On 27-29 May 2022, The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium 2022 will take place in Vancouver, Canada.
VISS is a weekend dedicated to European martial arts and fencing, taking place every two years. In 2022, VISS will be the host of a special event: “The Quincentenial: A Celebration of Bolognese Martial Arts”.
The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium gathers instructors, practitioners, writers, and lecturers from all over the world for a series of workshops, lectures, performances, and events whose main topic is fencing.
Academie Duello Museum will open its doors for the guests, making its wonderful collections accessible.
VISS Gala awaits the participants on Saturday night. There will be plenty of desserts, fencing performances, tournaments, and occasions to meet all guests and participants.
The event has been designed in such a way so as to show the attendees the special martial arts skills, techniques, and knowledge of the instructors. For those less interested in the physical aspect of the event or just in need of some rest, the organisers have prepared musical shows, film evenings, informal meetings, and a spectacular Saturday Night Gala.
The aim of VISS is to acquaint the participants with the arts and practices, as well as the structures and teaching styles of different instructors and schools. All this with the aim of providing both academic and hands-on content to encourage inter-school and interdisciplinary discourse and exchange, mixing academic aspects of WMA with practical application.
The organiser of the event, Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay in Vancouver, is the largest centre for teaching and practicing European martial arts and fencing in the world. The school teaches how to wield various types of weapons, which were available in the past. Their training sessions encompass a wide range of disciplines, including rapier, sword, longsword, as well as sword and buckler fencing together with spear, knife, and polearm fighting. Last but not least, the school also teaches unarmed tactical skills in wrestling and boxing.
Detailed information is available on the event’s website.