The city of Fayetteville is cordially invited to attend a regency era dance workshop hosted by the incomparable Charles Steplively on Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. at the Hay Street United Methodist Church gym.
Steplively will be joined by members of the Lafayette Society to teach these dances to the public in an effort to help bring the authenticity of time period dances to the National Celebration of the Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour in March 2025. The March celebration will include the Lafayette Bicentennial Ball, and organizers hope the ball will be a place to showcase the dancing the Marquis de Lafayette would have experienced during his time in Fayetteville in 1825.
“The idea for the workshop came about because we thought since the dances are so different from modern dances, it would make the ball more enjoyable if you had previous exposure to English Country Dances,” said Sylvia Bisbee, an organizer for the dance event.
“English Country Dances are great, because you get to dance with people. You are part of something, and it is such a blast. It is always great to see people enjoying themselves and so many times, at first people are like, ‘I don't know how to dance,’ and we always tell them, if you can walk, you can dance. And it really is true,” she said. “English Country Dancing does not have difficult steps you have to learn. If you can walk forwards, backwards and sideways you are qualified. Well, and sometimes there is also a little clap involved and a turn.”
Jeremy Gershman, a dance master who goes by the pseudonym “Charles Steplively,” will be coming down from Virginia to help teach the dances.
“The dance class was the idea of the dance master, Mr. Steplively. The idea is to teach the dances we’ll perform at the ball and to generate interest in attending the ball. I’m sure they didn’t have a class back in the day but they already knew the dances,” said Janelle Prement, co-chair in charge of the Lafayette Farewell Tour Ball. “Personally, I’m looking forward to celebrate with people that enjoy lessons from history and appreciate the historical presence of Lafayette.”
The dance workshop is not a one-off; other dance workshops will be held until the Bicentennial Ball in March to help keep the dances fresh in people’s minds.
“We plan on having additional workshops for free between the November workshop and the ball in March, just to keep the dances in the muscle memory. We will be opening these practices up to anyone who is interested. This will also be in conjunction with the Bridgerton Youth Ball the library is planning in March,” said Bisbee.
Bisbee is a passionate dancer. While she is not part of the Lafayette Society, she jumped at the chance to help the group organize dancing lessons for the people of Fayetteville.
“I met Hank [Parfitt] because we started dancing at the Dickens Festival many years ago. By ‘we,’ I mean myself and my beautiful dance sisters Michele, Katie and Amanda. So, when the subject of a ball came up, I said count me in and so did the rest of the gang. They will also be helping with the additional workshops we plan,” she said. “I absolutely love to dance and learning new dances is always a plus.”
Bisbee is excited to be a part of the ball in March, and expressed her hopes that attendees will show up dressed to impress.
“It is so much fun when everyone shows up all dressed up. These days, this is rare. So, part of the ball is also to show off your beautiful gown and also enjoy all the other beautiful gowns and see the gentlemen in their handsome suits. This creates a special and magical atmosphere,” she said.
Tickets to this first workshop are $20 a person and can be purchased at https://www.lafayettesociety.org/the-grand-tour-bicentennial/. For those who have already purchased tickets to the Bicentennial Ball, the workshop is free of charge by visiting the link above.