[MR] At Assessment, the Dancing Is as Intense as the Fighting!

[Michelle C via Atlantia]

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, I will be teaching a class on Galliards and
Canary, two improvised dance styles wildly popular in period that are
rarely seen at balls here in southern Atlantia.

Galliards are high-energy kicking dance steps. Doing them requires a
bit of aerobic conditioning, knees and ankles that can handle repeated
jumps, and shoes that can handle repeated landings.

Canary dance steps are the forerunners of flamenco dancing. Dancers
need full range of motion of their feet and ankles. It helps to have
an ear for rhythm. Hard-soled shoes make them more fun.

Why?
To take advantage of the depth of our bardic/music community. Our
Baronial Bardic Champion, Mistress Azza even suggested doing the
galliard portion of Belle Qui at the ball! A while ago, Lord Johann
introduced me to Canarios, which is a beautiful piece of music he
plays expertly and said he would love to play for dancing! He also has
a number of galliards in his repertoire (and keeps creating more).

Also, to offer dances that aren't so region-specific. If your persona
is Spanish, Scottish, German, etc., you were probably familiar with
these.

~Wenllyan