Playford-to-the-Present 2021

Here are photos and videos from our Annual Playford-to-the-Present English Country Dance Ball in 2021. We were able to take a brief respite from the coronavirus pandemic to dance together and enjoy ourselves. The ball was held on Saturday, October 9, 2021, at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Pasadena, California. We welcomed excellent local talent, including a duo of callers: James Huston and Renée Camus, and wonderful LIVE MUSIC from Force For Nature: Audrey Knuth on violin, Ashley Hoyer on mandolin, and Jeffrey Spero on keyboard.

The program was mostly made up of Easy and Intermediate level dances, including many familiar favorites, that wouldn’t require advanced practices since we weren’t sure we would be able to hold any ball practices. There were no Complex or For Those Who Know dances on the program.

We did premiere two brand-new dances that evening, one of which was written specifically for the ball. One was called Gratitude, by Sharon Green and Kalia Kliban, to an original tune by Rebecca King. The other, Awakening, was written specifically for the ball by CCECD caller Renée Camus, to the tune Daybreak (2009), by Owen Morrison. See videos of the two original dances below.

COVID-19 protocols were followed (as have all our dances since): Proof of vaccination was required at the door, and masks were worn at all times inside the hall. Our (individually wrapped) refreshments were consumed at lovely tables set up outside the hall in the California moonlight.

Though it was, by necessity, a smaller gathering, we had attendees from much of the Southern California area, including Culver City (of course), Pasadena, Monrovia, Anaheim, and Santa Barbara. A wonderful time was had by all.

Want to know more about the history of our ball? Check out our page A Brief History of CCECD.

(Click on an image to enlarge.)

Playford-to-the-Present 2021 Photos

Our photo booth. Photo courtesy of Aileen Poehls.
Our lovely tables set up outdoors. Photo courtesy of Aileen Poehls.
CCECD Committee Chair Aileen Poehls. (Photo courtesy of Aileen Poehls.)
Callers Renée Camus and James Hutson. Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Callers James Hutson and Renée Camus, with Force For Nature: Audrey Knuth, Ashley Hoyer, and Jeffrey Spero. Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Callers James Hutson and Renée Camus, with Force For Nature: Audrey Knuth, Ashley Hoyer, and Jeffrey Spero. Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
The Playford-to-the-Present Ball Committee members: James Hutson, Sparky Sotcher, Aileen Poehls, Patricia Keating, Mickey Waring, and Renée Camus. Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
P2P Ball Co-Chair Sparky Sotcher. Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Force for Nature.
Photo courtesy of Aileen Poehls.
Force for Nature.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Our wonderful sound engineer, Victor Garza. Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Aileen Poehls.
Photo courtesy of Aileen Poehls.
Photo courtesy of Aileen Poehls.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Caller James Hutson. Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Christina Walley.
Photo courtesy of Laura Riley.
Photo courtesy of Laura Riley.
Photo courtesy of Laura Riley.
Photo courtesy of Laura Riley.
Photo courtesy of Wendy Robinson-Herrera.
The Monrovia group. Photo courtesy of Wendy Robinson-Herrera.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Force for Nature.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Cara King.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Larry Hansen.
Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Photo courtesy of Renée Camus.
Photo courtesy of Wendy Robinson-Herrera.

Playford-to-the-Present 2021 Program of Dances (in program order): Jack’s Health, Fenterlarick, A New Beginning, The Lover’s Knot, Awakening (premiere!); Old Wife Behind the Fire, Love and a Bottle, Elizabeth, Gratitude (premiere!), Mary K; Key to the Cellar, Barbarini’s Tambourine, The Fandango, Softly Good Tummas, Sapphire Sea.

All images used with permission as noted. CCECD thanks Renée Camus, Larry Hansen, Cara King, Aileen Poehls, Laura Riley, Wendy Robinson-Herrera, and Christina Walley for sharing their photos with us.

Playford-to-the-Present 2021 Videos

We have videos of three of the dances from the 2021 P2P ball: two brand new dances–including one written specifically for this ball–and one classic Playford dance.

Gratitude

Gratitude, by Sharon Green and Kalia Kliban, to an original tune by Rebecca King. CCECD’s committee chair Aileen Poehls won Rebecca’s beautiful tune in the 2020 Virtual Fall Frolick auction. Both the tune and the dance were written in 2021. Here is Aileen’s dedication for the dance:

May we all begin anew. We must be like the fountain or spring that is continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being refilled from an invisible source. To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by fear of poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good—this is the secret of right living.

Aileen Poehls (CCECD Committee Chair)

Thanks to Larry Hansen for filming. (There’s more written about the dance in the YouTube description.)

Awakening

This dance was written specifically for the 2021 P2P Ball by caller Renée Camus, in celebration of our return to dancing. It begins with a solo for the Right-side 1, to commemorate the months of dancing alone on Zoom, before opening up and dancing with more people. The gorgeous waltz tune is Daybreak, by Owen Morrison (2009). It was filmed from the stage by Renée.

The Fandango

This is the Playford English country dance called The Fandango, from 1774. Thanks to Laura Riley for filming and sharing her video with us.

Want to see more of our videos? Check out our Videos page, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Did you miss the ball this year? Be sure to join us next year!

See more Playford-to-the-Present Ball photos.