Local Music/Dance News

First, the music news: Dr. Joanna Manring of the Jane Austen Singing School for Young Ladies (JASSYL) has set up a blog for JASSYL. Click here for the link; we've also added it to our list of links on the right. And we will certainly include it among the sites we discuss at our Lady Day meeting--"iJane: Jane Austen in the Information Age, 2011"--in the Sargent Room of the Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St., Liverpool, on Saturday, March 26, at 2 pm. We'll give more details about this meeting in an upcoming post.

Second, the dance news: Here is a video of the debut of a new English Country Dance that was written for Co-Coordinator Lisa Brown and named after her! “Lisa’s Maggot” is truly an all-Upstate-NY effort: It was choreographed by two dance callers from Syracuse--Carmen Guinta, a chemistry professor at LeMoyne College, and David Smukler, an education professor at SUNY Cortland. The music was composed by a dance musician from Binghamton, Charlene Thomson, who works at SUNY Binghamton. And it is performed in this YouTube video (made by Eric Borresen of Rochester) by the Rochester Country Dancers.



For those of you who may well be wondering about the word “maggot,” it's an archaic term for a whimsical or fanciful dance. The best-known maggot is "Mr. Beveridge's Maggot," because it plays a pivotal role in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

Lisa says that the video shows the first time anyone has danced this piece, and there were several beginning dancers participating, so it doesn’t look as polished as some other dance videos. However, your Regional Coordinator is impressed as all get-out by how well the dancers all perform this very complex maggot on their first run-through. And if you'd like to see some English Country Dancing performed in costume, check out Eric's various YouTube videos of past Jane Austen Balls in Rochester--or, better yet, attend this year's edition on Sunday, May 1 (again, more details will be provided in future posts).

Reminder: Joint JASNA Syracuse/Colgate JABC Meeting, Sat., Feb. 12

"Very well," was her ladyship's contented answer--"then Speculation if you please, Mrs. Grant. I know nothing about it, but Fanny must teach me."

Here Fanny interposed however with anxious protestations of her own equal ignorance...but upon every body's assuring her that nothing could be so easy, that it was the easiest game on the cards, and Henry Crawford's stepping forward with a most earnest request to be allowed to sit between her ladyship and Miss Price, and teach them both, it was so settled....[T]hough it was impossible for Fanny not to feel herself mistress of the rules of the game in three minutes, he had yet to inspirit her play, sharpen her avarice, and harden her heart, which, especially in any competition with William, was a work of some difficulty....

Thus Jane Austen introduces the famous Speculation scene in Mansfield Park. Although we won't have the dubious benefit of a Henry Crawford at hand to teach us the rules, we're going to observe the second annual joint meeting of the JASNA Syracuse Region and the Colgate Bookstore JA Book Club by trying a few rounds of Speculation ourselves--and by talking a bit first about Regency card and parlour games in general. The David Parlett Games site's "Rewrite" rules for Speculation seem to be the clearest set available online, so those are the rules we'll be using. (Click on the link for the online version, although hard copies will be available at the meeting.)

Please don't be shy about joining in the game: Your JASNA Regional Coordinators have never tried it before either, so we will all be starting from a position of "equal ignorance," unless some of you can advise us! And, to "inspirit your play, sharpen your avarice, and harden your hearts," a prize will be awarded to the player with the afternoon's cumulative high score: a copy of the book Regency House Party, by Lucy Jago (this was the companion to a U.K. Channel Four TV series a few years back).

So we hope you'll join us at the Colgate Bookstore (3 Utica St., Hamilton) on Saturday, February 12, at 2 pm! The Bookstore's meeting rooms are on the third floor.

Upcoming JASNA Syracuse Meetings

Here are descriptions of JASNA Syracuse’s late winter and spring 2011 meetings--which, as noted last fall, are being held as close to the Regency “quarter days” and “cross-quarter days” as we can manage. All meetings will be on Saturdays at 2 pm, unless otherwise indicated. Note especially the new location and date of the Lady Day meeting: The Books and Memories location wasn’t working out very well for Syracuse-area meetings, and we were unable to reserve a meeting room at the Liverpool Library for the originally scheduled Lady Day date of April 2.

February 12, 2011 (Candlemas): Colgate Bookstore, 3 Utica St., Hamilton. The “official” joint meeting of JASNA Syracuse and the Colgate Bookstore Jane Austen Book Club (JABC), even though many JABC members are also JASNA members. After a short discussion of Regency card games in general, we’ll try our hands at playing Speculation! For those who would like to begin familiarizing themselves with the rules for Speculation in advance, here are links to two sets: one on the David Parlett Games site and one on the Jane Austen Centre Magazine site. A prize will be awarded to the most successful player!

March 26, 2011 (Lady Day) (NEW LOCATION AND DATE): Sargent Room of the Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St., Liverpool. An update of the “iJane: Jane Austen in the Information Age” conference co-sponsored by JASNA Syracuse and JASNA Rochester in spring 2008 in Rochester. Although “our Jane” is now such a commanding presence on the Internet that full coverage of Austen-related web offerings is impossible, your Regional Coordinators will attempt to provide some basic guidance to what’s out there. Bring URLs and descriptions of your own favorite websites and blogs as well!

May 7, 2011 (May Day): RiverRead Bookstore, 5 Court St., Binghamton. When those attending the Binghamton meeting in November were offered a choice of topics for this meeting, they chose the Juvenilia--the delightful short comic sketches that JA wrote as a teenager. We’ll make arrangements with our friends at RiverRead to stock the Oxford University Press paperback Catharine and Other Writings, which includes the Juvenilia. However, no prior acquaintance with these stories is required, as we’ll spend much of the meeting just reading aloud from them. A sense of fun is the only prerequisite!

June 25, 2011 (date approximate) (Midsummer): To be announced. We’re exploring a couple of possibilities: an author event to be co-sponsored by JASNA Syracuse and the Colgate JABC, or a “Box Hill” picnic.

A Happy New Year with Persuasions On-Line!

Between the excitement of the JASSYL/JASNA concert and the typical demands of the holiday season, we're rather late in wishing all CNY Janeites a Happy "Austenmas" (Co-Coordinator Lisa Brown's term for Jane Austen's birthday on December 16), a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. But one Austenmas treat can be savored at any time: the new issue of JASNA's electronic journal, Persuasions On-Line. This appeared on December 16 and can be accessed by clicking here. Several of the presentations from the Portland AGM appear as articles in this issue, including Susan Allen Ford's "Ingenious Torments" breakout session (see the November 8 post below). And the "Miscellany" articles provide much food for thought as well--particularly Juliet McMaster's delightful discussion of "Jane Austen's Children," and Linda Robinson Walker's contribution to the increasing debate about the nature of JA's final illness. So, especially if you've never read Persuasions On-Line before, do give it a try one of these January evenings!

More Photos of the Christmas Concert

More photos of the JASSYL/JASNA concert can be found here.

"A Georgian Christmas with Jane Austen": Concert Photos and Review

It was standing room only on Sunday, December 19, at the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Skaneateles, for "A Georgian Christmas with Jane Austen"--the first of what we hope will be many collaborations between the Jane Austen Singing School for Young Ladies (JASSYL) and the JASNA Syracuse Region. Herewith, some photos of the concert, annotated by your Regional Coordinator. Unless otherwise noted, the photos were taken by Mr. Bill Hecht and are used by courtesy of JASSYL. The album on JASSYL's Facebook page has many more photos.

JASNA Syracuse members participating in the concert were (from left below) Regional Coordinator Ms. A. Marie Sprayberry, Co-Coordinator Miss Lisa Brown, and Ms. Banna Rubinow. Ms. Sprayberry read two birthday tributes to Jane Austen: the epigraph to Rudyard Kipling's "The Janeites," and the Rev. George Austen's announcement of his second daughter's birth ("We have now another girl..."). Miss Brown acted as dancemistress to the JASSYL members and provided the audience with a short introduction to English country dance. And Ms. Rubinow (who is also the mother of Lt. Doran Baltus; see below) gave a wonderful reading of the scene-setting "Christmas at Bracebridge Hall" from Washington Irving's The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon.



But the real stars of the show, of course, were the Young Ladies and their dynamic director, Dr. Joanna Manring. Dr. Manring, photographed here during the dancing, did an outstanding job of working with the Young Ladies and Gentlemen. (This is not mere lip service; your RC was present at the dress rehearsal!)



The Young Ladies were (L to R below) the Misses Ellie Crough, Rebecca Gould, Allison Purdy, and Emily Short...



...and (L to R below) the Misses Grace Magee, Julia Hearn, Christina Marshall, and Phoebe Glowacki. All eight did excellently. The Misses Crough, Marshall, and Glowacki are JASSYL "veterans," and it's been a particular pleasure to watch and hear them develop as performers from concert to concert.



As the concert title "A Georgian Christmas..." indicates, the chosen carols were ones that Jane Austen might at least theoretically have known. In some cases, they were quite unfamiliar to a present-day U.S. audience ("Rejoice, Ye Tenants of the Earth," "Let an Anthem of Praise," and "Christians, Awake!"); in other cases, they were familiar lyrics set to unfamiliar music (for example, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" was sung to a tune by the eminent musician Dr. Charles Burney, father of one of JA's favorite novelists, Frances Burney); and in still other cases, they were quite familiar ("O Come, All Ye Faithful," "Joy to the World," and "The Twelve Days of Christmas"). Interspersed with the carols were seasonally appropriate brief readings from JA's published and unpublished works. Among the most enjoyable of these was JA's delightfully sassy 1798 letter to Cassandra ("I wish you a merry Christmas, but no compliments of the Season").

The Young Ladies were joined in the familiar carols by several Young Gentlemen: Mr. Thomas Grande (who also assisted Miss Brown with the dance instruction), Lt. Doran Baltus, Lt. Adam Connor, Mr. Jeffrey Connor, and Mr. Will Tobin. Below, the combined Young Ladies' and Gentlemen's chorus, watched by a most appreciative audience.



And, as this photo of Lt. Connor demonstrates, it's probably a good thing Miss Lydia Bennet wasn't in the hall!




The singing was followed by dancing, as befitted a Georgian revel! Dr. Manring and Mr. E. Robinson (the front couple below) joined the aforementioned Young Gentlemen and several of the Young Ladies in "The Duke of Kent Waltz" (the Duke for whom this was named was King George III's fourth son and the father of Queen Victoria) and "The Old Wife behind the Fire."




And the Young Ladies and Gentlemen enjoyed a hearty and well-deserved round of applause at the end of the concert!



Finally, an equally well-deserved tribute to the musicians: Miss Katherine Klein and Mrs. Eleanor Wilcox, flutes; Miss Caroline Manring, violin and viola; Mrs. Claire Howard, piano; and Miss Emily Dean, cello. (Photo by Mr. Edward R. Voytovich.)

"A Georgian Christmas with Jane Austen": Update and Rehearsal Photos

Further details about the "A Georgian Christmas with Jane Austen" concert on December 19 in Skaneateles, to be presented by the Jane Austen Singing School for Young Ladies and the JASNA Syracuse Region, are now available! The Young Ladies appearing in the concert will be Ellie Crough (Manlius Pebble Hill), Emily Short (Marcellus), Becca Gould (Tully), Christina Marshall, Phoebe Glowacki, Grace Magee, Julia Hearn, and Allison Purdy (all students at Skaneateles Central Schools). Claire Howard, former manager of the Skaneateles Festival, will be accompanying the Young Ladies on piano and will be joined by Eleanor Wilcox and Kate Klein on flute, Caroline Manring on viola, and Emily Dean on cello.

And not only is English country dancing definitely on the program, but the Young Ladies will be joined by several Young Gentlemen for the dancing: Doran Baltus (Manlius Pebble Hill), Jeffrey Connor (Cornell), Adam Connor (University of Vermont), and Will Tobin (Cornell). JASNA Syracuse Co-Coordinator Lisa Brown has been providing dance coaching to the Young Ladies and Gentlemen.

Finally, we have some delightful rehearsal photos to share with you, courtesy of Dr. Joanna Manring (the director of the Singing School) and her mother, Margaret Manring (who took all the pictures). First, a serious view: The Young Ladies rehearse a choral selection. L to R: Allison Purdy, Emily Short, Julia Hearn, Christina Marshall, Becca Gould, Phoebe Glowacki, Ellie Crough, Joanna Manring, director, Claire Howard, piano.



Next, a not so serious view: The Young Ladies and Gentlemen work on their dancing. L to R: Christina Marshall, Will Tobin & Emily Short, Lisa Brown & Allison Purdy, E. Robinson & Joanna Manring, Jeffrey Connor & Becca Gould, Adam Connor, Ellie Crough.



Finally, a completely unserious view: The group takes a well-deserved break--and the Young Gentlemen try on some Regency attire! Back row: Joanna Manring, Allison Purdy, Emily Short, Christina Marshall, Ellie Crough, Becca Gould, Claire Howard. Front row: E. Robinson, Doran Baltus, Will Tobin, Jeffrey Connor.



So do come to the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church, 97 E. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, at 3 p.m. on Sunday the 19th. Clearly,"A Georgian Christmas with Jane Austen" is going to be a memorable occasion!