The Regency Assembly
History
Regency Dancing
People ask us what is "Regency dancing"? Quite simply, it is the popular dances
of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In general, the dances are much
simpler than some of the Playford dances that are more well known. All our dances are “social
dances;” These contrast sharply with modern dance styles, where the emphasis is
to dance purely as a couple having little interaction with other people.
The formal dances of the late C18th are the cotillions. These are square set
formations, for 4 couples, comprising a figure and a series of changes. The
figure is the chorus, and this is different for each cotillion. There are 9
"changes" which are used in every cotillion, though obviously not all changes
are danced at once nowadays as the dance would go on forever.
The changes
include an allemand turn where partners cross hands behind each other's backs.
In the 18th and 19th century, before the waltz became acceptable in polite
society, it was not usual for the man to hold the lady other than by the hand
for dancing, and this figure meant you could be dancing very close to each other
and looking at your partner over your shoulder at the same time, not unlike a
gypsy turn – very sexy! The allemand turn, needless to say, features in a lot of
dances of this period.
The longways set dances of this time were either duple minor “hands 4” (two
couples) or triple minor “hands 6” (three couples). Many of the triple dances have been adapted as sets of 3
couples to ensure everyone gets a chance to dance. The whole idea of the triple
minor dance in the 1780's to 1800's was so that the dancers got plenty of
opportunity to chat to their partners, away from the beady eye of the chaperone!
During the Regency period, 1811 to 1820, dancing was a very important part of
social life. Jane Austen, in her novels and in her letters, makes many
references to dancing. Some of the customs and etiquette of the day are slightly
different from those of today, for example, a man engaged a lady to dance for a
pair of dances, before moving on to the next partner. If he was enchanted by her, he might ask her to dance for another pair of dances later in the evening,
and even take her in to the supper room.
La Rose - Hart's Lancers Quadrille. by kind permission of The Green Ginger Band
Cotillions remained popular, especially at the balls in Bath, but during the
Regency period the quadrille was introduced.
This originated in revolutionary France, replacing the courtly dances of the old
aristocracy. The dances became popular across Europe and were all the rage by
the time of the Congress of Vienna, following the end of the Peninsular War and
before Waterloo. When Wellington chose his staff officers they had to be good
dancers and have all the social graces, as well as being good officers.
Quadrilles are square sets, like cotillions, and are the forerunner of today's
square set dances, Scottish and possibly Irish set dances as well. Each set of
quadrilles will have 4 or 5 figures, which are in effect 4 or 5 separate dances.
The figure is led by the first couple.
Many people are a little nervous of quadrilles as they can appear to be very
complicated, but in reality they are no more so, than some of the Playford style
dances. What is different, is that they are danced, not walked. The steps are
very specific and quite balletic, and you need to be very light on your feet.
Remember, the average age of the dancers in a Regency Ballroom would have been
between 18 and 30.
What is the difference between Regency dances and Playford
dances? Not a lot; some of them are the same dances. They are, however, more
lively - some are in waltz time, others are jigs or strathspeys. The difference
can be seen in the dress of the time. When the fashion was for very long gowns,
with trains, or hoops, and wide full-skirted coats for men, with high heeled
shoes, then the dances would reflect that and be more stately.
As the 18th
century progressed and women "polonaised" their gowns to show the feet, the
steps of the dances reflect this, in the elegant rigadons of the cotillion. By
1790 the waistline had risen, and heavy brocades been replaced by lightweight
muslins, with flat shoes for both men and women. By 1815, women's dresses were
short enough to clear the floor and show the shoes, and the dancers were able to
jump and be very agile.
The group learn and perform the dances in a lively and informative way,
when attending Balls we dress in accurate reproductions of period clothes. Thereby enabling us to achieve the correct sense of how to stand, move and look.
If you enjoyed listening to the music on this page go to www.greengingerband.co.uk
Home Contact Dress Events Classes
Links Bookings Quotations Gallery