music sound better as a tune – but it made it impossible to use for the original dance. Thus, sometimes I had to scrap my plan. Other times, I would have to change the choreography – add some steps here… subtract some steps there…etc. And thus, I learned choreography.
As I studied dance more and more, and learned about the moves and style and fluidity; I began to put myself in the mindset of somebody back then – figuring out how to create something original that still had the right “flavor” to be accurate.
In time, with some of the music I had collected, I began to create my own original dances – all using the moves that we could document, combined with period music. The result was wonderful. We had fun dances that we could actually do at events. And I was learning more and more how to be like a historical dance choreographer.
In time, technology came along to change things. No longer did I need to spend ridiculous amounts of time making 30 second demo cassettes for dance. We had cd’s that would take you directly to the song. No longer did I have to rely on a copy of a copy of music. Sheet music was becoming more available to musicians, and recordings were coming out with music recorded JUST for dance. Original manuscripts had been scanned and been made available through the internet, giving people like me easy glimpse into documents that we knew were out there, but inaccessible. My repertoire grew. I moved away from Joe-choreographed-dances to the properly choreographed dances. And in time, I was connected not only to the right music and manuscript and moves; but to other instructors around the country who could help answer some of my questions.
Gone are the days of having to change and manipulate dance to “make it work”. And this is a really GOOD thing in many ways. But there is a little part of me that misses it. I enjoyed making a dance my own. And I enjoyed taking a beautiful piece of period music and being able to create body fluidity to compliment it. Hmmmm… maybe I need to work on doing new choreographies again sometime? Or maybe working with others on this goal? Hmmmm….
…things to think about and future projects, perhaps?
In the 50+ years that the SCA has graced this planet, we have seen many changes. As much as we like to rely on tradition and keeping certain things going-as-established; we have either been forced to change, or have grown naturally, based on advances, technology, and the shifting of the sands of time. Long gone are the days of carpet armor and freon can helms (thank the gods!) But slightly more subtle are the changes that have taken place in the arts. I recall a conversation a few years back with a wonderful clothing laurel who was telling me about how things were back in the day. At the time she was laureled, interlibrary loan was the key thing. It was pretty much the ONLY way that one could lay their hands on a copy of Janet Arnold. But as time creeped on, and the interest in such things grew, we saw publication of historical-based research become more popular and readily available. It may seem almost trivial in many ways, but to switch from only being able to check a book out on rare occasion to having the option of OWNING one’s own copy… this was monumental and a fantastic change!
I have experienced a very similar situation in the arena of historical dance. And I was reminded of this the other night as we were relaxing in our front parlor. “Alexa,” I called out. “Play some medieval Christmas music.” Much to my surprise, Alexa played a really nice selection of ancient music. Without even realizing it, my feet began moving to the steps of a bransle. The tune was not a familiar one. But the structure was unmistakable as a typical 16th century French dance. My brain knew it. And my feet absolutely knew it. And this is where a 20-something year old Giuseppe in the back of my head began to squee.
You see, back in the day when I was young, immortal, and had intact knees; I absolutely loved to teach dance. But it had its challenges – mainly resources. When I began to learn dance, the last regular instructor had moved out of kingdom. So at the time, I knew four dances by heart (none of which were period), and very little access to the music. Having no musicians to call upon, I had to rely on canned music. And even that was really hard. I had a copy of a copy of an SCA dance tape. And the rest came down to ingenuity and inventiveness. I remember combing record stores in the classical music section to see if I could find a tape that had at least one tune that might have been a period dance. Many times, I ended up with a tape of nice-to-listen-to music. But none of it was usable. Sometimes, I would find a tape that had one dance tune, only to find that they had done some alternate arrangement. Sure, it may have made the music sound better as a tune – but it made it impossible to use for the original dance. Thus, sometimes I had to scrap my plan. Other times, I would have to change the choreography – add some steps here… subtract some steps there…etc. And thus, I learned choreography.
As I studied dance more and more, and learned about the moves and style and fluidity; I began to put myself in the mindset of somebody back then – figuring out how to create something original that still had the right “flavor” to be accurate.
In time, with some of the music I had collected, I began to create my own original dances – all using the moves that we could document, combined with period music. The result was wonderful. We had fun dances that we could actually do at events. And I was learning more and more how to be like a historical dance choreographer.
In time, technology came along to change things. No longer did I need to spend ridiculous amounts of time making 30 second demo cassettes for dance. We had cd’s that would take you directly to the song. No longer did I have to rely on a copy of a copy of music. Sheet music was becoming more available to musicians, and recordings were coming out with music recorded JUST for dance. Original manuscripts had been scanned and been made available through the internet, giving people like me easy glimpse into documents that we knew were out there, but inaccessible. My repertoire grew. I moved away from Joe-choreographed-dances to the properly choreographed dances. And in time, I was connected not only to the right music and manuscript and moves; but to other instructors around the country who could help answer some of my questions.
Gone are the days of having to change and manipulate dance to “make it work”. And this is a really GOOD thing in many ways. But there is a little part of me that misses it. I enjoyed making a dance my own. And I enjoyed taking a beautiful piece of period music and being able to create body fluidity to compliment it. Hmmmm… maybe I need to work on doing new choreographies again sometime? Or maybe working with others on this goal? Hmmmm….
…things to think about and future projects, perhaps?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 04:51 pm (UTC)In 2002, my husband and I were starting a local branch here (southern Alberta) and I needed to find something to attract people that wasn't fighting. I found this https://sca.uwaterloo.ca/~praetzel/CD-offer.html and with it the Tape of Dance. I fondly remember dancing and listening to the music during many an event. (I hate silence...)
Also, I discovered The Renaissance Dance Database yesterday but it looks like some of the links are dead. Still, rabbit hole