The following is a guide to the events we have planned for 2009. The famous Newport mansions, with their breathtaking opulence and
some of America´s finest ballrooms, as well as the area´s dramatic natural beauty and other diverse attractions will
provide the venues for several Dance Week events and offer many charming options to occupy dancers´ free time. The lovely,
peaceful, seaside campus of Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, will be our new
home away from home.
Waltzing at
The Astors´ Beechwood Mansion
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STARTING OFF THE WEEK
Monday's Schedule
Registration, Orientation, and Newport Cotillion
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Registration
The week starts on Monday with Registration opening at 3pm in the Campus Recreation Center, Foyer and will remain
open until 5:30pm when it closes for dinner. Registration will also be open, for latecomers, during the evening Welcome Dance.
We also want to remind you that if you are arriving Sunday, dinner is served from 5:30-6:30 pm. If you are arriving later than
6:30pm, you are advised to get dinner on the road, as there is nothing available on campus.
Note: We need your registration fees and Reply Form(pdf) by June 30 this year! Also, please have your
$20 key deposit check in a self addressed envelope ready when you arrive for registration to help speed up the registration
process (this will be returned to you when you return your key), you will also need to write a separate check for any
remaining fees (such as Tuesday´s mansion tour)
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T-shirt, tote bag and CD Sales
Dance Week T-shirts and tote bags, as well as CDs of this year´s quadrille will also be available for sale during
registration, at the Vintage Swap & Sell and Sunday morning (if there is anything left). If you miss us at these times please
contact Ben or Katy Bishop with your request. This year we have zippered tote bags, smaller canvas bags (great for carrying your
dance class necessities), and CDs of the Quadrille.
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Orientation
At 4:00pm, in the same location, there will be an Orientation session led by Barbara Pugliese. This is an informal,
optional, open discussion to introduce newcomers to various aspects of the Dance Week and to answer questions. First timers to
the dance week are encouraged to drop by for a few minutes (or longer) to hear about the campus, events and customs of the week.
Experienced participants are welcome to come by and hear about new events for this year, to learn about our new campus and to
offer insights to first timers.
Campus Tour: There will also be a Tour of the Campus after dinner Monday to help aquaint us with the layout
of our new home.
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Welcome Dance
Monday ends with the Welcome Party, an informal dance to recorded music. This is a time to greet old friends, meet new people and
be introduced to this year´s instructors and staff, and perhaps get a head start on this year´s quadrille!
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THE CAMPUS AND ACCOMODATIONS
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The Campus
We have found an exciting new location for the conference: Roger Williams University (RWU).
This 140-acre campus in charming Bristol, RI (just 5 minutes from our former home in Portsmouth) offers a beautiful coastal
location overlooking Mount Hope Bay. The campus offers state-of-the-art facilities including air-conditioned dance studios, gyms
and dormitories. All campus buildings are within walking distance of each other.
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Accommodations
Accommodations
Our new accommodations offer comfortable, air-conditioned living. On campus, we’ll be staying in
Bayside, an apartment-style dormitory. There is also an option for hotel-style rooms in the University’s Baypoint Inn &
Conference Center, a five-minute drive from campus.
All Bayside apartments consist of one or more bedrooms with twin beds and spacious closets, a living room, bathroom and
kitchenette. Most apartments are Quads. These house 4 people in two bedrooms. A limited number of Doubles, housing 2 people in
1 bedroom, and Quints, housing 5 people in 3 bedrooms, are available.
The Baypoint Inn rooms have 2 double beds and include continental breakfast. Reservations for the Inn must be made directly with
the hotel at 401-683-3600 x9 (ask for a room in the "Vintage Dance" block).
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A hallmark of the Newport Vintage Dance Week is its combination of an excellent
program of dance instruction with a relaxed environment. Classes are carefully designed to cover material ranging
from basic steps and technique to more challenging choreographies and improvisation. Our teaching staff is gathered
from around the world to provide a wide range of experience, research and expertise; the staff changes from year to
year to provide variety.
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Curriculum
Instruction during four classes periods each day will focus on the popular ballroom dances of the
mid- and late- 19th Century (including waltz, polka, mazurka, galop, schottische, and quadrille) and of the ragtime era (tango,
one-step and others). Some years the range is expanded to include dances of the early 19th century and 1920's. At all skill
levels, emphasis is placed on dances that will be featured during the evening balls, so that dancers may immediately experience
the joy and satisfaction of applying what they learn in the context of an exquisite social event. Most classes are 1 hour and 10
minutes long and are designed as tracks built around related material; continuity from day to day fosters cumulative benefit
through the week.
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Daily Schedule
The daily schedule offers four class periods per day, at beginner/intermediate and
intermediate/advanced skill levels, with 2 choices during each period (Afternoon class will not take place Tuesday to allow more
time for the group tour, that class will take place Saturday morning). Those experiencing vintage dance for the first time,
including people with other types of dance experience, are encouraged to take the “beginner” classes, as are those
with only a little vintage dance experience. This will help you learn or review the basic vintage dance steps. Dancers familiar
with basic vintage dance steps may want to try the more advanced classes. Dancers of any level may attend either afternoon
specialty class. A warm-up class is presented each morning; we urge everyone to take the responsibility to be properly warmed up
before classes.
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Instructors
Marc Casslar will teach a beginning /intermediate Ragtime class and a specialty
class.
Susan de Guardiola will teach a class in intermediate/avdvanced 19th century dance.
Barbara Pugliese, will teach the beginning/intermediate 19th century dance class,
featuring popular couple dances of the era. Barbara will also teach the Quadrille Class.
Joan Walton will teach the advanced ragtime dance class and and a specialty class.
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Quadrille Class and Specialty Classes
The mid-morning Quadrille class, taught by Barbara Pugliese, is provided for everyone,
experienced dancers and newcomers alike, to learn this year´s quadrille: The Prince Imperial. Attendance is encouraged
for all as this dance will be performed without calls at the Friday evening ball (though instructions will be printed
almost legibly on the dance card).
The afternoon specialty classes offer a chance to expand one´s repertoire beyond the basics with a more specialized type of
dance. The topics for 2009 will be listed soon. These classes are designed to be accessible to all skill levels.
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Balls are at the heart of any vintage dance week, and 2008 Newport Vintage Dance Week continues its tradition of offering balls in
some of the America´s most elegant and splendid ballrooms. This year there are formal balls set in three periods: the mid-
nineteenth century (1860´s), late-nineteenth century (1890´s) and ragtime era (1910´s), as well as a formal
Dinner. We will also be holding Vintage Swap & Sell on Tuesday evening, which will be followed by informal dancing.
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