Spring is here and it is not just the bees that have started buzzing. The city is filled with flowers and blooming trees as we are treated by pink petal cherry blossoms that dance down to the ground covering the sidewalks. The weather is inspiring parents and children to get out of the house…
Read More... from Fun for the Whole Family with Introduction to Swordplay for Youth and Families
Friday 18 April at around noon we are planning to burn those piles of brambles. Providing the weather cooperates, those blackberries will be toast! Bring your work-clothes and your marshmallows and join us for some revenge! We also have several other chores on the to-do list, such as putting the lovely new trough in the…
For those of Us in Upper Canada that have recently dug out of a long winter, only to face the return of sub-zero temperatures tomorrow evening, We really envy those in the community that can practice their arts outdoors year round. Australia particularly. On the other hand, there is something to be said for one…
I call stage combat the illusion of violence because I realized that convincing an audience that a fight is genuine while hiding the safety features is a magic trick. This is especially obvious if you watch magicians who saw their assistants in half or thrust swords through them. Misdirection About half of the effects in…
Game of Thrones. Whether you have read the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin or are glued to the tv screen every week when HBO debuts a new episode, one thing is clear: this is some of the best story telling out there. The characters feel so real and multifaceted- there…
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Blue Spur Curriculum: Cutting from the Falsemount What is a falsemount? Our falsemounts are simply wooden horses from which we can safely work on perfecting techniques with steel weapons without the distraction of an animal with a mind of it's own, or the worry of injuring it. Falsemounts don't buck, bite or bolt, and most…
Swords in public venues? Under the right conditions, the public will flock (and sometimes pay) to see your historical swordplay demonstration or visit a historical exhibition of swords. But, display those very same blades in a park or dimly-lit alley, and the public reaction is apt to be significantly different – notwithstanding your best and…
The Calcio Storico in Venice is purported to be the most violent sport still practiced today. In fact, it has remained unchanged in the last 600 years. The Inside Story: The main thing I noticed in watching these films is that although they count score as a team, they tend to compete as individuals. They…
Last Friday night Academie Duello and the Social Concierge hosted an elegant tournament and demonstration of swordplay at the Vancouver Club in downtown Vancouver. The evening involved performances from the Vancouver Opera, Champagne Sabreing with various historical swords, a beautiful decked out ballroom, and an invitational rapier tournament of Academie Duello's senior students. The event,…
Read More... from Photos and Comments From the Duelling Arts Rapier Tournament
This Spring Academie Duello is bringing our Falconry program back! With a pirate twist! Academie Duello’s Parrot Taming and Training program is under development with our first course to be offered in June. Advanced registration will be opening up next week. Details to be announced. About the Program’s Origins For many centuries, the taming and…
Read More... from Bird Taming and Training Returns to Duello with a Twist
Human cooperation is a wonderful thing, and it’s my belief that cooperation is the singular reason why humanity has thrived. Although a single performer can put on a one-man show, theatre is most often a group effort. Filmmaking is nearly always done in teams. How do you fit into a team? What makes a good…
This afternoon we finished up our final day of training for the Duelling Arts Rapier Tournament at the Vancouver Club. This is part tournament and part spectacle; a hand picked roster of 8 senior Duello students will be fencing in a series of matches over the course of an evening of fine dining and cocktails,…
Read More... from Finding Your Centre - The Day Before the Tournament
We're thrilled to welcome back Robert Borsos of Borsos Torsz Horse Archery Club to teach two workshops on Saturday May 3rd: Horseback Archery - Beginner In this three hour workshop you will spend an hour and a half on the ground learning the fundamentals and body mechanics of Hungarian style horse archery. You will then…