Thank you!

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 […]

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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 […]

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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   […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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