What a great weekend! The 3rd Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium was a great success. This year our event ran an extra 3 days, starting with the Pen and Sword event at the Vancouver Public Library, the VISS Instructor Summit, and then our symposium weekend, followed by an excellent sparring after-party. We had instructors join us […]
Tag: VISS2015
Sunday lecture changes
Unfortunately, our guest lecturer Dr. Robert Rouse has come down with an illness and will not be available to speak at VISS tomorrow. However, Noelle Philips and Daniel Helbert will continue to offer their scheduled lecture entitled “Why Do We Fight?: The Warrior Cultures of Medieval England.” Dr. Rouse’s lecture “Storied Swords: Behind the Legendary […]
Private lessons
VISS is shaping up to provide lots of opportunities for students of all levels! We now have more information available regarding our private lessons on offer. The following instructors will be available for private lessons during VISS: Puck Curtis Steaphen Fick Matthew Howden David McCormick Mark Mikita Marco Quarta Kaja Sadowski Christian Tobler […]
Check In + Equipment Rental Pickup Info
First, a quick reminder: All workshops and lectures this weekend will be held at The Vancouver Masonic Centre (1495 West 8th Avenue). VISS 2015 is just a few days away! For everyone attending here’s a quick rundown of when and how things are happening. Thursday 5pm to 11pm: Check in! Initial check-in is Thursday evening […]
Schedule updates and revisions
The schedule for VISS 2015 has changed! We have had to shuffle a few classes around to better accommodate our instructors, so please see our workshop schedule page to see the most up-to-date information. Fear not – no classes have been removed or added. All we’ve done is swap the evening and afternoon sessions, but […]
Lectures have been scheduled!
If you are looking forward to our lecture track this year, you’re in luck: The full lecture schedule is now available to see on our schedule page. We will be offering six lectures and one panel discussion through the day on Saturday and Sunday. We’re proud to say that our lecturers represent both the physical […]
New lecturers added
This year’s lectures are looking good, with great topics offered by martial arts instructors and academics alike. We’re proud to host academic lectures by Dr. Noelle Phillips, Dr. Robert Rouse, and Daniel Helbert of the University of British Columbia. In addition, we’ll have lectures by martial arts instructors including Bob Charrette, Puck Curtis, David R. […]
New lectures and workshop descriptions added!
More details are now available about our workshops, including equipment and skill prerequisites when applicable. Also, our lecture track is looking fleshed out now with seven lectures to choose from! Check out our schedule page for descriptions. Check out what we have on offer so far: Panel Discussion: What makes good HEMA? featuring Tom Leoni […]
The Pen and the Sword: Swordplay Talk and Demonstration at the Vancouver Public Library!
Throughout history swordplay has been in integral part of our storytelling. Whether it’s The Three Musketeers or Star Wars, the idea of characters duelling with swords is one that is firmly ingrained in our psyche and it’s also an idea worth exploring further. This March 23rd in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library as part […]
VISS 2015 workshop schedule now available
We are happy to announce that a workshop schedule is now available on our workshop page! There are currently three levels of hands-on workshops available: Multi-day intensive workshop series are comprised of three 3-hour sessions for a total of nine hours with the same instructor(s). We are currently offering four intensive tracks, each focusing on […]
Last week for early registration discount!
It’s the end of the year, which means that there is just one week left to receive the early registration discount for VISS 2015. Those who register before January 1, 2015 will receive $30 off a full 3-day symposium pass or $16 off a 1-day symposium pass. If you know that you’ll be joining us, […]
A whole week of training!
VISS 2015 is all about the pursuit of mastery. In keeping with that theme, we’re offering even more opportunities to train while you visit Vancouver for the symposium. By popular demand, we’re offering unlimited training at Academie Duello at a discount for VISS attendees in the week leading up to VISS (March 23-26) and/or the […]
Special hotel deal for VISS attendees
VISS 2015 is pleased to announce that the Victorian Hotel will once again be offering a special rate exclusively to Vancouver Swordplay attendees for their deluxe rooms as well as their B&B (shared bathroom) accommodations. The Victorian Hotel is a unique boutique hotel located at 514 Homer Street, within very easy walking distance from Academie […]
Steaphen Fick confirmed for VISS 2015
The list of VISS 2015 instructors keeps growing, and the latest addition is Steaphen Fick! Steaphen is the founder of Davenriche European Martial Artes in Santa Clara, California, where he teaches a wide variety of martial arts, both modern and historical. Steaphen is also an authority on the works of Joseph Swetnam and the author […]
Marco Quarta confirmed for VISS 2015
Marco Quarta will be joining our roster of returning instructors for VISS 2015! Marco is a talented grappler, stickfighter, and researcher of Italian martial traditions. Marco has a long history with various disciplines, including modern fencing as well as grappling arts of various traditions, which he showed at VISS 2013 in some impressive matches with […]
Randy Packer confirmed for VISS 2015
We have yet another instructor to announce for VISS 2015! Randy Packer is joining the ranks of workshop instructors for this March. Randy is the founder and head instructor at Valkyrie Western Martial Arts Assembly, and he co-founded Academie Duello with Devon Boorman as well. Randy has a background in both Eastern and Western martial […]
Matthew Howden confirmed for VISS 2015
The latest instructor to join us for VISS 2015 is Matthew Howden of Academia Duellatoria in Portland, OR! Matthew specializes in the rapier art of Gerard Thibault, a 17th century Dutch system which descended from the Spanish rapier tradition. Thibault’s system is rarely practiced, yet based on one of the most comprehensive historical swordsmanship texts […]