So She Dances

Wow. The Riverside Dicken's Festival was so much more than I expected it to be - and also not - but in a good way. Lemme esplain. Fleighund and SGE invited us to the Dickens Festival LAST February. It's a weekend devoted to Dickens era events, costumes, vendors selling trinkets and the like. One of the highlights is Mr. Fezziwig's Ball, held last Saturday night. Everyone comes in full regalia, there's a live orchestra with dance mistress and the Queen comes to knight someone: She leads the Grand March and there's lots of dancing with dance cards and everything. It's all very romantic really. Tarzan got caught up in the spirit of the evening and had the herald announce us as Baron and Baroness! My dance card: My outfit was not precisely Dickens era - more 1890's rather than 1850's:

Tarzan was closer:

The boy can rock a tuxedo:

(I just realized most of my pictures are sans gloves. That's annoying.)

In fact a lot of costumes were only vaguely from the time period - some very Gone With The Wind-y - but no one commented or seemed to care. It was about dancing and having a good time. And we did. Dance. And have a good time. It has got to be one of the greatest events I have ever been to. My calves ached yesterday, but it was a good ache. How I imagine a runner feels after completing a marathon. Tired and achy but with a sense of euphoria and a desire to do it again! There aren't any pictures of me dancing as Tarzan was booked solid - he got a rep after the first few ladies danced with him!:

I did my best as well, but as the night was ending - who would have thought 17 dances would take four hours!! - I got stood up twice! Twice! I guess it was past someone's bedtime by then. Some of the guys were so young! I kid you not, some of them looked about 12:They were all exceptionally talented in the dancing department. It's almost certain their parents are way into this thing so they have to be, but the outfits are adorable and they are so intent on dancing correctly and not forgetting steps I just wanted to pinch their cheeks and ruffle their hair. I didn't of course, but Ooooh I wanted to. I overheard two of them talking as a dance was setting up

"It's like an 8-hand"

"Oh right, okay. Yeah."

(They're still teenagers apparently.)

Some seriously fantastic dresses:

SGE:The King of Siam was awesome too:

This was most of our group - there will be more pictures as everyone exchanges images with everyone else:Next year, I'm inviting EVERYONE to the Dickens Festival!

This is me, the Baroness is in!