Bardic And Dancing

Four singers in the Great Barn at St Bede's Fair. Three are standing, two of whom are holding stringed instruments. The fourth is wearing glorious orange and is seated.

Credit: Becca Edney

Choral Chaos Consort

Come and join the Caldicot Choral Chaos...erm...Consort in the beautiful Castle Chapel! Suggest pieces that you would like to sing here and Sayidda Safiyya will get us trying them out together. All voice types welcome and zero experience necessary.

Bardic Ensemble Jam

Have pieces that you practice alone and never get the chance to play with a group? Have pieces that you absolutely love and want more people to hear? Have pieces that you've never tried and want some tips? Come along to this bardic jam session in the courtyard. The session will be a collaborative effort and focus on playing as a group. If you have pieces you would like us to play, please save them (or leave details) here. It doesn't need to be dance music!

A collection of musicians have gathered at a bardic jam session under the canopy in the courtyard of Caldicot Castle. There are a number of stringed instuments in use.

Dancing under the canopy at Caldicot Castle. Musicians are playing stringed instruments and recorders in the background, while four dancers step and prance in the foreground.

Dancing Classes

Experienced dancers Anne and Martin of Southron Guaard have kindly offered to run two evening dance lessons. Come and learn some dances to put into practice at future balls / the Grand Ball! Different dances will be taught in each of the sessions.

The Grand Ball

Are you partial to a pavane? Graceful in the galliard? Brisk in the bransle? Just fancy having a go? Join friends old and new in music and dancing in the Great Hall. Anyone is welcome to teach or lead a dance, and the dances from previous classes will also make an appearance. If you would like to play for the ball and haven't done so before, drop a line to Safiyya, and we'll sort out music for you.

Four dancers under the canopy in the courtyard of Caldicot Castle. Two dancers are lifting their partners into the air!

A period painting of St Margaret who is wearing some spectacular flowing orange headwear and a patterned dress. She's holding a hammer over the head of some kind of devillish demon with intent to do damage to his structure. There is an angel? holding out a golden crown over her from a cloud to the right of her head. To the left of her head, I'm going to guess that's probably Jesus holding a fancy looking book. He's also on a cloud that seems to be re-enforced by a building below. Honestly, you now understand this image as well as I do at this point!

The Life of St Margaret

Come and take part in a reading of "The Life of St Margaret", a verse play written by our very own Maistre Alexandre d'Avigne, and led by Lady Alessandra di Riario. There are parts big and small, so come and have a go!

Prehistoric Dance as Expression

In this class, Adelheid will teach you about prehistoric dance based on figurines made from ivory, pottery and bronze from as far back as 6000 years BCE (Neolithic and Mesolithic). You’ll practice these manoeuvres and combine them by the end of the session in a reconstruction of Arctic indigenous hunting dances. Hopefully the reconstructed dance will be performed in a bardic circle in the evening! If you have a percussion instrument with you, please bring it along to the class.

A neolithic carving of two dancing figures with a bear between them.

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