Real Regency Dancers Don't Turn Single: Ten Tips for Judging Authenticity

As a specialist in early 19th century dance, I regularly get asked what I think of the dancing in the various films of Jane Austen's novels and how to tell if the dancing in the films or being taught by someone or other is authentic to the Regency era (1810-1820).  Sadly, the answer is usually "no."  Here's a little checklist you can use to judge for yourself, either when watching a film or listening to someone teach "just like it was in the Regency" or "the same way Jane Austen danced":

1. Real Regency Dancers Don't Walk

In the 18th and early 19th century, walking was not considered dancing.  The music was lively (jigs and reels), and the dances were performed primarily by people in their late teens and early twenties (not known for their sedate habits).  There were actual dance steps, and demonstrating the ability to perform them well was an important aspect of the dancing.  In Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Fanny is actually pulled out of the dancing because she had ceased to do proper steps:

"Sir Thomas, having seen her walk rather than dance down the shortening set, breathless, and with her hand at her side, gave his orders for her sitting down entirely."

Notice the important distinction in "having seen her walk rather than dance" (italics mine).  In films, either the inability of the actors, the ignorance of the choreographers, or the needs of the director tend to result in dancers gliding sedately around the set.  But "stately walking" is not part of Regency style.  Those who think that Regency dancing was all slow and elegant must not be familiar with the energy level of your average teenager! 

2. Real Regency Dancers Mind Their Curves

Regency aesthetics showed a strong preference for curved or "serpentine" lines.  The swan was beautiful because of the elegant curves of its neck and the hey a favored dance figure because it consisted entirely of curved paths.  This carried over to bodily deportment.  Dancers did not hold their arms up and form a "W" with their elbows when holding hands - angled arms and pointy elbows were anathema.  Noted Regency-era dancing master Thomas Wilson is quite explicit on the subject:

"a proper distance from each other of the persons joining hands is requisite to prevent the bending of the elbows, which produces the ungraceful attitude of two Angles, instead of one Serpentine line"  (from The Address; or an Essay on Deportment, 1821)

Modern country dance forms often explicitly call for the arms to be raised and a "W" to be formed; this is 20th century style rather than Regency style.  When you see pointy elbows in a Regency-era picture, it's a hint that you're looking at a caricature.

3. Real Regency Dancers Don't Turn Single

Country dancing had a long and varied life over the roughly 175 years in which it was a dominant dance form.  But like any art, it evolved over time.  Figures popular in the 1600s went out of style and were replaced by others.  The turn single, in which a dancer turns around (solo) by walking in a tiny circle of four steps, was a notably popular figure in the 1650s when country dances were first reliably recorded. By the late 18th century it had completely vanished, as had the popular 17th century choreographic sequence of "leading, siding, arming".  Any dance containing these figures is not a dance of the Regency era - it's a dance of the English Civil War era and about as accurate for the Regency as disco dancing would be.

4. Real Regency Dancers Are Au Courant

Along with the peculiar notion that dance figures from the 17th century are useful for the early 19th century comes the even more peculiar notion that entire dances of that era are appropriate.  Regency-era dancers were not interested in doing the dances of their great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents, any more than today's teenagers are.  Dances like "Hole in the Wall" and "Mr. Beveridge's Maggot" were written in the late 17th century.  Their music is completely inappropriate for the Regency era.  Their style is inappropriate.  Their steps are inappropriate.  There is no sense in which these dances belong in the Regency era.  Loving obsessions with these dances make me want to cry at the sheer ignorance being promulgated by the people who keep putting these dances in movies.  And any dance advertised as "Playford" suffers from a similar problem.  The Playford manuals were published from 1650 to 1728, which you may notice is significantly before the Regency era (1810-1820).  You can look at a great index of all the dances in the Playford manuals here.  That index conveniently serves as a list of dances to avoid for the Regency era. 

5. Real Regency Dancers Do It In Threes

In modern "English Country Dancing", the duple minor form in which a set is formed from subsets of two couples is popular, often cued up by "hands four from the top!"  In the late 18th and early 19th century, the default form of the country dance was triple minor: subsets of three couples.  Some of the most popular figures of the era such as swing corners (known as "contra corners" in modern contra dancing) or the hey involved three people or three couples at once.  Until the very late 1810s, all country dances at a ball would have been in triple minor format and would frequently have featured this sort of figure.

6. Real Regency Dancers Really Reel

Regency-era dancing was not limited to longways country dances.  The Scotch Reel was also in the repertoire, though perhaps not always considered perfectly genteel, especially if others in the room were doing country dances.  Mr. Darcy was not being complimentary in Pride and Prejudice when he asked

"Do you not feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?"

In its simplest form, the reel consisted of three or four people alternating between the interweaving hey figure and dancing in place, with the men in particular showing off their fancy footwork.  Thomas Wilson choreographed some more unusual reels for three to six dancers, but it's not clear whether those ever caught on in the ballroom.

Other dances that might well be encountered at the end of a ball are "Sir Roger de Coverley" (the immediate ancestor of the "Virginia Reel", with the same music but very different figures from the dance that appeared in Playford) and "La Boulanger" (of many variant spellings), extremely simple dances which were each used as the final dance at a ball:

"We dined at Goodnestone, and in the evening danced two country-dances and the Boulangeries."  Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra, September 5, 1796

7. Real Regency Dancers Vary Their Attitudes

Waltzing was very new and barely socially acceptable during the Regency era - Jane Austen (d. 1817) may never have danced one, and they are never mentioned in her novels or letters.  Nor was dancing one a mark of good breeding in the gentry, as a commentator in Edinburgh magazine noted in 1818:

"'Do not mistake me, however,' said he: 'I do not mean to say that I consider all young ladies who waltz as devoid of modesty, delicacy, or proper feeling; but I feel that I should wish my sister, or my mistress, or my wife, to have a sort of untaught aversion to the familiarity which waltzing induces. I would have her prize too highly, from self-respect, the sort of favour which a woman confers on a man with whom she waltzes, to be willing to bestow it on any one of her acquaintance. I would wish her to preserve her person unprofaned by a clasping arm, but that of privileged affection. For indeed, dear Miss Musgrave, if I saw even a woman whom I loved, borne along the circling waltz, as I see these young ladies now borne, I should be tempted to address her partner in the words of a noble poet--'What you touch you may take.'"

(The "noble poet" referred to is the scandalous Lord Byron, who found the waltz too much even for his famously elastic morals.)

The early waltz looked quite different than the modern form.  Dancers moved on their toes in a different pattern than what is seen in today's competitive ballroom dancing (Dancesport, "Dancing with the Stars"), and adopted a wide range of "attitudes" of the arms, one of which is shown at left.  Waltzing also was not limited to today's three-four time; the lively sauteuse waltz involved leaping and kicking in two-four or six-eight time.  Nor were waltzes choreographed, though Wilson suggested dancing different waltzes in sequence (slow three-four time followed by lively six-eight and back to three-four again).  Entire ballrooms of dancers did not perform identical moves like wedding guests today doing the "Electric Slide"; that is modern theatricality rather than Regency social dancing.

8. Real Regency Dancers Work Their Way Down

One element mostly abandoned in modern country dancing is the top-down progression of the dance.  Today there is a great emphasis on maximizing the time every person in the set spends dancing.  This was not the case two hundred years ago.  Dances were not started with everyone moving simultaneously.  Instead, the first couple in a set would begin while all the rest watched to see what the dance would be.  This was a position of honor and responsibility, an opportunity for that couple to show off the excellence of their steps and set the standard for the other dancers, as Fanny does in Mansfield Park:

"...and she found herself the next moment conducted by Mr. Crawford to the top of the room, and standing there to be joined by the rest of the dancers, couple after couple, as they were formed."

As the couple worked their way down a long set of dancers (this could take ten minutes or more), additional dancers would join in, until the entire set was moving.  When the lead couple reached the bottom, they would stand out briefly before rejoining the dance to assist the other couples progressing down the set.  Time spent not dancing was not considered wasted time or "just standing around"; it was a rare opportunity for intimate, unchaperoned conversation with one's partner.  On a practical level, it also provided time to catch one's breath after the several minutes of vigorous non-stop dancing involved in moving down the set.

Unfortunately, modern practice tends to have infected film and social Regency dancing; rarely will you see a ballroom full of people all staring at one couple, waiting for their cue.

9. Real Regency Dancers Are Totally Square

The quadrille (descendant of the 18th-century cotillion and ancestor of the modern square dance) was a huge fad in England in the late 1810s, on its way to becoming the dominant set dance form in the ballroom through the rest of the 19th century.  In his memoirs, Captain Gronow recalls its first appearance within the fashionable ballroom at Almack's:

"In 1814, the dances at Almack's were Scotch reels and the old English country-dance; and the orchestra, being from Edinburgh, was conducted by the then celebrated Neil Gow. It was not until 1815 that Lady Jersey introduced from Paris the favourite quadrille, which has so long remained popular. I recollect the persons who formed the very first quadrille that was ever danced at Almack's: they were Lady Jersey, Lady Harriet Butler, Lady Susan Ryder, and Miss Montgomery; the men being the Count St. Aldegonde, Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Montague, and Charles Standish."

Within a few short years, dozens of sets of music for quadrilles were being published and new sets of figures composed, though Jane Austen was not impressed:

"Much obliged for the quadrilles, which I am grown to think pretty enough, though of course they are very inferior to the cotillions of my own day."  Jane Austen to her niece Fanny Knight, February 20, 1816

A late Regency ballroom is not complete without at least one quadrille (actually a set of five shorter dances).  The most highly fashionable dancers might even indulge in some of the brand-new dance forms of the very end of the 1810s that adapted the formation (couple facing couple) and figures of the quadrille into country dances and recreated the idea of "improper" dances, in which the leading couple in a set started off on the opposite gender's side.

10. Real Regency Dancers Name That Tune

This is a subtle point: country dances during this era did not have names.  Tunes had names.  Dance figures were more-or-less interchangeable and could be mixed and matched and set to any tune of the appropriate length.  What to dance and what music to dance it to were separate questions, both to be answered by the leading lady in the set before the dance began.  Veneration of particular choreography and choreographers and the idea of an unbreakable link between a piece of music and a choreographed set of dance figures is a more recent invention. 

"What is the name of this dance?" is a question that doesn't really make sense in Regency context, and should cause any choreographer or teacher asked it to at least pause for a moment while they try to work out how to give a reasonably concise answer more satisfying than "It doesn't have one."

Comments

[Nancy C. Mittens]

If I ever am involved with a Regency movie (highly unlikely), I shall insist that they hire you to organize & choreograph the dancing!

[Cathy]

Great post. I shall be directing others here!

[Susan de Guardiola]

Nancy:
I dream of such opportunities! The one time I got to do a bit of television work, they didn't particularly want to listen to me about anything. It was quite frustrating. Of course, they had no time and no budget. Presumably a feature film or even a decent miniseries would have a bit more of each.

I was chatting with a friend last night who's one of the actors being motion-captured for the upcoming Christmas Carol film, and he mentioned that they had just been filming dancers doing "Sir Roger de Coverley" (mentioned in the book, very appropriate). I'll be curious to see what they actually danced.

[fidelio]

It's not really "Regency", but it would have been co-eval--so what's your take on the dancing shown at the ball in the Russian film of War and Peace? I remember seeing that part of the movie after some of your earlier posts on this issue elsewhere, and wondering what your take on it was.

[Susan de Guardiola]

fidelio:
I have, alas, not seen this film, if you are referring to Voyna i mir. Nor have I actually read War and Peace. I'm quite game to watch the film and read the book if I can find any time to do it in. Given the Russian setting, I would expect the dancing to be different than it would have been in England at the time - I would certainly hope to see some mazurka!

[Lisette]

A great article.

I have danced a few of the dances mentioned.
I knew that the famous Maggot wasn't at all correct, but didn't know that the Hole in the Wall was too.:(

But please don't say that the Boulangerie is easy to dance. It's horribly difficult. (At least the version I danced).

Thank you for the article. I will forward your site to friends who will certainly be interested in this information.

Lisette

[Susan de Guardiola]

Thanks, Lisette. This post has gotten so many hits I will clearly have to post more about this era of dance!

What version of the Boulanger(ies/e/etc.) did you dance? It really should be easy - 2/3 of the choreography consists of circling to the left and then circling to the right.

[fidelio]

That would be the one--and while I last saw the whole thing back in the mid-1970s, I caught a bit of the ball scene on Classic Arts Showcase a couple of weeks ago--and the bit of dancing I saw looked to be formed sets, with one couple at the head of the room, leading the others. IIRC, this was the opening dance of the ball, and I have no remembrance at all of how much dancing of any sort was shown in detail after that.

[Serge]

Yet another Christmas Carol?

[Susan de Guardiola]

Serge: Yep! With motion-capture technology. Picture a row of dancers in black spandex bodysuits with little green balls sewn all over them! Jim Carrey stars. My friend is doing the physical acting and some singing for a bunch of different roles. It's slated for 2009, not sure what month.

[Serge]

Sounds interesting. Speaking of that story, was the dancing at Mr.Fezziwig's party done correctly in the Alastair Sim version? Unless I figured things wrong, Scrooge would have been a young man during the Regency.

[alison]

What an interesting article! Perhaps you can answer a dance question: when describing the ball to Mr Bennet, Mrs Bennet refers to the dances by what I assumed were the time signatures: "Then the two third he danced with Miss King, and the two fourth with Maria Lucas, and the two fifths with Jane again, and the two sixth with Lizzy, and the Boulanger---"
Or does this indicate some sort of dance configuration?

Also, I'm no dancer but I would love to find some of the regency dance tunes for piano that Mary Bennet and Anne Elliot seem to play so well. Any suggestions on where to look?

[P J Evans]

Looking at the waltzing couple: I can see how it would be considered scandalous.

I have access to a piano book with various dance music, not later than about 1900; I know I've seen 'Sir Roger de Coverley' in it, and also various reels. (How authentic they might be is a whole 'nother question, which I'm not equipped to answer.)

[Amelia]

Even though I'm disappointed to discover that I'm not being as accurate as I thought I've been, I'm super hapy that "Sir Roger de Coverley" is authentic to the Regency Era -- that is SOOO my favorite dance ever. Probably my favorite overall activity ever, too :)

[Susan de Guardiola]

alison: I've answered your question about the ball in P&P in a separate post.

As far as music, there is quite a bit surviving, but mostly it is in fragile antique books in research libraries. However, there is a wonderful book out of music by Neil Gow, who was the orchestra leader at the London social club Almack's during the early 19th century and the composer of many popular tunes dance tunes. You can purchase it from Amazon.

[Susan de Guardiola]

Serge:
The usual answer from me about movie questions: sorry, haven't seen it! If I ever do I will keep the question in mind.

Exactly how old Scrooge is and when Christmas Carol takes place (and thus when Fezziwig's ball does) are not entirely clear to me. It (Fezziwig's ball) could be Regency or it could be 20 years earlier. The dancing wouldn't have been significantly different in the late 18thc except that there would not yet have been quadrilles and definitely would not have been waltzing.

[Lisette]

Hi Susan,
I danced indeed a version in which we had to go 16 (?) paces to the left in a unknown amount of time (first problem) and in the next part to the right.
Second problem was : male 1 links armes nd does a turn with female 2 and then 3 etc. Problem there was, which arm and turn in which direction.

But then, we had three afternoons for four dances (Maggot, Shrewesbury Lasses, Boulanger and Hole in the Wall).

Lisette

[Joan Ellen]

Thank you for this very interesting & informative post!

Jane Austen mentions the waltz twice in Emma:

Mrs Weston, capital in her country-dances, was seated, and beginning an irresistible waltz; and Frank Churchill, coming up with most becoming gallantry to Emma, had secured her hand, and led her up to the top.

AND

"If you are very kind," said he, "it will be one of the waltzes we danced last night; -- let me live them over again."

I suspect this may be the source of so much confusion over the waltz in Jane Austen's era. My understanding is that the above quotes actually refer to country dances danced in waltz time rather than the dance we think of as the waltz. Is that a correct interpretation?

[Susan de Guardiola]

Joan:
Yes, that's correct. When he says that he "led her up to the top", he is referring to the top of a country dance set, where each couple begins to dance.

[Cara]

Thanks for writing such an informative article, Susan! I had pretty much figured out #8 on my own...but early dance manuals could be ambiguous that I was never absolutely certain. Could you share your source on that point, so I can show solid evidence to my country-dancing friends who may not readily believe me? Thanks!

[Susan de Guardiola]

Cara:
Goodness, there's no single source. It's consistent dance practice for longways dances from the 16th century onward. Feuillet (early 18th century) is very explicit on this - check #3 here, "That a couple, ought not to begin to Dance, till they're come into the first Couple's place". Thomas Wilson (early 19th century) covers it in most of his works as well. I have a wonderful diagram of the "snowballing" start, unfortunately not on-line, but here's some description from Wilson (italics mine):

"The top couple of the general set commence the dance, and after performing the various figures set to the tune, finish a couple nearer the bottom; and the second couple will by moving up, become the top couple. The dance commences again...As soon as the top couple can form a Minor set, that is, as soon as the leading couple or couples going down the dance have gone down three couples, or performed the figure three tithes, then the couple left at the top of the general set, or of any Minor set, must commence. When it relates to the general set, only then each couple will, according as they stand in rotation in the dance, become successively the top couple, and so on till all the couples forming the set have in succession (what is termed) 'gone down the dance'."

I hope that's helpful. I'll try to write more on each of these points in detail as I have time!

[Cara]

Thanks so much for your answer, Susan! Yes, it's very helpful.

[Judith Judson]

Excellent! Finally! I have a very hard time persuading people that NO minuet in any film has anything to do with an an actual minuet--let alone the country dances. Having studied 19th century ballroom dance with Elizabeth Aldrich, I am well aware of all these minutiae--and how exasperating they can be to a trained ballet dancer, since the steps are similar to small ballet allegro steps, and the names too--but they don't always coincide!!! Ms' Aldrich's comments on trying to teach correct dancing of much later in the century to certain movie stars are mordant, indeed, culminating in her remark that "thank heavens they were only photographed from the waist up." But so it goes in movies.

[Christie]

" Real Regency Dancers Do It In Threes"

I really think this needs to be a bumper sticker!!

[Stephanie]

Wow... SO much to know about Regency Dance. We always just do ECDs at our balls, it would be interesting to create a real 'regency' dance series for our balls and parties for the members to learn.

[Susan de Guardiola]

I am always happy to come and teach if you can afford to bring me out!