The Rossini 2024 post has been a bit delayed, but not for the usual reason (which is that I'm lazy). This time around, it's a bit late because we took over six THOUSAND photos across both days and it took a while to sort through them.![]()
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That's a really good sign, though! Over two days (twelve hours on Saturday and six on Sunday), we spent close to fifteen hours fighting and doing demonstrations for the crowds there. Our students showed up in force and made it so that we didn't have to have any downtime at all.![]()
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Everyone who came fenced exceptionally well, and I've got a great feeling about how this year will go. We even had a few from the current Beginning Fencing class show up, and they got to participate as well. It's an understatement to say I'm proud of everyone, but I am.![]()
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The crowds were great, as well. We were in a new location, which meant we had objectively fewer people coming by (on the edge of the festival rather than closer to the center because, uh, apparently we were drawing crowds that were TOO big last year), but that meant the folks who came to see us came specifically to watch us demo, so they were a lot more attentive and asked some really good questions.![]()
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Shoutout to The French Market Creperie for not only being a cool backdrop for our photos but for keeping us fed and caffeinated, to the officers of the Knoxville Police Department - TN for helping with crowd control and for being good sports and stepping into the ring for a quick lesson, to the guys from Harman Ice for being a good audience the whole weekend, and to the @Rossini Festival - Knoxville, TN itself for existing and for having us back for eleven(!) years in a row.
Today's class was on community building. ![]()
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At least, that was the (half) joking way we talked about it. We spent today's class working on our practice space, cleaning things up, and generally making it a bit nicer. ![]()
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It's a nice feeling to have built something so worthwhile that people want to help.![]()
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Pictured is the table and benches that you may have seen in the background of some of our footage, now clean and usable.
What's that cliche about samurai and doing art? Anyway, we don't just fight with swords! Sometimes, we do #calligraphy or work with #paint.
Our new Monday Night class is starting off well! We'll be studying 18th century fencing (or "Napoleonic fencing," if you're cool), starting with the broadsword and heavy saber!
Quick update (photo to appease the algorithm):![]()
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There will be NO class on Sunday the 14th. It'll be too cold to be safe.
Starting 2024 off the right way with a great fight day!![]()
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We still have spots open for the first beginner HEMA class of 2024. If you're interested, drop us a line here or email academyoftheblade@gmail.com!
Happy New Year from all of us at KAB!![]()
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We had a great 2023 and this coming year is really shaping up to be something special. Thanks to our new Assistant Coaches, we're going to have a lot of cool stuff brewing in 2024! What's next, you ask?![]()
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We've got a brand-new Beginner's Class starting in February! Send us a message or email if you'd like to join.![]()
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Also in February, we'll be starting a new group class on Mondays dedicated to 18th Century Fencing, starting with the Highland broadsword!![]()
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What about you? Have you ever wanted to be a fencer? This stuff is a lot of fun, so drop us a line and we'll get you started!
We had an absolute blast this year at Yama-Con Anime-Comic Convention! In my not-so-humble opinion, it might just have been the best one yet. A huge thanks goes to my students, several of whom were there all weekend and fought hard the whole time! Shoutout to our awesome-as-always neighbors, Snow Phoenix and Baz LLC.
Some of the Girl Scouts from Troop 20909 of the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians came to work with us this past Sunday, and I think it's safe to say they had a blast!![]()
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We love offering these kinds of workshops, and they're a great heast start on our full-length beginner classes.
We're rapidly pushing toward the end of the year and the time change means we're doing a lot of fencing after dark now! HEMA after dark is pretty great, if you ask me, because it really makes you work on your blade presence! Fortunately, the temps stayed pretty nice.![]()
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Beginner classes will resume in early 2024, but be sure to drop us a line early if you're interested!
We had a couple of out of town friends who dont' normally make it to Sunday class this week, so October got TWO fight days. Check out all the fun we have, and drop us a line if you want to try it out.![]()
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Update: Make that three! fight days. I forgot that this was a five sunday month and forgot to schedule a lesson for the 29th, so we got to indulge a bit and have another day of freeplay.
We got invited up to Tanasi Girl Scout Camp this past weekend by the Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians to do some fencing lessons as part of their "Star Girls" weekend. We had a blast working with them, and I think it's safe to say they girls all loved getting a taste of fencing with their lightsabers!
September's first fight day is on the books, and I couldn't be happier with how well everyone fenced. The level of skill today is something everyone to braved the heat should be proud of!