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Last updated:21 september 2008/csb
In Memoriam
Patri J. Pugliese
1950-2007
Please visit the Patri memorial page.
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New!
Salem Vintage Dances Series!
2nd and 4th Friday Evenings. Old Town Hall, Salem, MA.
Opening Dance September 26
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An Introduction to
The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers
Experience the elegance and charm of yesterday's ballroom when
society was in its heyday and dance was a favorite pastime. Since
1983, the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers have been reconstructing,
performing and teaching social dances of the Nineteenth and Early
Twentieth Centuries.
Combining exquisite costuming with a fine sense of period manners,
style and customs, the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers bring to life
the most popular dances of their day. In addition to providing
performances of these dances, the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers can
help organize and run Grand Balls, Tea Dances, Garden Parties and
other period amusements. We are experienced at teaching classes and
leading workshops for beginner through advanced dancers. Each summer
our company hosts the
Newport Vintage Dance Week,
a week-long extravaganza of dance and amusements in and
around the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island.
The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers perform the dances of three major
periods: the Mid-Nineteenth Century (the 1850-60's), the Late
Nineteenth Century (the 1890's), and the Ragtime Era (1900-1920's).
Each of these has its own distinctive style of dance, costume, and
etiquette.
Our Mid-Nineteenth Century program features the well-established
dances of the period, the Waltz and Quadrille (a genteel ancestor of
today's square dance), as well as the more "modern" Polka and new
exotic waltz variations such as the Zingerella, Varsovienne, and
Koska. The emphasis is on graceful movement and manners as ladies in
authentically reproduced hoop-skirted ball gowns glide through steps
and figures with their partners.
To capture the elegance of the Late Nineteenth Century, our ladies
wear richly colored evening gowns, with flowing skirts and extravagantly
puffed sleeves. The Waltz and Polka retain their popularity, but the
variations have multiplied in number and in complexity. Our
presentation of the dances of the 1890's is perfect for centennial
celebrations.
In addition to the evening dress of the 1890's, CVD also performs in day wear of the period,
perfect for Summer teas and outdoor parties. Ladies in white gowns, with puffed sleeves, large
parasols and bedecked straw hats are complimented nicely by the gentlemen in crisp white suits and straw
boaters; all perfectly suited to doing a lovely Waltz or lively Cake-Walk.
The Ragtime Era saw the rise of a new style of lively, syncopated
music. We capture the delightful exuberance of the period in our
performance of the "most up to date" dances: Animal dances (Turkey
Trot, Grizzly Bear, Lame Duck, etc.), Tango, and Hesitation Waltz.
The gowns are brightly colored and elaborately draped which mirrors
the liveliness of the dances and music.
Our company has taken part in a variety of festivals and events
including: Boston's "First Night," the Statue of Liberty Summer
Festival, Cambridge River Festival, the New England Antique Boat
Show, and the Boston 4th of July Celebration on the Esplanade. We
have performed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the New England
Conservatory of Music, the Museum of Our National Heritage and for
many historical societies throughout New England. We have performed
in concert with the Meriden, Conn. Symphony Orchestra, as well as
with a variety of smaller music ensembles and with recorded music
accompaniment.
In 1990, the New England Chapter of the Victorian Society in
America presented to the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers its
Preservation Award in recognition of our work in researching,
reconstructing and reviving dances of the Victorian Era.
More recently CVD has been involved in several TV projects with PBS and
The History Channel. These include a dance sequence recreating a crowded
1890's Chicago ballroom in The American Experience Show Chicago: City of
the Century (2003). They also provided costumed extras for other
American Experience installments, one about Ulysses S. Grant, another
A Murder at Harvard(2002), which was about a notorious 1849 murder
case, and Mill Times(2002) also a PBS show featuring two of our ladies
as Lowell Mill Girls in the 1830's. For The History Channel several of CVD's
(and friends) best dressed men appeared in a documentary about Theodore
Roosevelt (2003).
To get on our general mailing list or to get information regarding bookings,
classes, or our Events Calendar, please contact:
THE COMMONWEALTH VINTAGE DANCERS
P.O. Box 9, Nahant, Massachusetts 01908
e-mail:
phone: Hannah Roberts Artuso: (781) 662-8344
(before 10pm eastern time, please)
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