An SCA sampler
I went to my first SCA event yesterday, the Simply Allegorical ball, which I posted about earlier. I ended up wearing bess's hand-me-down Italian Renaissance garb, which fit me surprisingly well. I had to adjust the shoulder straps on the overgown/giornea, because I am notoriously short-torsoed, but the height and other measurements were just about perfect.
I was incredibly anxious going to the event. A large portion of it was just that as I get older, I get more and more hesitant about trying new things. There's also lot of protocol and jargon among the SCA crowd, and I just kept being afraid I would do or say something wrong. Though I've been wanting to be involved since I was a kid, I've just never managed to make it happen, mostly because I've been intimidated by the tightness of the community.
Since I was running a bit late, by the time I paid up and got into my garb, they had begun teaching the dances, which were mostly Italian Ren dances (appropriately enough). The dancemaster was Jesse W (I don't know his SCA name), who played Jehan in the Intercon run of Cracks, but he was ably assisted by Karen/Thyra/Her Majesty the Queen of the East. As Bess is also a former dancemaster, I did not lack for instruction. However, there were still a number of dances they didn't teach (they didn't even try to teach the galliard--having seen it, I understand why).
I bungled my way through the Bal di Fiore, which I had missed the walkthrough of; then I danced the Belfiore and the Chirentana in the first set. I honestly can't recall many of the other dances we danced--I remember the Pinwheel game in the second set, and the Anello in the final set, but after a while all the Italian names blended together. I recognized the Pivan/Pavane as the Belle Qui Tien Ma Vie pavane from Arbeau, which I use as the dance in Cracks, but I didn't dance it, as I was eating at the time.
Most of what I took away from the dances was a bunch of new steps. I already knew (sorta) about singles and doubles; now I learned the piva, the saltarella, the reverenza, the continente, and other things I am probably misremembering or misspelling. I need a ton more practice, but as I hear there are dance practices at Camelot...
The food was great, too--lamb with lentils, blanc mange (chicken and rice cooked in almond milk; not the British dessert), beef stew, a grape and fennel bread, and, for dessert, a subtlety that one of the members had made, a marzipan fish with lemon slices. (Incidentally, she was also the person I voted for in the costume contest--I forget exactly the name of her representation, but it was oceanic in some way, and she was wearing a gorgeous royal blue velveteen dress and a headdress of seashells).
(I also have to spare a moment to mention cristovau's amazing costume, which was really just his harlequin costume on top, and a set of faun legs from a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream on the bottom. He called it "Satyrday," and had entirely too much fun playing with the, erm, bits of the faun costume)
In addition to Chris and Bess, the instigators of this outing, I saw lots of people I know from different contexts--dkapell and Mark W/Justin, who I mostly know from Intercon and board gaming, Jen/Lily who plays Talira in Shadows, nomadmwe and _kria_ who I also know from boffer larping, of course, being all herald-y and stuff. I even recognized Their Majesties, and knew them by their mundane names, as they'd come out to NPC for Shadows a few times.
I think what was really strange is the number of people I barely knew who said to me, "Oh, I just assumed you were already in the SCA," probably because I am already involved in a lot of other nerdy activities in the greater Boston area.
There was court, too, since the King and Queen were present. I watched a bunch of kids get Tiger's Cub awards, someone got an award for costuming, and then, much to my surprise, they called up everyone whose first event this was. It was a group of about eight of us, and Their Majesties thanked us for coming and gave us all pins with the East Kingdom arms. It was such a welcoming gesture that I didn't mind so much being put on the spot.
All in all, it was a delightful sampler of the SCA, and I was glad I got over my anxiety and went. Nobody pointed at me and intoned, "INTERLOPER," which, yanno. Is good. More events in the future? I think so.
Also, oh man--even though I was home before 9, I was completely wiped out for the rest of the evening, and today I am so so hurty. All those pivas take a toll on a girl, I guess.
I was incredibly anxious going to the event. A large portion of it was just that as I get older, I get more and more hesitant about trying new things. There's also lot of protocol and jargon among the SCA crowd, and I just kept being afraid I would do or say something wrong. Though I've been wanting to be involved since I was a kid, I've just never managed to make it happen, mostly because I've been intimidated by the tightness of the community.
Since I was running a bit late, by the time I paid up and got into my garb, they had begun teaching the dances, which were mostly Italian Ren dances (appropriately enough). The dancemaster was Jesse W (I don't know his SCA name), who played Jehan in the Intercon run of Cracks, but he was ably assisted by Karen/Thyra/Her Majesty the Queen of the East. As Bess is also a former dancemaster, I did not lack for instruction. However, there were still a number of dances they didn't teach (they didn't even try to teach the galliard--having seen it, I understand why).
I bungled my way through the Bal di Fiore, which I had missed the walkthrough of; then I danced the Belfiore and the Chirentana in the first set. I honestly can't recall many of the other dances we danced--I remember the Pinwheel game in the second set, and the Anello in the final set, but after a while all the Italian names blended together. I recognized the Pivan/Pavane as the Belle Qui Tien Ma Vie pavane from Arbeau, which I use as the dance in Cracks, but I didn't dance it, as I was eating at the time.
Most of what I took away from the dances was a bunch of new steps. I already knew (sorta) about singles and doubles; now I learned the piva, the saltarella, the reverenza, the continente, and other things I am probably misremembering or misspelling. I need a ton more practice, but as I hear there are dance practices at Camelot...
The food was great, too--lamb with lentils, blanc mange (chicken and rice cooked in almond milk; not the British dessert), beef stew, a grape and fennel bread, and, for dessert, a subtlety that one of the members had made, a marzipan fish with lemon slices. (Incidentally, she was also the person I voted for in the costume contest--I forget exactly the name of her representation, but it was oceanic in some way, and she was wearing a gorgeous royal blue velveteen dress and a headdress of seashells).
(I also have to spare a moment to mention cristovau's amazing costume, which was really just his harlequin costume on top, and a set of faun legs from a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream on the bottom. He called it "Satyrday," and had entirely too much fun playing with the, erm, bits of the faun costume)
In addition to Chris and Bess, the instigators of this outing, I saw lots of people I know from different contexts--dkapell and Mark W/Justin, who I mostly know from Intercon and board gaming, Jen/Lily who plays Talira in Shadows, nomadmwe and _kria_ who I also know from boffer larping, of course, being all herald-y and stuff. I even recognized Their Majesties, and knew them by their mundane names, as they'd come out to NPC for Shadows a few times.
I think what was really strange is the number of people I barely knew who said to me, "Oh, I just assumed you were already in the SCA," probably because I am already involved in a lot of other nerdy activities in the greater Boston area.
There was court, too, since the King and Queen were present. I watched a bunch of kids get Tiger's Cub awards, someone got an award for costuming, and then, much to my surprise, they called up everyone whose first event this was. It was a group of about eight of us, and Their Majesties thanked us for coming and gave us all pins with the East Kingdom arms. It was such a welcoming gesture that I didn't mind so much being put on the spot.
All in all, it was a delightful sampler of the SCA, and I was glad I got over my anxiety and went. Nobody pointed at me and intoned, "INTERLOPER," which, yanno. Is good. More events in the future? I think so.
Also, oh man--even though I was home before 9, I was completely wiped out for the rest of the evening, and today I am so so hurty. All those pivas take a toll on a girl, I guess.