August 5–12, 2007
Portsmouth and Newport, RI

Greetings!

It sounds clichéd, but I can’t believe this is the 20^th welcome to Newport we are sending. What is most amazing is that CVD is as excited about this year’s conference as we were about the first—maybe even more, as the first year trepidation is long past, and we know the wonderful events planned and look forward to seeing the delightful folks who will be attending. We are thrilled that Richard Powers, one of our original teaching staff, will be back this year. It is also a pleasure to welcome Joan Walton and Marc Casslar, who have been frequent Newport instructors. We are also pleased to welcome back Susan de Guardiola. CVD’s own Barbara Pugliese, Antonia Pugliese and Idy Codington round out the week’s staff. Our period events this year will include a silent movie night and we will once again feature a “Bathing Beauty Tea.” The balls will be at many of our favorite venues: Wednesday we are at Astors’ Beechwood for the late 19^th century ball and Thursday we return to Glen Manor for the ragtime dinner and ball. It is a special pleasure to return on Friday to the site of our first mid 19^th century ball: Ochre Court. As you prepare for your trip, here are some further details about the week’s activities and hints on preparing for them.
 
Note: If you are arriving on Sunday, August 5, please be aware that the Newport Folk Festival will be ending. Hopefully, you will be going against traffic, but you may want to allow a bit of extra travel time.

Hannah Roberts Artuso,
Conference Director

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

On-Site Registration

On-Site Registration will be in the Cortazzo Administration Building’s Winter Garden
at the Portsmouth Abbey School.

Early Check-in: Sunday, August 5 (3:00–9:00pm)     Winter Garden

Participants may, for an extra fee, arrive on Sunday to sight see in Newport. The fee is $50 per person for a double room or $60 for a single and includes Sunday dinner (5:30–6:30pm) and Monday breakfast and lunch. Space is very limited; reservations for Sunday accommodations must be made no later than August 1.^st

Participants arriving on Sunday August 5 should pick up their room keys between 3:00 and 9:00pm in the Winter Garden and should register for the conference on Monday. There is no 24-hour security office on campus, so we must staff a check-in table. No keys will be given out after 9:00pm on Sunday. If this causes you tremendous inconvenience because of a flight you have already booked, call Hannah at (781) 662–8344 and we will try to work something out.

On-Site Registration: Monday, August 6 (3:00–5:30pm, 7:30–10:30pm)      Winter Garden

Registration will open at 3:00pm on Monday, August 6, in the Cortazzo Administration Building’s Winter Garden at Portsmouth Abbey School and will remain open until 5:30pm, when it will close for dinner. Registration will also be open, for latecomers, during the evening Welcome Party. Everyone is urged to arrive in time for dinner.

All fees are due upon registration.

Payment (in US dollars) can be made in the form of check, money order, travelers check or cash and should be made payable to: CVD. We are unable to accept credit cards.

Key Deposit:

It is necessary to charge each participant a $20 key deposit ($40/couple). A separate check for the deposit, made payable to CVD, is required. Checks are returned after the week to all who return their key. *In an effort to streamline registration, an envelope is included in this packet for your key deposit. Please address the envelope to yourself, enclose your key deposit, and bring it with you to registration.*

Check Out:

All rooms must be vacated and keys returned by 11am on Sunday, August 12.^th

Monday Schedule:

Leave time in your schedule for the Costuming Workshop on Dress Embellishments at 2:30pm and Orientation at 4pm!

Volunteer Jobs:

There are a tremendous number of details to be attended to in order to make a week such as this a success. We accomplish this feat by asking each participant to assist CVD members at one or two events during the week. With everyone pitching in, no one has to devote a major amount of time attending to these tasks, and the disruption to everyone’s dancing pleasure is minimal. A description of the jobs and a sign–up sheet will be available at registration. Please sign up to help, and thank you in advance!

For Further Pre-Conference Information:

Please feel free to call conference coordinator Hannah Roberts Artuso at: (781) 662–8344.
You may call as early as 7:30am and as late as 10:00pm (eastern time).
All correspondence should be sent to:
         CVD Newport
        99 Malvern St.
        Melrose, MA 02176
Some conference information is on our website: Newport homepage
Or you may e-mail your questions to:

In Case of Emergency:

Participants can have messages left for them at the Portsmouth Abbey main number: (401) 683–2000. When the switchboard is closed at night, voice mail can still be left by dialing the number above or a caller may dial the main number and press "1" for an emergency, when the recorded voice instructs. In either case the caller should indicate that you are with the Vintage Dance Conference. Also, each dormitory has a pay phone at which you might be reached. In cases of emergency during the week, you may also call Hannah Roberts Artuso’s cell phone at: (781) 799–9228. Mail may be sent to:
During the Dance Week mail may be sent to:
    c/o Summer Program Office
    Vintage Dance Conference
    Portsmouth Abbey School
    285 Cory’s Lane
    Portsmouth, RI 02871–1352

CAMPUS AND FACILITIES

The Campus:

The Portsmouth Abbey School’s 500-acre campus is situated on the edge of Narragansett Bay, 7 miles from downtown Newport. Enclosed is a map with driving directions as well as a map showing the campus. Transportation information is given on the last page of this booklet.

Housing:

We will be housed in dormitories on the lower campus. Most rooms are doubles with twin beds. Linens and bath towels will be provided. Each participant has a closet. In most rooms, full length closet space is approximately 18" wide. Most rooms have two half-length closet areas next to the full-length section. No rooms have private baths or air-conditioning. Note: St. Benet’s has been outfitted with bunk beds. Please indicate on the reply form if you are willing to be in a room with bunk beds.

Parking:

During the week cars must not be parked at the dormitories except for brief periods while picking up or dropping off people or goods. After unloading upon arrival, all cars must be parked in the lot adjacent to the hockey rink or the lot near the art building.

Meals:

Several entrees, as well as a salad bar, will be available at each meal. Although the kitchen cannot meet special dietary requests, a vegetarian entree will be available at each meal. Meals are included from Monday dinner through Sunday breakfast. Please note that alcohol may not be brought into the dining hall. Each dorm is equipped with a soda machine. Limited space for storing drinks and snacks is also available in the refrigerator located in each dorm.

Noise, Smoking & Pets:

Resident monks, as well as faculty and their families, make their permanent home at the Abbey. For this reason, late night noise is not permitted. The School does not allow smoking in or near any of the buildings, including dormitories. Pets may not be brought to the Portsmouth Abbey campus.

Laundry Facilities, Telephones & Computers:

Each dorm has a coin-operated washer and dryer, as well as an iron and ironing board. There are no telephones in individual rooms, but pay phones are available in each dorm. Each dorm does have a computer room with Internet access.

Beach and Facilities:

Participants are welcome to use the small, stony beach adjacent to the campus. A pair of bathing shoes is recommended, as well as a beach towel; sandy beaches are available in nearby Newport. School facilities (such as tennis courts, library, etc.) are available to dance week participants. We will be the only conference on campus during the week.

GROUP TOUR AND SIGHT SEEING

Group Tour

On Tuesday afternoon, we will offer an optional group tour of Chateau-sur-Mer, a landmark of High Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics and stenciling. It was the most palatial residence in Newport from its completion in 1852 until the appearance of the Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s. It was the scene of memorable entertainments, from the “Fete Champetre,” an elaborate country picnic for over two thousand guests held in 1857, to the debutante ball for Miss Edith Wetmore in 1889. Chateau-sur-Mer was built as an Italianate-style villa for China trade merchant William Shepard Wetmore. During the 1870s, architect Richard Morris Hunt remodeled and redecorated the house in the Second Empire French style. As a result, Chateau-sur-Mer displays most of the major design trends of the last half of the 19th century. The famed Olmsted Brothers “improved” the grounds in 1915 for Senator George Peabody Wetmore.  Tour cost is $9 and is payable at registration.
 
If you would like to tour additional mansions, or enjoy a stroll along the Cliff Walk, you might consider arriving on Sunday or early Monday to view a mansion or two before check-in. Ten mansions are owned by the Newport Preservation Society and discounts can be obtained by purchasing multiple tickets at the first mansion you visit.
 
We also highly recommend a tour of the Astors’ Beechwood (not one of the Preservation Society mansions). The tour is led by members of the Astor family and their staff. We will be holding our 1890’s ball there Wednesday evening but will not have a tour then. From past experience we have found that it is wise to plan to see no more than two mansions in an afternoon. For further Newport information visit Newport Preservation Society Website or the Astors' Beechwood Website or call the Newport Information Center in Newport at: (800) 976-5122.

WHAT TO BRING AND WHAT TO WEAR

Clothing for Classes:

Modern dancewear or any lightweight clothing that provides freedom of movement is ideal. Ladies may wish to wear a full skirt to classes to practice the art of dancing in a ball dress. Lightweight, flexible-soled, shoes that have not been worn out-of-doors are required for all dance surfaces. Ladies should have flat shoes or slippers for the 19th Century classes and shoes with 1 - 2" heels (e.g., Capezio character shoes) for ragtime and 1920’s. Gentlemen should wear jazz oxfords or some other lightweight shoe with a moderate heel. Sneakers or other high traction shoes do not lend themselves to many dance movements and are dangerous to the wearer in some circumstances. Leg warmers are recommended for everyone.

Clothing for Social Events:

After some debate within The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers, we have included a set of fairly detailed costume sheets illustrating ideal outfits for events that we will be hosting during the week. Several members of CVD felt that including such a sheet would carry an unwritten implication that elaborate costuming was expected even if not required, and therefore argued that these sheets should not be included. Others, who agreed that no one should feel obliged to spend more work on their wardrobe than they wanted to, felt that it was unreasonable to deprive those attendees who were interested in doing more costume preparation of information that could help them produce the most appropriate looks.

Please regard all the information that we are including in that light. It is not necessary to have perfectly reproduced period outfits for any of the week’s events. Some participants do have large vintage wardrobes and while this can be intimidating to newcomers, it must be remembered that these participants have usually spent many years and considerable effort building up these wardrobes. Everyone understands that many dancers have had neither the time, nor possibly the inclination, to devote to this particular aspect of vintage dance.

For further information on costuming please feel free to e-mail or call Katy Bishop at (781) 593–3038 or Barbara Pugliese at (781) 396–2870. Please don't call earlier than 9am or later than 10pm eastern time.

Things you may wish to bring:

A full-length mirror, extra hangers, beach towels, flashlight, change for washer/dryers and soda machines. In past years, sea breezes have usually made up for the lack of air conditioning, but if you are concerned about heat, you may wish to bring a window fan. If you tend to get chilled at night you might bring an extra blanket. Each dorm has an iron and ironing board, but you may want to bring your own so that you can use it in your room.

CLASSES AND INSTRUCTORS

Classes:

Classes are offered for all levels of dancers. There will be three class periods each day and two classes to choose from during each class period. For classes covering core material, participants will have a choice between beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced classes. The distinction here is intended to reflect a dancer’s familiarity with the specific material of vintage dance rather than his or her overall ability as a dancer. Specialty classes are intended to be accessible to dancers at a wide range of experience levels. In the Quadrille class we will teach this year’s quadrille to all participants, as this figured dance will be presented without instruction at the Friday ball.

Warm–ups:

Warm–ups will begin at 8:50 each morning in the upper Gymnasium, led by Idy Codington. For safety’s sake, to help avoid injury, we urge everyone to take the responsibility to be properly warmed–up.

Instructors:

Marc Casslar will teach a 19th century specialty class.

Idy Codington will lead morning warm–ups.

Susan de Guardiola and Antonia Pugliese will co–teach beginning 19th century dance.

Richard Powerswill teach intermediate/advanced 19th century and specialty ragtime classes.

Barbara M. Pugliese will teach the quadrille class.

Joan Walton will teach ragtime dance classes

DAILY SCHEDULE
(precise times may change)

MONDAY, AUGUST 6

Registration (3:00–5:30pm)    Winter Garden
Cortazzo Administration Building’s Winter Garden at Portsmouth Abbey School.

Costume Workshop (Monday 2:30–4:00pm)    near registration
Embellishments: Dress Trims. Katy Bishop will offer advice on trimming gowns in period styles. Please bring along your own materials, feathers, ribbons and trims, to match your gown if possible. There will be a small supply of trimmings available for those who cannot bring their own. This will be a hands-on seminar!

Orientation (Monday 4:30–5:15pm)    near registration
Led by Barbara Pugliese, we will host an informal, optional, open discussion to introduce newcomers to various aspects of the Dance Week and to answer questions. First timers to the dance week are encouraged to drop by for a few minutes (or longer) to hear about the events and customs of the week. Experienced participants are welcome to come by and hear about the new events for this year and to offer insights to first timers.

Late Registration (7:30–10:30pm)    Winter Garden

Welcome Dance (8:30–10:30pm)    Auditorium
This event is a chance to meet new and old friends in a relaxed atmosphere, with both Victorian and Ragtime dancing. Instructors will be introduced and will give an introduction to their classes at approximately 9:30pm. Dress can be casual: modern or vintage.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7

Morning Classes    Gymnasium

Group Tour (2:00–5:00pm)    Chateau–sur–Mer, 474 Bellevue Ave., Newport Members of CVD will be leading an optional group tour to Chateau–sur–Mer, a spectacular early Newport mansion. We will carpool to the tour. Departure from campus will be at 2:15pm for our 3:00pm tour. Please sign up on the reply form. The $9 fee will be collected at registration.
 
This afternoon is also available for participants to schedule their own activities: a walk along the Cliff Walk; a visit to Newport’s beaches and the carousel; an antique hunt or a peaceful afternoon on the bucolic Portsmouth Abbey campus.

Moving Picture Evening(7:45–9:15pm)    Auditiorium
Join us at the “Newport Orpheum Cinema” as we present an entertaining silent film accompanied by an abundance of popcorn and cold drinks. No reservations required. Dress can be casual: modern or vintage.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8

Morning and Afternoon Classes    Gymnasium

Swap & Sell (3:30–4:45pm)    Auditorium
Perhaps you have a gown or dress-coat that you just can't wear any more, or maybe you have left your favorite gloves at home, or if you just want to own more (or less) stuff, then the Vintage Swap & Sell is for you! Participants are encouraged to bring items (vintage or not) to sell or trade.

1890s Formal Ball (8:00–11:00pm)    the Astors' Beechwood, Newport
Come dance the latest 90s steps in the dazzling ballroom of Beechwood, 580 Bellevue Avenue, where Mrs. Astor welcomed Newport’s social elite. The New River Dance Orchestra will be entertaining us with their splendid music.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9

Morning and Afternoon Classes    Gymnasium

Summer Garden Tea(3:30–5:00pm)     Manor House Lawn
Come relax or chat with other Dance Week participants. Casual dress, modern or vintage, is appropriate.

Reception, Formal Dinner and Ragtime Ball (6:15–11:00pm)    Glen Manor House
We will be traveling off campus to the nearby French-inspired chateau of Glen Manor House, 3 Coelho Drive, Portsmouth, for a reception and formal dinner to be followed by a ragtime ball, with live music by The New River Dance Orchestra.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10

Morning and Afternoon Classes    Gymnasium

Massage Workshop (3:00–4:00pm)    Gymnasium
To nurture dancers’ tired muscles, Bonnie Carpenter will offer a massage workshop. Bonnie has studied a variety of massage techniques, including those of the Far East. She has recently returned from studying in Thailand. A great way to give your feet an extra day of dancing! Bring a towel.

Bathing Beauties Tea (3:30–5:00pm)    Manor House Gazebo
Come sit and chat with other Dance Week participants, play a game of croquet, or visit the lovely stony beach adjacent to the lower field where tea is served. Casual dress, modern or vintage, or period bathing costume, is appropriate.

Mid–Nineteenth Century Ball (8:00–11:00pm)    Ochre Court, Newport
We will turn back the clock and visit the mid–19^th century, with an evening of dancing in Ochre Court Mansion in Newport. Live music will be provided by The New River Dance Orchestra.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11

Morning Class    Gymnasium

Lectures (10:30–12:00)    Auditorium
Schedule will be available at registration.

Free Time (1:00–3:00pm)    Time for a Snooze?

Formal Tea (3:00–5:00pm)    Manor House Lawn
We continue the tradition popularized by Queen Victoria: the taking of afternoon tea. A cup of tea, some fine pastries and pleasant company bring us a moment best described by Charles Dickens as one "in which we were perfectly contented with ourselves and one another." We'll even add a few rounds of croquet or badminton to our afternoon. Summer whites or formal daywear is encouraged; this would be the day to wear your most formal period daywear.

New England Lobster Dinner (5:30–6:30pm)     Dining Hall
What would summer in New England be without a lobster feast? Alternative fare will be available for non-crustacean eaters.

Fancy Dress Ball (8:00–10:30pm)     Upper Gymnasium

Celestial Realms

To celebrate 20 years of Newport Dance Weeks, The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers invites you to join us, as many did twenty years ago, at the Celestial Worlds Ball. Have you ever wanted to be a planet, a moon, a comet, an asteroid? Perhaps you just want to visit new worlds. Or are you happier observing from afar? Come and dance among the stars to the music of the spheres at the Celestial Worlds Ball.

The goal of the Fancy Dress Ball is to draw upon the theme for costume inspiration in the manner of a party goer of the late 19th century; historical accuracy can take a back seat to fanciful interpretation. One may also wish to indulge in a particularly "punny" or representative costume. This will be an informal evening of dancing and merriment, featuring recorded music from the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

HOW TO GET TO CAMPUS

Transportation to Portsmouth

Enclosed are a map and directions for participants who will be driving to Newport. Participants who are flying may go to either T. F. Green Airport in Providence or Logan Airport in Boston. Providence is closer and usually more convenient. Participants who fly into Providence may either rent a car or take the airport shuttle. The campus is about 7 miles from the center of Newport. You will not need a car to get around campus and transportation to off–campus events will be available. If you want to do extensive sightseeing in and around Newport, you may want to consider renting a car.

From Providence/ T. F. Green Airport

To take public transportation from the airport, you will need to take the airport shuttle from the airport to Portsmouth and a taxi (which the shuttle driver can arrange) from Portsmouth to the campus. The Cozy Cab Company runs a shuttle between T. F. Green Airport, Portsmouth and Newport. Travel time is about 35 minutes. The shuttle leaves from in front of the Avis area, near baggage claim. Tell the driver you want to go to the Portsmouth Howard Johnson’s and that you need a taxi to take you to Portsmouth Abbey School. The driver can call ahead and have a taxi waiting for you. The cost for the shuttle is a flat rate of $20 one–way. The taxi is a metered fare and usually runs around $17. The cab company’s number is: (800) 846–1502 or (401) 846–2500. Cash or travelers checks (up to $20 denomination) are accepted. Reservations are strongly advised, especially for the late night runs. See www.cozytrans.com for more information.

Please be aware that a taxi from the airport will run $65–70. However, if two or more are traveling together, you can, with 24 hr. notice, reserve a sedan and the flat rate of approximately $65 will apply. (Prices subject to change.)

From Boston/Logan Airport

The Peter Pan Bonanza bus company runs buses from Boston to Newport. The buses leave from South Station (700 Atlantic Ave). South Station is located on the Red Line of the subway. Travel time from South Station is about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The cost is one–way $19.00, round trip $36. Buses terminate in Portsmouth at the Clemens IGA Market. If we know in advance that you are taking the bus, we will try to have someone meet you. Otherwise, you will need to call a taxi to take you to the Portsmouth Abbey School campus. Boston’s Peter Pan Bonanza Bus Company telephone is: (888) 751–8800.