Fantess

24/08/2023

🚨 Attention all FANTESS fans! 🚨 We've uncovered a fake page pretending to be us. Remember, we'll NEVER ask for your credit card details for our Cherry Blossom Festival contest. Stay vigilant and steer clear of suspicious requests. Your safety is our priority! 💕🌸

17/08/2023

🌸WIN CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL PRIZE PACK! 🌸

Enter for a chance to win a fantastic prize pack.
Prize includes:

- 2 adult full day admission tickets to the Cherry Blossom Festival 🎟
- 2 entries to a delightful High Tea on the day 🎂
- An exclusive Festival Umbrella 🌂

How to Enter:
1️⃣ Like this post! ❤️
2️⃣ Head over to our YouTube channel and 'SUBSCRIBE' https://bit.ly/47A5rg4 🎥
3️⃣ Come back here and comment 'done' OR tag a friend (in the comments) you'd love to take with you! 👯‍♂️

Competition ends on 20 Sept, 2023.

Good Luck!

Find out more about the Cherry Blossom Festival here:
https://www.blossfest.com/

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T&Cs apply.

- The competition is open to NZ residents only and only one entry per person is allowed.
- The prize is non-exchangeable, non-transferable, and is not redeemable for cash or other prizes.
- The winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries received.
- The winner will be notified via Facebook messenger within 1 day of the closing date. If the winner does not respond within 24 hour of being notified, their prize will be forfeited and the organisers will select a new winner.
- In the correspondence the winner must provide a screenshot showing that they have subscribed to the YouTube channel.
- The winner must collect their tickets from the venue.
- The winner must show a proof of ID and the 'winner announcement Facebook Message' to you.
- This competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Facebook.
- The organisers reserve the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of any change to circumstances outside their reasonable control.
- By entering this competition, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
- By entering this competition you agree to allow us to use your photograph.

09/03/2023

Sunflowers and rudbeckia are in flower now ready for the Bridgerton Summer Ball, Sat 11 March 2023, 11:45am to 8:30pm. Imagine how it will look with everyone in Regency dress promenading through the gardens. Details at fantess.com

06/03/2023

Regency fashion
This article is part of a series that provides a historical background to the Bridgerton Summer Ball, 11 March 2023. See fantess.com

Fashion in the Regency era, 1795 to 1837, emanated from France and Britain. Following the French Revolution of 1789, a revolt against the aristocracy, no one wanted to appear as if they belonged to the aristocracy. There was no revolution in Britain, but the British aristocracy feared the same fate as the French. As a result, fashion became simpler; out with the wigs, lace and brocades and in with the classical style, that is, of ancient Greece and Rome. A brocade is a raised pattern sewn into the underlying fabric.

The high-waisted graceful styles of early 19th century are known as the Empire style. The fabric was light such as muslin, which revealed the figure underneath. While such costumes suited the warmer climate of the Mediterranean, in northern Europe, undergarments such as pantaloons and petticoats were necessary for warmth. In winter, heavier fabrics such as velvet, cotton, linen and fine wool may be used.

Dress colours were white or pastel. As white costume soiled more easily, it conferred a higher status, as it needed changing more frequently.

Eventually, more ornation crept back in. Between 1804 and 1807 the classical robes developed an eastern exotic feel with Etruscan and Egyptian decoration of embroidered borders. The eastern patterns first appeared from gifts Napoleon gave to his Empress Josephine after his visits to Egypt. Soon everyone copied the items. Empress Josephine was a fashion leader of her time.

The waistline over the Regency era started high, just below the breasts, and became lower taking on a V shape. After 1825 sleeves billowed to huge proportions. The late Regency era has another moniker, the Romantic Era (1825-1835).

Hair is pulled up usually in a bun. A part in the centre was common. Small curls and waves fringed the face in a random, natural look. What was considered beautiful in that era was a natural no-cosmetic look, no tan, no freckles and pale skin.

Men had neither beard nor mustache, but did have long or short sideburns. Modern films depict Regency men as clean-shaven, but the reality was they shaved only a couple of times per week. In which case, they would have a stubble much of the time. Hair was short, not parted and somewhat windswept.

Lace, embroidery and embellishment disappeared. By the end of the period, pleated shirt cuffs and front disappeared.

Men wore breeches, pantaloons or trousers. You wear breeches when riding and so they might be made from buckskin for durability. Breeches extended below the knee. Below that were either boots or long socks and shoes.

Pantaloons are close-fitting, extending below the knee though not all the way to the ankle. Trousers were looser fitting and extended to the ankle. During the period, breeches and then pantaloons fell out of fashion.

The fly as we now call it was then a rectangular flap buttoned at the top. The derivation of the name fly is nothing to do with the flying insect, rather it is a flap of material that flies in the wind. Though the modern fly does not flap, the term has remained.

For other attire, jackets had tails and waistcoats were short.

For hats, men wore top-hats and women wore bonnets and hats.

Women’s hats often contained lace and, in the earlier part of the era, were not wide-brimmed. For warmth, women wore shawls, short jackets and fur-lined long coats called pelisses.

06/03/2023

The second rehearsal is missing Mana Whenua, Maori chanting group, and drums. Still, the alpacas were impressed. The eagerly anticipated Bridgerton Summer Ball is here on Sat 11 March 2023, 11:45am-8:30pm. Costume to keep and light dinner included in ticket. Weather forecast is perfect: Sunny, dry and warm. Warning: a severe case of happiness may ensue. See fantess.com

06/03/2023

The people appearing in this video were let out under careful supervision. This is the second rehearsal, this one at the venue site, for the Bridgerton Summer Ball on Sat 11 March 2023 - 11:45am-8:30pm. No more than one alpaca was psychologically scarred in the production of this video.

03/03/2023

First rehearsal finale medley for Bridgerton Summer Ball on 11 March 2023. Step back into another era and another world. See fantess.com

01/03/2023

The bow and curtsy

The word curtsy has changed it spelling over time. Initially, the spelling was courtesy. A curtsy is a way of showing respect, which is the meaning of courtesy, a mark of respect. In the past, such gesture could be performed by a man or woman, but the term now for the action by a man is bow. However, woman also bow. All will be revealed.

There are a number of different curtsies, some more formal than others. Which would be the appropriate curtsy to use depended on a number of factors including standing and age. In addition, curtsies changed over time, some coming and going with the fashion. By the late 1800s, curtsying for the most part was no longer done. Women would bow instead.

In the early 1800s, one curtsy worked as follows: (1) Stand with legs together and the feet in a V shape. (2) With one leg, move one leg forward pointing with the toe while keeping the weight on the back leg. (3) Pinch the dress either side and spread the dress wide. (4) Incline the body forwards and the head down. (4) Revert to the upright position and bring the pointed leg back to the V.

Another, more formal curtsy puts the weight on the front leg as follows: (1) Stand with legs together and the feet in a V shape. (2) Move one leg out, say the right leg out to the right and then backwards, say, 60cm. (3) Role your weight on to the back foot and point your front foot, that is, raise the heel while the toe remains on the ground. As you role back, bend at both knees, which spreads the legs wide (a plié shape), incline the body forward and spread the dress. (4) Stand up again and bring the weight back to the front foot bringing the back leg back to the front leg in the V formation.

The deeper you go, the more respect you show; go deep if meeting the Queen. Such a curtsy is difficult to perform and looks bad if not well executed. You may also need to manoeuvre carefully to avoid splitting the dress seems. A less formal curtsy would be just a quick movement with a light bob down and up.

During the 1800s, women transitioned from a curtsy to a bow. A woman could do the same bow as a man in which the legs remain straight and the arms remained by the side. However, woman may also bend the knees a little. The difference between such a bow and a curtsy is that the legs remain together and do not plié. As variation of that is that one leg may extend behind a little. As an alternative to keeping the arms down and straight, the arms may be bent and hands clasped together at midriff.

Video of how to curtsy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DISJsivxH1Y

Bowing for man is perhaps simpler but there are a number of rules to follow. An optional first step is a little bit of fancy footwork before the bow: (1) Start with the legs together and straight with the feet in a V position. (2) Move one leg aside, say, move the right leg 25cm to the right. (2) Move the other leg to join the moved leg and have the feet again in the V position, but with one foot positioned at the arch of the other foot, that is, a little bit forward. (3) Keeping the legs straight, bend forward with the head in the final movement bowing down a little. (4) On returning the erect position, lift the head in the process make eye contact.

If the gentleman is wearing a hat, which he may well do if he is walking outside, there are a number of rules to apply. On meeting someone, the man would show respect by what is called tipping the hat. That may sound like the hat remains on the head but just slid forward, however, that is not the case. That hat must be removed from the head to show clear daylight between the hat and head. The top of the hat must face the person being respected; on no occasion must the inside of the hat be shown; perhaps the inside is not a pretty sight.

Another rule is that the arm lifting the hat must be furthest away from the respectee. Otherwise, the arm would obscure the face of the respecter. Bow as you tip the hat. If discussion ensues, hold the hat at the side perhaps under an arm, but with the inside of the hat pointed away from the respectee.

Video of how to bow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC6M3vGMdXk

27/02/2023

Regency era dances

The Regency era was a period of massive change in society and that was true of the dances too. The Country Dance since the Elizabethan age had been the most popular form. Many new dances emerged in the era, which included Cotillion, Quadrille, Waltz, Sauteuse and Mazurka.

The Waltz was initially considered scandalous because of its embrace. Touching between members of the opposite s*x were to be kept to a minimum. Even the shaking of hands could be considered improper between opposite s*xes. Dance, though, permitted forms of touch that would be otherwise unacceptable, but for many, the Waltz was going too far. Even the decadent Lord Byron was shocked by it.

The Country Dance has pairs standing opposite each other. A lead couple start the dance and other pairs follow by copying one by one. There were no mics in that time and in a large hall not all could hear a person calling the steps, and so any communication about the dance would need to be passed down the line.

The Cotillion was danced in a square and had more elaborate steps. The Quadrille was a simpler form of that.

Though there is touching in these dances, it was nothing like the close long embrace of the Waltz. In fact, the pairs need not be of the opposite s*x in these earlier dances.

The Sauteuse is a Waltz that involves jumping. Cotillion and Sauteuse are French words, where the dances emanate from. The Mazurka, a lively dance from Poland, followed the trend in the 1830s. The Polka arrived in the 1840s, a little after the Regency era.

The following YouTube Videos have example of different dances of the era:
Country dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJiT27m-5Tw
Cotillon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElptopGToUk&t=49s
Quadrille: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0zUFafuO0
Mazurka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_5WVzZcyKY

For more details on the Bridgerton Summer Ball on 11 March 2023, go to:
https://www.fantess.com/Events/BridgertonSummerBall?utm_source=DanceEtiquette&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=BridgertonSummerBall

Set in the beautiful grounds of English Cherry Tree Manor, home of the NZ Cherry Blossom Festival, come enjoy a relaxed day of performances, high tea, picnic, photo-opportunities, a carnival atmosphere and a ball the images of which will be like no other seen in this country.

25/02/2023

Here's the performance schedule for the Bridgerton Summer Ball 11 March 2023. The site map is also here.

Note that ticket prices increase on Thursday 2 March.

The event proceeds rain or shine; there is ample cover with marquees etc. for everyone.

Our experience so far with events is that people actually enjoy themselves more on rainy days. The psychology of why that would be seems clear to me.

24/02/2023

Further dance etiquette

The purpose of balls was marriage and though married people were allowed to dance, the floor was particularly for unmarried ladies to display their elegance. Furthermore, contrary to the slow, stately dances portrayed in today’s films of the era, the dances were lively, energetic affairs involving skipping and elaborate ballet-style movements. So, the dancing was more suited to younger, more energetic souls.

A married gentleman though was expected to dance with any lady who did not have a partner. It would be poor etiquette for a gentleman to refuse, which if done, would make him obliged not to dance with anyone else.

What was most frowned upon were married couples dancing together.

When the lady of the house is a dancer, she generally commences the dance, but when this is not the case, her husband should lead out the greatest stranger or person of highest rank present.

At public balls and some private balls, people were given numbers on arrival which indicated their place in the set. The top couple called the dance, that is, the tune and the figures to be danced.

If people did not know the steps, they could walk through the dance with elegance.

The same dance could not be called twice in the same evening.

If a couple failed to take their places at the start, they had to go to the bottom of the dance.

It was bad etiquette to leave a dance before it ended.

Always wear white or light-coloured gloves at a ball and never be seen without gloves in a ballroom.

Set in the beautiful grounds of English Cherry Tree Manor, home of the NZ Cherry Blossom Festival, come enjoy a relaxed day of performances, high tea, picnic, photo-opportunities, a carnival atmosphere and a ball the images of which will be like no other seen in this country.

23/02/2023

Dancefloor etiquette

The main form of dance was known as the country dance, danced in a long line with a gentleman facing his partner. Depending on the number of couples, the dance took a fair time to complete, say, half an hour. During a country dance there is much time when a couple is not dancing. Conversation between the pair was expected.

Routledge's Manual of Etiquette (c1860) states:
Young gentlemen are earnestly advised not to limit their conversation to remarks on the weather and the heat of the room. It is, to a certain extent, incumbent on them to do something more than dance when they invite a lady to join a quadrille. If it be only upon the news of the day, a gentleman should be able to offer at least three or four observations to his partner in the course of a long half-hour.

And, to be able to converse easily whilst dancing was a skill that both s*xes needed to master.

In Pride and Prejudice, when Elizabeth Bennet first dances with Mr Darcy, conversation seems to be a trial:

They stood for some time without speaking a word; and she began to imagine that their silence was to last through the two dances, and at first was resolved not to break it; till suddenly fancying that it would be the greater punishment to her partner to oblige him to talk, she made some slight observation on the dance. He replied, and was again silent.

After a pause of some minutes, she addressed him a second time with:
“It is your turn to say something now, Mr Darcy. I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some sort of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples.”

He smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be said.

“Very well. That reply will do for the present. Perhaps by and by I may observe that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones. But now we may be silent.”

“Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?”

“Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together; and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged, as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as possible.”

A gentleman’s duty to his partner did not end when the dance finished. According to Routledge:
At the conclusion of a dance, the gentleman bows to his partner, and either promenades with her round the room, or takes her to a seat. Where a room is set apart for refreshments, he offers to conduct her thither. At a public ball no gentleman would, of course, permit a lady to pay for refreshments.

There was a correct way to lead your partner to and from the dancefloor. In The Dancers’ Guide (1821), Chivers wrote:
In conducting a lady either to or from the dance, the gentleman should take the lady’s left hand within his right (ie the lady should be on the right side of a gentleman).

Freeling urged ladies to rely on their partners. He wrote in The Ladies’ Pocket Book of Etiquette (1840):
If in the intervals of dancing you wish to go from one part of the room to another, you will request your partner to conduct you; on no account be seen parading the room by yourself.

The next article continues with dance floor etiquette.

23/02/2023

Step back in time to another world at English Cherry Tree Manor at the Bridgerton Summer Ball Sat 11 March 11:45am-8:30pm Details and tickets from https://www.fantess.com/Events/BridgertonSummerBall

21/02/2023

Final Fling of Summer Garden Party has High Tea. 5 March 2023

21/02/2023

Final Fling of Summer Garden Party has ethnic music and dance performances. 5 Mar 2023. More info at fantess.com

21/02/2023

Final Fling of Summer Garden Party has classical. 5 Mar 2023. More info at fantess.com

21/02/2023

Final Fling of Summer Garden Party has Jazz. 5 Mar 2023. More info at fantess.com