Of Strauss, Coronations and Tutors....
I have quite a few events to catch up on,
Last Friday I went over to Preston to stay with my friend Sarah, and see the Strauss Gala. The entire weekend was so much fun. We went to see the Gala with two other girls, Sarah's friend Vicky, and Vicky's friend Leanne. Vicky was really sweet, Leanne was .... interesting, and ill. Which made going to a restaurant before the show an experience as she kept threatening to be sick. However, the restaurant was one she introduced us to, and it was so beautiful.
Even if we hadn't just had dinner in an astonishingly glorious restaurant, the theatre would have seemed underwhelming. It was just a plywood box and the seating was very school-assembly like, did not feel right for Strauss and Victorian costumed dancers. The Gala was amazing though, for the first half the dancers were wearing blue (the Orchestra started with the Blue Danube Waltz), and the variety of shades and patterns on the dresses were so beautiful, even if it bugged me that they weren't historically accurate (*probably* hard to jete and whatnot in a corset). One dancer had a bright, pale blue dress with a black glittery apron/drape at the front. Sounds awful but it worked really well. The second half was gorgeous too, the dresses were more varied, and the cuts were more flattering, but the dancers had all changed their hairstyles from late- to mid-Victorian and from where we were sitting it was really obvious that the coils and twists were fake, even when the colours matched.
I usually find dancing quite dull to watch, I even fast forward through Fred and Ginger routines sometimes, but this was entrancing. And funny. One of the pieces was accompanied by a dancer dressed as an old man who played an anvil and hammer in time with the music, while swigging a beer.
On Saturday I was going to buy Sarah lunch as she had let me stay at hers the night before, but *both* my bank accounts were thoroughly empty. I'd wanted to buy Jack one of these t-shirts as well, but couldn't afford it. So instead Sarah and I got sandwiches and watched The Goonies at hers.
This Friday (yesterday) make_a_move and I went to the History Society's Coronation Ball (1953), it was fun to dress up, and see everyone else dressed up, but most people just spent the evening chatting in groups around the edge of the room, despite repeated attempts to draw people into dancing.
The funniest part of the evening came before we made it to the Ball. Charlotte and I made it almost to the doors of the party when I realised I'd left my curlers switched on, so we walked all the way back to my flat to switch them off. Just before we got there we had to walk down a ramp, and I slipped, tore my stockings and scraped my knee like a 6 year old. Fortunately my dress reached below my knees so no one could tell.
As soon as I stepped outside my hair went straight, and I drove Charlotte mad switching between having it down and up in a ponytail. Heh.
Charlotte. I want her shoes. So did almost every other girl there.
Decorations, cute and better than last year.
I also finally saw my tutor this week. I'd been putting it off for weeks as he is really intimidating, which means I act like an idiot. This time, however, the meeting went well :D. When I got there he said he'd just been marking one of my essays and that both he and the other marker were happy with it, which is a relief as I've been really worried both about the essay in itself and the possibility that I might have accidentally plagiarised :/
He was also really helpful with my dissertation (which is what he is there for, obviously), mentioned a couple of articles I should read, and we talked for a few minutes about how great some of the films are that I have been watching. It just felt easier and more comfortable than the other meetings I've had. Plus I got to tell him things. My tutor is the foremost historian in the country when it comes to this topic, he is quoted or deferred to a half a dozen times, at least, in just about every article I read. He's done programmes (tv and radio) for the BBC, and I got to tell him about the file I found in the National Archives over Christmas, but which he's never seen.
He even mentioned the possibility of me writing turning my dissertation into an article once it is finished, if he thinks it's good enough of course. I don't anticipate ever writing that article, but just having it mentioned as a possibility is mind blowing to me, articles are written by scholars, proper historians.
I'm off to London again on Sunday, and while I'm dreading the hastle and the hostel, I'm also excited. I'll be working at the BFI, like last time, but I'll be viewing the Special Collection of private papers and the BBFC's Reports. These will *hopefully* provide some solid evidence for my diss., which is great, but for the first time in ages I'm enthusiastic about the topic again, and optimistic that I might actually be able to get my MA.
Last Friday I went over to Preston to stay with my friend Sarah, and see the Strauss Gala. The entire weekend was so much fun. We went to see the Gala with two other girls, Sarah's friend Vicky, and Vicky's friend Leanne. Vicky was really sweet, Leanne was .... interesting, and ill. Which made going to a restaurant before the show an experience as she kept threatening to be sick. However, the restaurant was one she introduced us to, and it was so beautiful.
Even if we hadn't just had dinner in an astonishingly glorious restaurant, the theatre would have seemed underwhelming. It was just a plywood box and the seating was very school-assembly like, did not feel right for Strauss and Victorian costumed dancers. The Gala was amazing though, for the first half the dancers were wearing blue (the Orchestra started with the Blue Danube Waltz), and the variety of shades and patterns on the dresses were so beautiful, even if it bugged me that they weren't historically accurate (*probably* hard to jete and whatnot in a corset). One dancer had a bright, pale blue dress with a black glittery apron/drape at the front. Sounds awful but it worked really well. The second half was gorgeous too, the dresses were more varied, and the cuts were more flattering, but the dancers had all changed their hairstyles from late- to mid-Victorian and from where we were sitting it was really obvious that the coils and twists were fake, even when the colours matched.
I usually find dancing quite dull to watch, I even fast forward through Fred and Ginger routines sometimes, but this was entrancing. And funny. One of the pieces was accompanied by a dancer dressed as an old man who played an anvil and hammer in time with the music, while swigging a beer.
Click to viewOn Saturday I was going to buy Sarah lunch as she had let me stay at hers the night before, but *both* my bank accounts were thoroughly empty. I'd wanted to buy Jack one of these t-shirts as well, but couldn't afford it. So instead Sarah and I got sandwiches and watched The Goonies at hers.
This Friday (yesterday) make_a_move and I went to the History Society's Coronation Ball (1953), it was fun to dress up, and see everyone else dressed up, but most people just spent the evening chatting in groups around the edge of the room, despite repeated attempts to draw people into dancing.
The funniest part of the evening came before we made it to the Ball. Charlotte and I made it almost to the doors of the party when I realised I'd left my curlers switched on, so we walked all the way back to my flat to switch them off. Just before we got there we had to walk down a ramp, and I slipped, tore my stockings and scraped my knee like a 6 year old. Fortunately my dress reached below my knees so no one could tell.
As soon as I stepped outside my hair went straight, and I drove Charlotte mad switching between having it down and up in a ponytail. Heh.
Charlotte. I want her shoes. So did almost every other girl there.
Decorations, cute and better than last year.
I also finally saw my tutor this week. I'd been putting it off for weeks as he is really intimidating, which means I act like an idiot. This time, however, the meeting went well :D. When I got there he said he'd just been marking one of my essays and that both he and the other marker were happy with it, which is a relief as I've been really worried both about the essay in itself and the possibility that I might have accidentally plagiarised :/
He was also really helpful with my dissertation (which is what he is there for, obviously), mentioned a couple of articles I should read, and we talked for a few minutes about how great some of the films are that I have been watching. It just felt easier and more comfortable than the other meetings I've had. Plus I got to tell him things. My tutor is the foremost historian in the country when it comes to this topic, he is quoted or deferred to a half a dozen times, at least, in just about every article I read. He's done programmes (tv and radio) for the BBC, and I got to tell him about the file I found in the National Archives over Christmas, but which he's never seen.
He even mentioned the possibility of me writing turning my dissertation into an article once it is finished, if he thinks it's good enough of course. I don't anticipate ever writing that article, but just having it mentioned as a possibility is mind blowing to me, articles are written by scholars, proper historians.
I'm off to London again on Sunday, and while I'm dreading the hastle and the hostel, I'm also excited. I'll be working at the BFI, like last time, but I'll be viewing the Special Collection of private papers and the BBFC's Reports. These will *hopefully* provide some solid evidence for my diss., which is great, but for the first time in ages I'm enthusiastic about the topic again, and optimistic that I might actually be able to get my MA.