One of the tasks of the 18th-century dancing master or teacher, was to perfect the posture of his students. Through better posture, not only did the skills of dancing, riding a horse and fencing become easier and more efficient, but the noble presence of the student was also improved, giving the student needed self-confidence to communicate with others in public and to rule their domain.
In this workshop, a lecture-demonstration and practical dance class, students will learn basic 18thcentury noble carriage of the body, different bows or courtesies, and basic dances such as the menuet. This class is for everyone regardless of dance or AT experience. Students should wear comfortable clothing and thin-soled dance shoes or socks. Baroque dance steps are fairly small, but as much space as you can manage will help you have a good experience.
About Thomas Baird
Baroque Dance specialist, Thomas Baird has choreographed Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac, (2005-06 & 2015) for the Metropolitan Opera, choregraphed and performed with the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts for ten years and has been a period movement consultant for several Broadway productions. Along with Paige Whitley-Bauguess, his dance partner of twenty-five years, he has performed with leading early music groups all over the world. With his husband Hugh Murphy, he co- directed the East Coast Baroque Dance Workshop at Rutgers University from 1998-2008. His dance training includes many years of study with Betty Seibert (Cecchetti Method), Janet Panetta, Wendy Hilton, and Alfredo, Andra and Ernesta Corvino. Some of Mr. Baird’s writings on historical dance have been published by Oxford University Press. He currently teaches ten dance-based online classes weekly.
A 2009 graduate of the Balance Arts Center (Ann Rodiger, director), Mr. Baird is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. He has presented workshops at many AT conferences such as the Freedom to Move, Freedom to Play and Sing, and Freedom to Write, and at Franklyn & Marshall College, Ohio Northern University, The Westerhoff School of Music, University of Richmond, and in Tokyo, Japan. Since 2010, he has taught the Alexander Technique in the Dance and Music Conservatories at SUNY Purchase College, and he assisted Jane Kosminsky in the Dance Division at The Juilliard School for 14 years. He is a long-time faculty member of the BAC’s Alexander Teacher Training program, and has private practices in NYC and Norwalk, CT. From 2014-2019, he was on the faculty of Si Parla, Si Canta, an opera intensive held in Urbania and Arona, Italy. He also teaches Alexander Technique + Classical Ballet = bAlleT, a dance class based on the principles of the AT.
https://www.dancinghistory.net/
