Planning a Regency Ball
Steps to Creating a Party that Jane Austen Would Want to Attend
In preparation for the grand event, a large hall is needed, adequately sized for dancing. A civic or church hall can usually be rented inexpensively. A dance of about 100 people is probably the most manageable, as there will be long lines of couples. An English country dancing caller will teach and organize the dances. Many callers will have pre-recorded music with them or can connect with a band that plays English Country dancing music. It is a good idea to have two evenings for the assembly: a practice night and the actual ball night.
Attending a Regency Ball
The dances require a degree of proficiency to be enjoyable. Some of the typical dances as seen in the movie “Pride and Prejudice” are “ The Spaniard”, “The Gypsy” and “ Mr. Beveridge’s Maggot”. Dances were arranged for the popular music of the day. The symmetry and geometric patterns of the dances are visually captivating for the spectator.
Traditional social rules of the ball are that one must never refuse a partner, one must not dance with someone more than once, and that one must maintain eye contact to be polite and avoid dizziness. The gentleman offers his hand and the lady places her hand on top. Gloves should be worn by both men and ladies, with short gloves for the gentlemen and elbow-length gloves for the women. The gloves make personal contact less intimidating between dancers and eliminate the problem of sweaty hands.
Floor-length dresses for the ladies can be made from historical dress patterns, available in fabric stores or online. A straight- bodied, empire –waisted dress from a consignment store can be altered and lace added to fit the fashion of the time. Hair can either be pulled up into a bun or decorated with ribbon or curled. Jewelry is simple. Short jackets or shawls complete the outfit. Flat, ballerina- type shoes are excellent for dancing .
Men should wear breeches or long pants, waistcoats/ vests and tails. Discounted tuxedos can pull together a complete outfit easily. The breeches can be made with cut-off pants or even neat used baseball pants then worn with knee socks and dress shoes. Cravats and shirts are the finishing touch to the outfit. Long sideburns make the men's costume authentic.
Planning a Jane Austen Party
While some regency balls are preceded by dinners, many assemblies have simpler foods. Refreshments are simply that; they should refresh the dancers, but not be heavy. There should be plenty of light punches and water. Finger foods such as cream puffs, cakes, scones, fruit, cookies, cucumber sandwiches are excellent choices for the menu and should be served on elegant trays.
While not essential, the decorations help the ambiance of the party. Good lighting is important as dancers practice their steps, however, too much lighting can make a room uncomfortably hot. Strings of white lights make decorating easier and electric candles are another nice touch. Lighted candles, although typical of the period, invite accidents in crowded rooms. Vintage tablecloths and napkins, plus antique dishes, add to the elegance of the table. Depending on your budget, either fresh or silk flowers, along with an abundance of English ivy can beautify the simplest room.
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