ABOUT US

Earthly Delights and the Bordonian Heritage Dancers are well known for their skilful high energy presentations of our less visited music and dance heritage.

The band Earthly Delights has been described by the Canberra Times as ‘one of Australia’s most imaginative ensembles, performing in an idiom which straddles medieval, folk and world music’. They’ve featured at hundreds of public and private events around the country and have released 8 CDs and 4 dance books.

The Bordonian Heritage Dancers have grown out of Canberra’s historic ballroom scene. They can dress up and dance repertoire in styles from the late 16th to late 19th century. They have presented high profile shows of dance in various styles at many festivals – most recently in March this year at the National Multicultural Festival in full 1890s evening dress and bustlegowns, at the April National Folk Festival in full 1790s ball attire, and at the July Abbey Medieval Festival in Queensland in full 1580’s Elizabethan attire. They are well known both for the quality of their displays and for their ability to lead others painlessly into and through period dances – indeed, at one ball on their recent Queensland tour, they got nearly 500 novices dancing two dozen 15th, 16th and 17th century dances.

John Garden, the band and dance troupe artistic director, is well-respected for the rigour he brings to his historical research as well as the artistic creativity he brings to his choreographies/presentations/productions. He is one of the few people in the country literate in every dance notation system from the 15th to the 19th century, possesses a library of over 200 historic dance manuals, and is literate in the Beauchamp-Feuillet notation system that dominate Baroque choreographie.

Together John Garden, the band Earthly Delights and Bordonian dancers have been investing much time, effort and money in exploring the more overlooked (and often more challenging) corners of our social dance and social dance music heritage and in developing and sharing their understanding of the evolution of social dance. They have been developing here in Canberra a vehicle for the production of creative (but solidly researched) presentations of historic dance, of the kind that exist in some places overseas, but which has hitherto not existed in Australia.

Aylwen Garden is the dance troupe’s costume director and administrative co-ordinator. She is an expert historical costumier whose expertise is sought after by people all around the world. She is also well-known for her 10 year faultless record of successful presentation of public dances, balls and shows – nearly all of which has been without any grant support. Indeed, at the beginning of last month Aylwen and John Garden organised 25 people on a week plus performing tour to Queensland – all without any funding support.

If you want to find out more about us or book us then please contact Aylwen or John Garden.

Dance performances

We can provide dance performances customised to your requirements as to number of performances and duration. We can cover dances from any period from 1450 through to around 1880. We prefer to perform indoors but can perform outdoors on suitable surfaces in the shade.

Performances would normally require a minimum of 4-6 dancers and at least two musicians. We can provide 16-25 dancers if required. We can present background information about the dances such as historical context, sources, types of dance if you require the performance to have an educational element. Performances can include simple audience participation dances which we will teach.

Music and dance performances can either be timetabled according to your requirements, or on a semi-continuous basis as and when an audience gathers. We can also timetable talks on a variety of topics suitable for the period covered including talks on music, dance, costume, food including preparation, serving and dining arrangements.

Workshops

We can provide workshops covering dances from any period from 1450 through to around 1880 for complete beginners or those already familiar with historical dance. The maximum number of participants will depend on the space available and type of workshop with advanced workshops being more restricted in number than those for beginners. We can provide experienced dancers to assist and demonstrate the dances. Workshops can be delivered with either live or with recorded music. We can combine a workshop with a dance performance if required.

School Visits

Most members of the group are not available during the week, but a small number are and have experience in working with children in schools. Members of the group can cover a wide range of topics - contact us for further details.

Living History Events

We would be happy to assist in the staging of domestic living history events. We cover the period 1450 to 1880 and we can supply people in good quality reproduction period clothes appropriate to the period. The members of the group have between them a wealth of experience in historical interpretation, both in events for schools, and in events open to the general public.