I am constantly being bombarded with questions from folks new to the vintage dance scene about "Where can I rent stuff". I have generally dodged the question, since I have seldom been impressed with what is available from retail costume rental places, and the movie shops are expensive and intimidating for the uninitiated. I worry that any recommendation will be perceived as an endorsement, and in my limited experience, I have yet to find a rental place I could give my unqualified endorsement.

However, the fact remains that there are countless newbees out there who want to join in the fun, don't have the time or skills to make stuff themselves, and either can't afford a costumer or can't afford to wait for a costumer.

Continue reading "Some Places to Rent a Costume" »

Posted by Walter at 07:24 PM | Comments (0)

This video is too splendid not to share. It is a leisurely cruise down Market Street in 1905, a year before the earthquake destroyed it all. Look for the wonderful interplay of streetcars, horse carts, carriages, automobiles and pedestrians - especially the kids playing dodge-the-streetcar and hanging on the back of an automobile. Having grown up in the Bay Area, I also loved the sense of familiar but different I got seeing this street I have visited countless times.

Continue reading "San Francisco - Market Street - 1905" »

Posted by Walter at 07:15 AM | Comments (0)

The Pasadena Museum of History has asked me to work with them putting together programs in the coming year. One of the ideas we floated was a program devoted to bizarre popular pseudo-science of the early 20th Century.

I, for example, have a schtick as a phrenologist. However, we could certainly use people like a magnetic healer, a patent medicine huckster, a spiritualist, an elctrotherapist, a specialist in "female complaints" or anything else you can think of that would be historically appropriate, interesting and shed light on popular conceptions and misconceptions about science in the early 20th Century. There would even be room for people who want to present valid science and technology of the day.

Continue reading "Help Wanted - Quacks, Mountebanks, Frauds & Flim-Flam Men" »

Posted by Walter at 04:28 PM | Comments (1)

In trying to recreate historical dance, or any other historical performance art form where sound or film recordings are not available, you constantly run into the question of "what is authentic"?

With social dancing, this is a rather acute question, as the sources for these dances are generally dance manuals. These dance manuals are often very specific on the proper way to perform the dances in question (except when they're not, and assume that everyone already knows the fundamentals of the dances performed - but that's another issue).

Certainly. to dance the dance exactly as described in the book is more than likely correct for some portion of the dancing population of the time, but what if you dance that dance some other way -- is that wrong? Is that unhistorical? Maybe, but then again, maybe not.

Continue reading "Dancing Badly is Not Historically Incorrect" »

Posted by Walter at 03:02 PM | Comments (1)

These are the Powerpoint slides from a presentation I gave at the "Internet Librarian" conference on Oct 27th 2009. As with all my Powerpoints, it is really just there to cue me to talk about stuff, and the stuff is not necessarily covered on the slides. However, I hope it might be of some use to those who were not there.
View Slides

Posted by Walter at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)

This just in from the Newport Vintage Dancers:

22nd Annual Newport Vintage Dance Week
the Week of August 1, 2010
Newport County, Rhode Island
Sponsored by: The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers

The Newport Vintage Dance Week for 2010 will take place the first week of August. We are still in negotiations with the School, the contract has yet to be signed, but plans are underway for a fabulous week of classes, balls and special events. Keep checking back for further information as it becomes available.

Continue reading "Newport Vintage Dance Week 2009" »

Posted by Walter at 12:21 PM

Over the last year or so, I have set it as a professional development task to put Facebook to work for some of the organizations in which I am involved, and figure out what it is good for and where it falls short.

Here are a few of my observations:

An organization with a formal existence and a real relationship with its supporters/clients etc. should create a "page" rather than a "group". The "page" format is more conducive to presenting a coherent message and managing your image. It also has useful analytics on traffic, demographics etc.

A group is fine for informal communities of interest, and has a nice "email all" and "invite all to event" feature, but it doesn't let you assume the identity of the organization. You are always you. Note however, that if what you are about is sharing photographs, you should stay a "group". The "page" format no longer allows "fans" to post pictures more than one at a time.

Continue reading "Using Facebook For Your Organization" »

Posted by Walter at 06:22 AM | Comments (1)