DANCING HISTORY
Thomas Baird has taught Historical Dance for over 35 years. In master classes at The Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, Manhattan School of Music and Purchase College, as well as his open classes in New York City, he teaches Baroque Dance technique, dance types and rhythms of the Baroque, and offers phrases from reconstructed dances preserved in Feuillet notation. Initially, he was inspired by the work of Catherine Turocy and was a member of her New York Baroque Dance Company for six years, where he also taught repertoire and reconstructed dances. He teaches dances from the Italian Renaissance at Dance Masters Classes in Urbania, Italy, and has taught 19th-century ballroom dances, as well as Ragtime era dances at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Dance. Mr. Baird choreographed the Metropolitan Opera production of Alfano's Cyrano De Bergerac in 2005 and 2017. He has worked with the New York Philharmonic since 2006, where he has choreographed and performed historical dances from different eras for the Young People's Concerts. His period-style work has also been seen on Broadway in Sheridan's School for Scandal and O'Neil's A Touch of the Poet.
Baroque Dance Winter Retreat
January 5th-9th, 2026
Online via Zoom
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All classes taught by Thomas Baird
Retreat 2026 will focus on English Baroque Dance, and, in particular, the works of Mr. Isaac and Anthony L’Abbée. There will be a special class offering phrases from L’Abbée’s theatre dances, that will include dance notation reading, as well as time to really work on the most English of dances, the Hornpipe! We’ll reconstruct Isaac’s The Royall, “Perform’d at Court on Her MAJESTIES Birth day Febr: ye 6th” (1711), a multi-partite dance consisting of a sarabande and hornpipe. Below is a schedule. The level of classes is mixed. For more specific work, see my ongoing online weekly class schedule.
Retreat 2026 Schedule
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10:00 AM-11:15 AM EST Baroque Dance Warm-up and Technique class (Emphasis on English Baroque Dance)
11:30 AM-12:45 PM EST M,W,F English Theatre Dance/T,R Hornpipe Class
1:00-1:30 PM EST Private Lesson
1:30-2:00 PM EST Private Lesson
2:00-3:30 PM EST Baroque Dance Reconstruction
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3:30-4:00 PM EST Private Lesson
4:00-4:30 PM EST Private Lesson
4:30-5:00 PM EST Private Lesson
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On Line Registration (after 12/15/25): $20 each class
Private Lessons in Conjunction with the Retreat Only: Online $30/30 minutes.
Payments may be made via PayPal (Louixiv203@att.net), Venmo (Thomas-Baird-20), or Zelle (attombaird@aol.com)
Please direct your questions to me at Louixiv203@att.net
Dancing History
"All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing."
Molière
