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Earthly Delights is a banner under which - through gardening, classes, workshops, events, commissions, performances and publications - an enormous range of related passions are exercised. The twin driving forces behind Earthly Delights are John and Aylwen Gardiner-Garden, who met dancing in 1989 and have shared a passion for gardening & social dance (and each other) ever since. They are now based in Yass, NSW, Australia.

Under About Us you can find notes on the artistic life of John and Aylwen,  on the Garden Design Services they offer, on The Dance Academy they run, on some of the musicians and dancers who've performed with them over the years.

Under Upcoming you can find information on upcoming balls, dance & costume weekends, special workshops, displays and dance class series— including the wonderful Saturday afternoon dance class series presented each semester at the Australian National University. Please join us—we all love newcomers and love to make new friends.

Under Past Events you can browse through photos, posters and programs associated with hundreds of public events we've been involved with since about 2004 (with many hundreds of more photos due to be loaded up progressively). These pages don't go back to when John started calling in 1988, or when the band Earthly Delights started in 1995, or when Aylwen started organising public events in 1998, and don't include information on any of the hundreds of private shows John's organised. So many pleasures will linger only in our personal memories.

Under Books & CDs you can read about all the different resources that I, Dr John Gardiner-Garden, have produced- including most recently my just-released 31-book series  Dancing through the Ages. The book series is introduced on Books & CDs 'button' page, and fuller-covers and contents are found across the eleven pages Dancing through the Ages Orientation and Overview, 1400-1550, 1550-1600, 1600-1650, 1650-1700, 1700-1750, 1750-1800, 1800-1825, 1825-1850, 1850-1875, 1875-1900.  Together the 10,000 + page work offers background on, reconstruction of, and chorded music for nearly 1,000 dances from between from 1400 to 1900, as well as extensive notes analysing links between these dances, the evolution of dance forms, movement ideas and notation systems through this 500 period, and the changing nature of ball culture and dance sources in countries across the old and new word.  The whole is supported by thousands of quotations, diagrams and illustrations from original sources. Read how you can secure a 25% discount on this whole set if ordered in conjunction with my 2020-release  Dance Delights (original dances to 500 years of fabulous music) and the new edition of my Christmas Carol Dances (instructions for 75 dances that can go to well-loved songs). Find also the still available classic 2 volumes of Lost Dances of Earthly Delights (128 dances, 400 tunes, 8 full band CDs)

Aylwen has also been involved in making lots of historical costumes and hats. For information on these see Aylwen's page on Costumes and Hats, and follow her links to her costuming blog and to ordering details for dress supplies and patterns. 

To keep up-to-date with our news please subscribe to our free monthly newsletter by joining to our Dance News Google Group (please make sure to check your email for a confirmation email to ensure you are fully subscribed) and join us at https://www.facebook.com/EDHDA

We hope you will catch up with us one day - perhaps by coming to one of our classes or events, by booking us for your own event, by ordering a book, CD set, festival ticket or dress, or perhaps by simply emailing us to say hello or comment on something. We'd love to hear from you!