"A Ball? I Long for a Ball!"

by Laurie Viera Rigler, author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict (http://janeaustenaddict.com)

(This post also appears as a guest post on About.com's Classic Literature blog.)

It was only about six years ago when I looked at pictures of empire-gowned members of the Jane Austen Society of North America and said, "I'll never be one of those people who dresses up in costume and goes to a Regency ball. Isn't that a bit like going to a Star Trek convention and wearing Vulcan ears?"

Lesson #1: Whenever you say, "I'll never be one of those people," what it really means is that you already are one of those people. You just don't know it yet.

Lesson #2: It all starts with English country dance lessons. You know how they talk about gateway drugs? Well, English country dance lessons, my friends, is the gateway drug.

I went to my first dance lesson at the 2004 Annual General Meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA AGM) , which took place in my part of the world, i.e., Los Angeles. Learning English country dance was, after all, part of my research for my novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, which is about a modern L.A. girl who wakes up one morning as a woman in Austen's time. Dance lessons were as legitimate a pursuit as attending the various lectures. Or so I told myself. How could I, in all good conscience, write a dance scene if I had the opportunity to dance and passed it up?

[Here I am dancing with my friend Ron at the 2008 Jane Austen Evening.]

Then came the JASNA ball itself that Saturday night in 2004. Sure, I didn't wear a costume; lots of people didn't. But I danced every dance and not only did I have a blast, I also discovered that English country dance, which in the movies looks like people are merely parading about and posing like peacocks, is actually quite a workout. I also found that when I looked at the women in their gowns this time, I experienced costume envy. I too wanted to wear a dress and pretend I was Elizabeth Bennet dancing with Mr. Darcy. Wouldn't my turns and steps look ever so much more elegant in a Regency ball gown than in black velvet pants? No, I told myself, I won't give in. Costumes are where I draw the line.

Since then I have attended two more JASNA AGMs and two more JASNA balls. Still in contemporary dress. But the turning point came when I attended something last year called the Jane Austen Evening, which is not a JASNA-sponsored event. At the Jane Austen Evening, which is organized by the Society for Manners and Merriment,  almost all of the attendees are in costume. Unlike the JASNA balls, where everyone is there because they are Jane Austen readers, the attendees of the Jane Austen Evening appear to be a mixture of Jane Austen readers, period-dance aficionados, people who are into historical re-enactments, and combinations thereof.  You can imagine the costumed glory of these folks.

["A whole campful of soldiers!"]

Lesson #3: No one is immune to the costume bug. Case in point: At this year's Jane Austen Evening, I was in the powder room where a number of women were primping. One of them, who was in her early twenties, said to a friend, "I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm actually a t-shirt-and-jeans kind of girl." Another woman, who was perhaps forty and in a gorgeous bright green gown, said, "How about me? I'm an airline mechanic."

You can't make up that kind of dialogue.

Lesson #4: English country dancing can heat you up in more ways than one. The best thing about going to the Jane Austen Evening last year was the fact that I went with my husband Thomas, he who had previously informed me that Regency dancing was the most fundamentally uncool activity he could imagine, and that it would be a cold day in hell…you get the picture. But when the girlfriend who was supposed to go with me couldn't make it, Thomas gallantly offered to take her place. Even took English country dance lessons with me. And that's when I realized that not only is English country dancing a good workout, it's also pretty hot.

It's one thing to dance with one of your girlfriends or some random guy you're not interested in. It's quite another to stand up with the man you find most agreeable in the whole world, the handsomest man who ever was seen, the man who has a noble estate in Derbyshire, I mean, Pasadena. It was then that I truly got why all that serious courting went on at balls in Jane Austen's novels, and why women longed for a dance. Not only was it pretty much the only genteel outlet for vigorous exercise, aside from walking and horse riding; it was the only place that a young man and woman could spend lots of seriously flirtatious face-time with each other. All that eye contact and hand touching and display of bodies was highly charged, and all done with the full sanction of society. No wonder the women were fanning themselves. It was after going to that ball with Thomas that I expanded the ballroom scene in Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. As for Thomas, he had such a good time that this year he decided to invite a group of friends to go with us.

[The handsomest young man that ever was seen...]

At last year's Jane Austen Evening, I wore a long skirt under a knee-length, empire-waisted dress, in a sort of poor man's imitation of a Regency gown. This year, I decided, I would cross the line for good. And so I had a gown made for the occasion. I even had my hair done (admittedly more like big prom hair than authentic Regency hair, but more of a period look than my usual flat-ironed style).

Bring it on, I said. There's no difference between me and those guys who speak Klingon to a friend of mine whenever she ventures into the sci-fi section of her local bookstore. I may not speak Klingon, but I can dance Mr. Beveridge's Maggot like Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle did in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Yes, I am a Jane Austen addict, and my version of Vulcan ears is a scarlet silk-taffeta empire-waisted gown.   

If you'd like to learn English country dance and you live in Southern California, visit lahacal.org  for lessons near you. (You can also link from there to the Jane Austen Evening site.) If you're in another part of the U.S., you can try the English Country Dance Webring; or just do a Google search with the keywords "English country dance" and your geographical area, and you're sure to find something nearby.

And if you'd like to join a warm and welcoming community of fellow Austen addicts, visit the Jane Austen Society of North America at http://jasna.org and find out where your local region meets and what events are going on throughout the year. As for the AGM (and that famous Saturday night ball), this year's event will be held in Chicago.

By the way, the most important thing that the JASNA AGM balls and the Jane Austen Evening have in common, aside from dance and costume, is the abundance of warm and welcoming people. So if you're shy with strangers or don't have a partner to accompany you to these events, never fear.

If you'd like to see my photo album of this year's Jane Austen Evening, visit the Many Charming Views / Scrapbook  section of my website, janeaustenaddict.com.

(I came across a YouTube video of folks dancing the Sir Roger de Coverley at the Jane Austen Evening, and there I am in the foreground dancing with my friend Alice. Video by Larry Buckel. He and his lovely wife Carin helped organize the event:)

Comments

[sell my house]

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[כסאות משרדיים]

I would absolutely for excellent. And so I had a dress created for the celebration. I even had my tresses done undoubtedly more like big party tresses than genuine regency tresses.

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[dance costume]

The video shared in this site regarding dance costume and folk dance is awesome. Actually, I am collecting some dance costume designs. Thanks for sharing all this stuff.

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[ana aslan]

I love such events...balls are true cultural events...

[Belly Dance Costumes]

Laura, I loved your article! keep doing and let's know your talent!

[Penny Stocks To Watch]

Do you plan on adding RSS feeds on your blog? It would be easier to follow rather than us always coming back. Great blog though.

[Dance Costumes]

A ball for the Jane Austen community, how cool is that. It is hardly ever done. Peers, friends and acquaintances, even strangers all having a blast sharing community spirit.

[Toronto Salsa Classes]

You write very awesome articles. Keep up the good work. I always look forward to coming back for more

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Great post! I love Lesson #1.

[new jordans 2010]

Merci pour le lien.
Quels sont les liens avec le reste de vos notes? Je suis intrigué de lire more.What m'impressionne sur Scheeren est son éloquence, compte tenu en particulier l'anglais n'est pas sa première langue.

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Liste Nice. Linkedin est de mieux en mieux chaque jour. N'oubliez pas de youtube ainsi. Selon ce que vous recrutez pour, il ya des gens créatifs there.And ADD Friendfeed sur votre PDP pour 2009. Il est un excellent site et les conversations qui se déroulent là-bas ou une valeur inestimable.

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Grand article.
Quelque chose que je n'avais jamais réalisé.

Nous les hommes ont besoin, dans les domaines d'enseignement.
Les garçons ont besoin de cette main lourde de l'ordre, qui vient naturellement à partir d'un homme en charge.

Aucun enfant doit prendre des médicaments soit.

En tant qu'homme, je me trouve entre les mains de beaucoup de femmes abusive tous les cas, toute ma vie.

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People also tend to mix truth and error to teach people, and insist it is wrong.

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I used to spend a lot of time arguing for these convictions, but I have reached the point where I will no longer do that. These are my convictions and I choose to build on them rather than argue for them. – it’s worth spending a few dollars more to have the knowledge that your tatt is going to be good.

[Laurie Viera Rigler]

Suzan, I was SURE my husband would never ever dance English country dance with me, and he did. We've been to three Jane Austen Evenings and two JASNA AGM balls together. Miracles do happen!

[Suzan]

Thank you so much for sharing! I love the prospect of the regency dress and especially the dancing. I'm thinking my husband would never do it, but one can hope. After all he does dance other kinds of music. I've always wanted to take lessons....ah your article was great!

[Laurie Viera Rigler]

Thanks for all the great links and info on ECD in various parts of the world! If anyone commenting here would like me to link to their Austen-related and/or English Country Dance-related site from my links page, please let me know.

[Karen Millyard]

Pride and Prejudice Dance Workshop and Ball October 16 2010

Arrive in the afternoon, dance at the ball that evening!

If you are in the Toronto area, come to the Pride and Prejudice Dance Workshop and ball (held every two months; the Christmas Ball will be Dec. 18, 2010).

No partner, dance experience or costume required.

www.JaneAustenDancing.ca

[Kleanthe]

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I benefit a lot from your blog, before looking your website, I have little knowledge of it.
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[Linda]

JASNA is a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers, with approximately 4,000 members and over 60 regional groups in the United States and Canada. ( http://www.rapidsloth.com )

[Laurie Viera Rigler]

Thank you, George, for providing an excellent description of JASNA. I am a life member of JASNA, and I will be ever grateful to this organization for providing me with a warm, welcoming community of intelligent, fun-loving, diverse individuals who love to talk about and celebrate the works of my favorite author.

[George]

The Jane Austen Society of North America is dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing. JASNA is a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers, with approximately 4,000 members and over 60 regional groups in the United States and Canada. Its members, who are of all ages and from diverse walks of life, share an enjoyment of Austen's fiction and the company of like-minded readers. Thanks for the great post.

[Laurie Viera Rigler]

Wow. Wish I could go to the Jane Austen Festival in Canberra, Australia, and the Cotillion Ball in Riverside, CA. Also, Rachel of the Country Dance and Song Society (see comment above) informs me that her local dance group in Philadelphia (germantowncountrydancers.org) is planning a JA evening for aspiring dancers in late April.

By the way, if anyone posting these comments would like to ask me about linking to their organizations and event websites, please click on "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict " (under "MY SITES" in the right-hand column above), contact me there, and I'll see if I can accomodate you.

Happy dancing to all!

[Aylwen]

I am the organiser of a Jane Austen Festival in Canberra, Australia this April.
If you want more information visit us online at http://www.earthlydelights.com.au/Austen.html
or phone our mobile (Australia) 0409817623
We are holding reticule and bonnet making workshops, an evening soiree, dance workshops, an evening dinner and ball and a workshop showing you antique regency dance books and gowns, plus our large collection of patterns, books, music and dvds.
Some of the recipes we've been trialling were published in the Canberra Times today.

[G.Rice]

The George and Martha Washington Cotillion is having their annual Harvest Ball on November 15, 2008. This is a Ball and Dinner (full catered Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and ham entrees plus sides and dessert. The period is Washington through early Jefferson allowing for fancy colonial and simple regency costumes to be period correct. See www.englishcountrydancing.org for additional information

[Rachel]

Looking for English Country Dancing?

Laura, I loved your article!

Please consider adding a link to the Country Dance and Song Society: http://cdss.org/
CDSS is the national organization that supports English Country Dancing and Contra Dance groups, dancers and musicians. Here's a list of CDSS affiliate groups: http://www.cdss.org/grp_addr_list.html.
CDSS also lists special dance events, weekends and camps. Call CDSS's staff at 413-268-7426 to find music, dance instructions and callers or even help on how to start your own dance group.

[pb]

Wonderful!