There will be two balls at the Fair: the Welcome Ball on Monday evening, and the Grand Ball on Friday evening. And don't forget that the music will be live.
The Welcome Ball
This is for people who have not danced before or danced very little, and also for people who do know the dances and just want to come and dance. All dances will be explained or demonstrated and there will be many people who will be willing to help.
| Set 1 | Mimed bransles |
| Official bransle | |
| Hasapiko | |
| Set 2 | Jenny Plucks Pears |
| Sellengers Round | |
| Hearts Ease | |
| Set 3 | Queens Alman |
| Loraine Alman | |
| Carolingian Pavan | |
| Set 4 | Amoroso |
| Petit Vriens | |
| Prens in Gre | |
| Set 5 | Bear Dance |
| Goddesses | |
| Fine Companion | |
| Requests |
The Grand Ball
Canterbury Fair would not be complete without the Grand Ball. This is the opportunity for any Faire-goer to dress up in their finest finery, and show it off on the dance floor.
The dances in the Grand ball are more challenging. To help you fully enjoy this ball you should come along to the dance classes scheduled during the week. However, there will be a few dances where you can join in even if you haven’t danced before.
The difficulty level for each dance is shown by the number of stars in the list. One star: anyone can join in, 2 stars: some experience desirable, and 3 stars: you need to Know the dance or be very brave or foolish.
| Set 1 | Pavan followed by the Tourdion | * |
| Mixed Bransles (Cassandra, Pinagay, Charlotte, La Guerre, Aridan) | ** | |
| Set 2 | Montarde Bransle (for sets of 4 people) | * |
| Talbot | ** | |
| Temperans | ** | |
| Dance de Cleves | ** | |
| Black Alman | * | |
| Tassel Kick | competitive galliarding | |
| Set 3 | Black Nag | * |
| Scotch Cap | ** | |
| New Bo Peep | * | |
| Grimstock | ** | |
| Picking of Sticks | *** | |
| Supper | ||
| Set 4 | Petite Rose | * |
| Spagnoletta for 2 or 3 | ** | |
| Belfiore | ** | |
| Gracca Amoroso | ** | |
| Anello | * | |
| Set 5 | Whirligig | ** |
| Torneo Amoroso | *** | |
| Stingo | ** | |
| Requests | St Martins | |
| Parsons Farewell | ||
| Faine I Would |
Links to information about how to do these dances will be added shortly. This will include dance step instructions and videos so you can familiarize yourself with the dances.
Between each set there will be some time to top up your drinks, adjust anything that might need adjusting, and generally chat. Also in the breaks between sets there will likely be demonstration dances, or incidental music or other entertainment.
Don't Forget the Music
Dancing requires music, and the best dance music is live music, freshly squeezed on the spot by a resident dance band. We try to use live music as much as we can, but this depends on having willing musicians to put in the time and effort to learn the music and bring their instruments to Faire.
If you are a musician and you would like to play, please contact the dance stewards at cfmusicians@sg.lochac.sca.org. The scores for the dance music music will be made available here as well shortly.