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 Revision of basics of Meyer's Rapier:

Elisabeth has finished her first corset, and is now working on petticoat and sleeves in red silk. She hopes to have an entire late-16thC gown completed by December. Marie is working on a naalbinded hat; Eleanor is finishing seams on a shirt for her partner; and Caterine and Katherina cut out a kirtle for katherine (the alliteration comes free).
 

• Rostiboli Gioioso, for a couple (15thC Italian ballo)
• Amoroso, for a couple (15thC Italian 'ballo franzese')
• Spero, for three (15thC Italian ballo)
• Ginevra, for a couple (15th C Italian bassadanza)
• Leoncello Vecchio, for two people, and Leoncello Novo, for three people (15thC Italian balli)
• Anello, for four people (15thC Italian ballo)

Matt teaching (Katherine's notes)
Meyer's Rapier - Book 1, Chapter 8
[2.70v-2.72.v; pp192-3 of Forgeng's translation]

Changing (Wechseln, Durchwechseln), Chasing (Nachreisen), Remaining (Bleiben), Feeling (Fuhlen), Pulling (Zucken), and Winding (Winden).
Changing (Wechseln or Durchwechseln)

Changing = avoiding your opponent's blade and attacking on the other side
Changing through = cutting under
Changing around = cutting over

Eleanor and Benedict continued work on their scabbards. Katherina completed her gorget (at last). Emrys worked on a lute rose, and on ways to add rigid protection to the back of the head to fencing masks, to make them suitable for "cut and thrust". Caterine knitted a silk bag.

• Rostiboli Gioioso for two and three people (15thC Italian balli)
• Leoncello Vecchio, for two people, and Leoncello Novo, for three people (15thC Italian balli)
• Ginevra, for a couple (15th C Italian bassadanza)
• Anello, for four people (15thC Italian ballo)
• Ly Bens Distonys, for couples (dance from the Gresley MS, English, c. 1500)
• Branle de la Montarde, for as many as will (dance from Arbeau's Orchesography, 1589)

For the next few months we'll be concentrating on dances from the 15th century, and especially from 15th century Italy.

These are amongst the earliest surviving choreographies of European dancing. They come from a cluster of about twelve manuscripts, written in Italy during the second half of the fifteenth century and the first decades of the sixteenth century. There are slow, slinky, majestic dances; bouncy, playful dances; intricate performance-pieces; and dances that have a bit of everything.

(Katherine's notes)
Note to self: We have been reinventing the wheel again. We should keep
notes, put them here, and then check them (see Patrick's notes on this
material from May).

We revised several of the parries - absetzen, verhengen, and Ausschagen
mit hangender Kling - where I had some concerns that we'd drifted a
little from the source in the process of getting something that worked.
(Or I'd misremebered when I wrote it up - always a possibility).

Elisabeth worked on her 16th century corset - nearly finished now; Caterine made a lovely brown velvet hat - this one full-sized; Eleanor finished her chemise; Emrys collected the blue silk thread for the braid he is making for his doublet (no excuses now!); Katherina and William de Cameron slacked off, and failed to persuade everyone else to play cards.

(Katherine's Notes - Matt was teaching)
On the 1st we figured out how we think they go, slowly, unmasked, and with rapiers; on the 8th we tested them at higher speed with masks and shinai (using the instructions from the rapier section, but a longsword style, to test interchangeability of techniques - it worked pretty well; the next step would be to compare what we deduced with what Meyer actually says in the longsword section).
Meyer lists 8 parries: