INFORMATION

Click the links below for more information on The Civil War Dance Foundation and The Susquehanna Travelers!

The Susquehanna Travelers

The years of the Civil War were not all blood and mud, death and destruction.  On the home front there was grace and beauty, candlelight . . . and dancing!  The Victorian Dance Ensemble, the performing troupe of the Civil War Dance Foundation, recreates that bygone era by demonstrating and teaching dances of the mid-19th century.  Many of the members belong to Union, Confederate or civilian Civil War reenactment units, while others are interested in the Victorian era or vintage dancing.

The VDE was founded by Dr. Thomas Foster, retired Deputy Superintendent of Baltimore Schools and a long-time Civil War reenactor, who taught Civil War Dance at various community colleges in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The students from the classes demonstrated dancing at the first Harrisburg Civil War Exposition in March 1995.  Almost immediately after that first demonstration, they were asked to give other dance programs, often with instruction and audience participation.  The group has since grown to over forty members and its schedule includes more than three dozen demonstrations and balls a year.  Dr. Lawrence Keener-Farley now serves as the dance master

The Victorian Dance Ensemble has presented dance demonstrations for the Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, National Civil War Museum, Maryland Historical Society, Harrisburg’s Whitaker Performing Arts Center, Virginia’s Pamplin Park, North Carolina's Museum of the Cape Fear, and for numerous other historical organizations and sites.  In January 2009, it performed at one of the Presidential Inaugural Balls.

The Ensemble also provides dance instruction and floor managers for three of the premiere vintage balls in the nation, the Sons of Union Veterans Remembrance Day Ball in Gettysburg, the Union League’s Abraham Lincoln Ball in Philadelphia and the Civil War Preservation Ball in the Rotunda of the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. 

In addition to dancing, the Ensemble's members present programs on such topics as Civil War era fashions, jewelry, newspapers, photography, weapons, flags, and the roles of civilians, using reproductions and original artifacts from their own extensive collections. The Ensemble has presented special educational programs for the Capital Area Intermediate Unit's American History Teaching Project and the Civil War Preservation Trust's National Teacher Institute.   

The Victorian Dance Ensemble is also asked to do special events not involving dancing. Its members have gained a reputation for accurate attire, knowledge of the Civil War and the ability to mingle with guests at social events. This combination of knowledge and social skills has earned the group invitations to provide "greeters" and "conversationalists" for special events held by the Gettysburg Foundation, Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee, and the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails Project. The Ensemble also assisted the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with Governor Thomas Ridge's Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Governor Edward Rendell's Inaugural Ball.

The Victorian Dance Ensemble is deeply committed to supporting historic preservation and education and has held fundraising balls and dance classes for numerous preservation projects.  Through 2008, the Ensemble has directly donated more than $23,000 from its own treasury to various historical preservation and education causes.

In 2008, the group reorganized as the Civil War Dance Foundation and expanded its programs. The Victorian Dance Ensemble name is still used by the performing dance troupe.