Jane Austen's 250th Birthday Celebration

Come enjoy a lighthearted talk about Jane Austen and the role of dance in her life and novels.  Then kick up your heels with two easy dances associated with Jane: the "Boulanger" mentioned in Pride & Prejudice and the "Savage Dance" from her family music book using instructions written in Jane's own hand! No experience needed! Lecture and dance presented by social dance historian, Susan de Guardola. 

A birthday wouldn't be complete without treats. Mini-cupcakes and tea will round out this exciting afternoon as we celebrate and learn more about one of the world's most famous authors, Jane Austen. Feel free to wear a birthday hat or your favorite Jane Austen-style dress! This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Weston Public Library and the Weston History & Culture Center.

"Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together."  -- Jane Austen in a letter, January 9, 1796.

About presenter: Susan de Guardiola is an independent scholar in historical social dance known internationally for her scholarship and teaching of dance and dance history. Her teaching has taken her across the United States as well as to England, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. She lived and taught in Russia for several years, based in Moscow but traveling as far as Siberia to teach in different cities. In the USA she has taught at the Dance Flurry (Saratoga, NY), the New England Folk Festival (MA), the Historical Tea & Dance Society (Los Angeles, CA), Newport Vintage Dance Week (RI), and for many other social dance groups and festivals. She has choreographed for the stage (Pride & Prejudice) and performed in and served as a consultant for A&E’s biography of Jane Austen. Learn more about her work at: https://www.kickery.com. 

This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Weston Public Library and the Weston History & Culture Center.