More dancing in Ohio!

Howdy all!

In the last three or four months...things have become a little more hectic and productive at the same time. Which, to be fair, always happens it seems. The new dance group at OHS did FANTASTIC! I am beyond proud of everyone who participated and am really excited about our next projects together. I'm pretty sure that we were one of the most popular attractions at Halloween, and we kept the Seminary PACKED for Dickens. Go us!

Now on to the next fun projects....monthly dance classes at the Grandview Public Library, 1930's classes for the Speakeasy, maybe some fun 1860's balls at the German Village Society...and me finally tackling a website for the first time since 2002. Help?

Anyway -- for those of you in the Columbus area, I'm starting a new class over at the library. I'm calling it 'But I already Danced all the Dances I know' - and it is an informal dance class that will be held once a month. I decided to open this class series up as an opportunity for everyone to come together and learn dances from the early Renaissance all the way through the Civil War in a safe, fun, and non-stressful environment. I can't WAIT to get started. If you're not on my email list and would like to - drop me a note and I'll get you the information!

Yay Dance!!

Well, I guess that makes it official

From my inbox:

Greetings,
We are forming an Historic Dance Troupe for the Ohio Village events!! OHS Volunteer Genevieve is conducting these workshops for us with the premiere performance at All Hallows Eve on Oct.16 & 23. The main emphasis will be on mid 19th century dances, but will eventually expand to other time periods. We want to use this troupe at all our major events. The thinking behind the formation of this troupe is another way to draw our visitors into the village experience. So it is more than just demonstrating to the public - you will learn the dances but you will also learn how to have our visitors accompany you in the dance. The classes will be held on 9/2, 9/16, 9/30 and 10/14 from 6-8 pm. (The first 3 sessions will be held in the Museum, the last in the Village Town Hall). If you are interested in joining you must commit to all four training sessions.

We are also in search of folks with musical instrument background to accompany the dance troupe and to play at our events.

Please let me know if you are interested in either of the above mentioned opportunities. It will add a great new dimension to our programs!

Best regards,
Susan

And with that...it is finally happening and real. I'm nervous and such, but hopefully people will enjoy it. I've become a much better teacher than when I first started, thankfully. Its always very daunting starting from scratch though, no matter where it is. Luckily, there are a few volunteers who already have dance knowledge - I am so grateful for them!

Wish me luck, and if you're in Columbus, come on by!

The only thing I really missed having....

...was a radio.

Just got finished working the Origins Game Fair. The Historical Society was putting on a dinner theater - Murder Mystery Friday night, and I was along to help out. I was playing one of the mannequins that comes to life (we're doing a Night at the Museum type story), but that was the secondary part for me.

I'm just going to admit this right out: I love running crew. I adore organizing, running props, finding actors, talking to organizers and all of that. I love the sore feet, the clipboard of power, the schmoozing...all of it. The older I've grown, the more and more I enjoy doing the background work. It is so rewarding to see the plan come together.

The show went off without a hitch (except for the room being a little large). They want to do more next year - different stories, more time periods, encouraging costumes. I'm totally excited to be a part of all of this. I also totally want to do a Steampunk Murder Mystery, but that's just my own pipe and cog dream, I think ;)

Hopefully, I'll have more crew work soon. Keep your fingers crossed!