Hello there,
Today was a very exciting day for me. I received a box containing the finished product of my first film. Since April, with the help of my family and a few friends, I have been creating an instructional/documentary DVD on English country dances. Since moving here we have all enjoyed learning the dances from the Civil War era; dances which are now enjoyed at barn dances and reenactments across the country. It is such fun for the whole family – even Meredith does a great job keeping up with us – and just yesterday we taught my grandmother the Virginia Reel. With so many nonproductive, anti-family activities out there, these dances are a wonderful way to have good old fashioned fun!
In this 30 minute film I cover 6 old fashioned dances complete with step by step instructions, dance excerpts from a barndance—with dancers in period costume—and historical information on etiquette and customs of the day. You can click here to see some postings I have on a filmmakers forum and check out some pictures taken during the filming…
And if by chance you’d like to purchase a copy for your very own, you can email me directly for now at gstowe@hughes.net I hope to sell them on ebay and eventually get a website up and running but work and the needs of the farm are more pressing at the moment! For the present, the DVD cost is $10 + s&h of $3. Thanks so much for your interest.
God bless,
Garrett Stowe
Wonderful video! We really enjoyed the clear instructions, fun dances and beautiful dresses. The cinematography was especially wonderful:) Hope you do well with it, keep up the good work!
Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed the video…especially the cinematography. I wish you could meet the cinematographer. She’s such a nice, friendly, cheerful person and, you’re right, she does really nice work!
The DVD is now listed on Ebay, soon to be listed on Etsy, and several other exciting possibilities are on the horizon. I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for the interest!
~Garrett
Here’s the ebay link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/220861767768?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649
Just blogged about this wonderful DVD… now our family is excited to hit the streets or in our case.. field and start learning this great dances.
Thanks so much Java Girl! Your kind words are so encouraging and I’m glad you enjoyed the DVD. I appreciate your helping me spread the word.
As a Northerner I especially enjoyed watching and learning the dance steps. The scenery, costumes and film quality were fantastic. My favorite was the history of ladies using their fans. Such a polite society of young ladies and gentlemen, it would be so nice to see that become the norm again.
Congratulations on a first film, hoping to see many more.
I’m glad to hear that a “northerner” enjoyed the DVD as much as those south of the Mason Dixon line! Your encouraging words are much appreciated…Thanks Granny Lyn!
Hello, Garrett! I ended up here through the Savories of Life blog when I saw her post about giving away one of your DVDs. It’s so neat that you’ve done an instructional DVD for all those fun dances! It’s also ironic that I would see this right now, since as a filmmaker looking for creative video ideas, I’ve just been thinking about making some instructional dancing videos! I’ve been doing the Civil War dances for years, as well as ballroom and swing. I also did some contra dancing in Chattanooga while I was attending Bryan College in Dayton, TN. (It’s neat that you live in TN! It’s a beautiful state! Almost as beautiful as my home state of VA. 🙂 Anyway, I think it’s great that you made an instructional DVD. Good for you! I’ll be staying tuned to hear of further projects. 🙂
God bless,
Stacey