Dancing medieval style at the library

A roomful of eager participants learned how to dance the medieval way. The dancers, both young and old had a blast as they learned the moves to a variety of simple English country dances. Dances included the Black  lman,

Maltese, Heart’s Ease, Rufty Tufty, and New Boe Peep. The event was held at the Copperas Cove Public Library and was conducted by John Engelke (known in the SCA as Wolf Derganger) for the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). The two-hour event began at 8 p.m. and was free to anyone who wanted to participate. “It’s a lot of fun. There’s a camaraderie on the dance floor,” said Engelke. “Back then the dancing was for meeting

people, flirting with people, and having a good time.” Engelke said he has been in the SCA for 28 years and has been dancing since 1987. Medieval dancing has set moves and patterns to it which makes it a lot easier to learn and perform than most modern styles of dancing said Engelke. He said dancing the medieval way is a lot more comfortable for him. Engelke said the dances he demonstrated were mostly from the 15th century, but others

were earlier than that and some were a bit later as well. He said he hopes the participants enjoy it, learn some stuff, and want to do it again. It’s a way to meet people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet and be able to have a great time. “It was something new and I really wanted to try it because I really like new experiences and I thought it would be fun to try as a family,” said Carleigh Ross, Young Miss Rabbit Fest. “I like it…We all did it as a group together. I really liked that.” Jennifer Seawright brought her daughter, Nicole Seawright, and her son, Wesley Seawright, to the event. The family had attended the medieval group’s performance at the Summer Reading  rogram’s event  earlier that day. “I really like it,” said Nicole. “It’s really fun. The people are nice.” “I thought it was a good opportunity just to spend time with my kids, and it was something fun, and we got to meet some people in the community,” said Jennifer Seawright. “I like it. I think it’s a nice way to meet people, and it’s nice and active.” Rene Call (known in the SCA as Ǣdiva) attended the event with her son Michael Call and his fiancé Katie

Young. Call said that the SCA is a combination of reenacting the Middle Ages, and recreating it, and roleplaying. She said that they have roleplaying and events where they camp out and dress in the period garb. “What I like is the camaraderie. Like here tonight, it’s light hearted, we’re joking around, but at the same time we’re learning and we’re having fun,” said Call. “I like the fact that it doesn’t only play on gaming, it also plays on intelligence.”

The SCA has members with a variety of interests including costuming, brewing, dying, metal work, and armored combat. The SCA holds a meeting at the library every third Wednesday to host a class beginning at 8 p.m. The

classes cover a variety of topics. Past classes have included blacksmithing, brewing, shoemaking, and dress making. The medieval and renaissance group also meets in Harker Heights at the Carl Levin Park every

Thursday at 7 p.m. Those curious about the group are welcome to attend a meeting.