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Events of Note
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By no means a comprehensive list of the events I have stewarded or been involved with, this is merely some ramblings about those events that stand out. Sadly I'm usually too busy running things to remember to take pictures of the event, so this is rather a sparse gallery. Recruitment Pas d’Armes This was the first event I stewarded. It was held in a small clearing
in Ilam gardens just across from the University, which proved to be a
picturesque location for heavy combat. (However the trek from cars to the
glade did prove to be a bit of a killer.)
Scheduled to assist recruitment during Orientation week at the
University, this Pas d’Armes provided a taste of the SCA for those who had
seen us at Clubs day and wanted to know more.
First Feast With a theme of Crusaders leaving for the Holy Land, each course was
based on the food of a different location the Crusaders would pass through
on their travels. I no longer remember the exact destinations, nor the
dishes involved, but I do recall looking forward to the feast as Cristia
took me through the research and planning while she confirmed the menu. I
also remember that I was not disappointed on the night.
Between each course, each table (or Crusading Army) needed to solve a
stage in the quest. The idea of the quest was to encourage interaction
between newcomers and long term participants. To that end, the newest
person at each table was the Army Captain, and the highest ranked
individual became their Advisor. It worked well, inspiring us to do the
same the next year.
Throughout the evening each army needed to identify locations on a map
(London, Constantinople, Venice, Jerusalem etc), form alliances with other
Armies and trade various items in order to survive. Bribery and creativity
in answers were rewarded when it came to judging. The winning table was
awarded the subtletie - an icing castle containing a large quantity of
chocolate coins.
Just to make my first attempt at stewarding a proper event interesting,
all of this happened with a TV crew on site filming us for a slot in a
national television programme.
And a frozen chicken disappeared somewhere.
First Feast A follow up to the previous feast, this one had a theme built around the idea of improving relations between England and Spain. As before, each course was based around food from one or other of the countries involved. The food surpassed expectations, which was surprising considering how delicious the previous First Feast actually was. The quest was also based on the previous year’s example. Each table was a team including newcomers and ‘old timers’, which needed to complete various tasks and solve the puzzles in order to win the prize. This year one of the tasks they needed to complete was to arrange marriages to strengthen ties between England and Spain. People came prepared to this feast. Not only did some claim to be wearing their loose garb (so as to be able to sufficiently sample all the dishes), but many brought bribes in the hopes of swaying the rather corrupt judges.
Baronial
Anniversary This event makes my list of favourites purely because it worked in spite of everything going wrong. For example: All of that on top of the usual event stewarding stuff. Suffice to say, it was a character building exercise. However, despite, or possibly because of that, I still remember a
number of highlights including: It was only due to those few who actually got on with their delegated jobs as promised that the event worked as well as it did. Kudos to Lurencia (and the kitchen staff she had organized) for running a smooth kitchen, Cristia for everything and the Lists (Geoffrey and Arabella) who took suggestions from a week earlier and made it happen on the day. Additionally, Edward who vacated the kitchen to finish hanging banners when others disappeared and Griffon who turned up to say “hi” for 5 minutes and spent over half an hour lugging and hanging things were absolute godsends. But, at least we didn’t lose a chicken, and no body else had any idea about the crises.
Guild
Hafla The inaugural hafla of the Guild was a particularly enjoyable event
held in a small community homestead on the banks of the Avon river.
To enhance the atmosphere we draped huge amounts of crimson fabric
around the walls - covering notice boards, posters and ugly curtains. We
also moved the majority of chairs out of the front room (thanks to Vitale
and Tycho’s careful hefting and stacking) and converted the remaining
seating into plush divans with the help of yet more fabric and numerous
cushions. Even more cushions were strewn about the floor around low tables
populated with chess, backgammon or platters of mezze.
The whole room just oozed opulence with a hint of decadence, and then
we lit the candle lanterns. It was magical.
Although fully catered by Cristia, a number of guests also brought food
(including a particularly delicious chilli hummus) ensuring we would not
go hungry. In fact, people ate so much we were surprised there was actual
dancing once the drumming started.
Cristia and I spontaneously did a particularly stunning improvised
sword duet that involved everything from floor-work to turns and floor
patterning. It was amazing and accomplished with barely a wobble.
Afterwards we very nearly ran out of room when everyone wanted an
‘introduction to bellydance’ class right there and then.
We danced and drummed until we dropped and someone else took our place.
It was a particularly enjoyable evening that I will not soon
forget. Carnivale Ball
The Carnival Ball was a masked ball set during the Venetian Carnival of
1497. It was a limited focus event based around my desire for a more
period style of ball, and to give my friends and I the opportunity to
really dance. (By dance I mean use a whole dance floor and add expression
and personality to the movements etc as opposed to just running through
the motions in too little space.)
The dance list was limited to seven 15th Century Italian dances
(Cupido, Prexonera, Anello, Amoroso, Petit Vriens, Rostibolli Gioioso and
Grazioso) that I had taught at several practices during the lead up to the
event.
On the night, the dance floor was held by only one couple during each
dance (except Petit Vriens). There was an initial (seeded) dance list to
get the ball underway, but once that was exhausted dancers requested their
choice and preferred music ahead of taking the floor. It went well even
though there were few ‘dancers’ present and many attendees were nervous
about dancing in rather isolated pairs. However, they soon discovered that
as long as you kept moving throughout (and finished with the music) it
looked like you knew exactly what you were doing.
A number of people made an attempt to
dress in clothing contemporary to the period in order to enhance the
event, and that effort was appreciated.
The venue is the absolutely stunning Rose Chapel. If
you ever get the opportunity, do go and have a look at
this beautiful part of Christchurch's history. The terracotta tile floor alone is worth it.
More pictures of the event can be
viewed at: http://vitale.250free.com/ball2004/ Merchants’ Ball
Following the success of the Carnivale Ball, I decided to try a ball
that focused on a selection of dances that tends to be more popular with
the locals. As branles often entice the most people onto the floor, I
chose to base this ball around them.
The basic theme was that this was dance thrown by the merchants of a
small, but prosperous French town during the winter of 1589. All the
dances were taken from the contemporary Arbeau manual, and attendees were
encouraged to dress to match the theme.
Once the dance list was completed, dancers were able to request any
dances they liked – provided they were of a style mentioned or described
in Arbeau (and we had the music).
A light supper was also served in light of SCA tradition and
suggestions from the previous year. Jugs of water, cordials and drinking
vinegars made the rounds between dances.
Many thanks are due to Geoffrey and
Angus who were in charge of distributing food and drink amongst the
participants, and to Cristia and Arabella who helped out in the kitchen
when I was not able to.
You can see the original advertising website here
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