The Artists.
Nancy Walker, MA, BA, Diploma of the Royal Society of Arts and Jef Savage, MBA, BSc (Danza Antiqua) are Rostered Artists for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. They are specialists in ballroom dance, historical dance, dance & general period history, fibers arts design, execution and history from 1430 to modern day. Both are ballet trained and have delivered roles in several classical ballets at the Capitol Theatre, Chambersburg. They have extensive experience as dance performers, instructors, fiber artists and producers of entertaining educational performances for the general public, along with extensive experience of bringing history and diverse cultures to life for all ages and abilities through all their art forms and their associated histories.
In their Dance Studio and Fiber Arts Center in Mercersburg they teach all forms of dance, machine & hand sewing, weaving, quilting, lace making, decorative beadwork for clothing and display pieces, embroidery, applique, knitting, spinning, and Civil War soft cloth doll making. Their equipment consists of modern sewing machines, a traditional floor loom, rigid heddle looms, warping board, bobbin lace pillows & bobbins, modern and antique spinning wheels, embroidery frames and hoops, and all associated tools.
Nancy was Professor of Dance at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and has performed and worked in England, France, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Malta and Gozo. She holds an M.A. and B.A. degree in Dance and a Diploma in Fine and Decorative Arts from Christie’s (London). She is currently Adjunct Professor of Dance History at Gettysburg College.
Jef holds an MBA and BSc (Computer Science) and has had a long and continuing career as a Leadership Performance Trainer & Facilitator, designing and delivering leadership and management skills plus diversity and sensitivity training to Corporate Executives, Managers and Staff, and has worked in Spain, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Scotland and The Netherlands. Jef has provided Leadership Training for Martins Famous Pastry, Gettysburg Montessori Faculty, Mercersburg Academy Faculty & Students and Foreign Exchange High School Students based on Carl Jung’s theory of personality via the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Jef is a Certified Practitioner for the MBTI, 16PF and Firo-B. He is a male role model in the context of fiber arts, dance and etiquette.
They also research and construct their own period clothing for their performances. Currently they are producing accurately reconstructed Mid Colonial ladies’ dresses and men’s suits from appropriate reproduction materials and period patterns, which require some modifications to fit modern body shapes. They have worked with all ranges of ages, abilities and populations in schools, libraries, senior centers, churches and museums. They just recently concluded a second (2023) Civil War Fiber Arts 10 weeks summer program for Gettysburg Children of 1863 Museum covering Civil War Quilting, Knitting & Crochet, Pennsylvania Deutsch Fraktur Watercolor painting and calligraphy, Native American Beadwork, Pennsylvania Deutsch Embroidery, Weaving and Bobbin Lace Making for children and adults.
Current projects; Social History, Fiber Arts and Dances of the Civil War, International Folk Dances and Fiber Arts, Dancing Through the Decades, The Renaissance & Western Culture, English Colonial History and Art in America, Women Through History, Medieval Society & Culture, Pennsylvania Deutsch Fraktur Art, Native American Beadwork.
They are available to provide programming for your event. Please email txt or call to discuss your requirements.
View less
