Inquiring Readers: This is the second of four posts to Pride and Prejudice Without Zombies, Austenprose’s main event for June/July – or an in-depth reading of Pride and Prejudice. My first post discussed Dressing for the Netherfield Ball. This post discusses the dances and etiquette of balls in Jane Austen’s era. Warning: the film adaptations get many dance details wrong.
So, he enquired who she was, and got introduced, and asked her for the two next. Then, the two third he danced with Miss King, and the two fourth with Maria Lucas, and the two fifth with Jane again, and the two sixth with Lizzy, and the Boulanger …” Mrs Bennet about Mr. Bingley at The Netherfield Ball.
The English ballroom and assembly room was the courting field upon which gentlemen and ladies on the marriage mart could finally touch one another and spend some time conversing during their long sets or ogle each other without seeming to be too forward or brash. Dancing was such an important social event during the Georgian and Regency eras that girls and boys practiced complicated dance steps with dancing masters and learned to memorize the rules of ballroom etiquette.
Balls were regarded as social experiences, and gentlemen were tasked to dance with as many ladies as they could. This is one reason why Mr. Darcy’s behavior was considered rude at the Meryton Ball- there were several ladies, as Elizabeth pointed out to him and Colonel Fitzwilliam at Rosings, who had to sit out the dance.
“He danced only four dances, though gentlemen were scarce; and, to my certain knowledge, more than one young lady was sitting down in want of a partner.”
Mr. Bingley, on the other hand, danced every dance and thus behaved as a gentleman should.
Ladies had to wait passively for a partner to approach them and when they were, they were then obliged to accept the invitation. One reason why Elizabeth was so vexed when Mr. Collins, who had solicited her for the first two dances at the Netherfield Ball, was that she’d intended to reserve them for Mr. Wickham. Had she refused Mr. Collins, she would have been considered not only rude, but she would have forced to sit out the dances for the rest of the evening.
The only acceptable excuse in refusing a dance was when a lady had already promised the next set to another, or if she had grown tired and was sitting out the dance. Elizabeth could offer neither excuses at the start of the ball, and thus was forced to partner with Mr. Collins.
At a ball, a lady’s dress and deportment were designed to exhibit her best qualities:
As dancing is the accomplishment most calculated to display a fine form, elegant taste, and graceful carriage to advantage, so towards it our regards must be particularly turned: and we shall find that when Beauty in all her power is to be set forth, she cannot choose a more effective exhibition – The Mirror of Graces, 1811
It was also extremely important for a gentleman to dance well, for such a talent reflected upon his character and abilities. Lizzie’s dances with Mr. Collins were causes of mortification and distress.
“Mr. Collins, awkward and solemn, apologising instead of attending, and often moving wrong without being aware of it, gave her all the shame and misery which a disagreeable partner for a couple of dances can give. The moment of her release from him was exstacy.”
A gentleman could not ask a lady to dance if they had not been introduced. This point was well made in Northanger Abbey, when Catherine Morland had to sit out the dances in the Upper Rooms in Bath, for Mrs. Allen and she did not know a single soul. Mrs Allen kept sighing throughout the evening, “I wish you could dance, my dear, — I wish you could get a partner.” Mr. Tilney was introduced by Mr. King, the Master of Ceremonies in the Lower Rooms, to Catherine, who could then dance with him. At Rosings, when Mr. Darcy explained to Lizzie that he danced only four dances at the Meryton Assembly ball because he knew only the ladies in his own party, she scoffed and retorted: “True; and nobody can ever be introduced in a ball room.”
Because a ball was considered a social experience, a couple could (at the most) dance only two sets (each set consisted of two dances), which generally lasted from 20-30 minutes per dance. Thus, a couple in love had an opportunity of spending as much as an hour together for each set.
A gentleman, whether single or married, was expected to approach the ladies who wished to dance. Given the etiquette of the day, Mr. Elton’s refusal to dance with poor Harriet at the Crown Ball in Emma was rude in the extreme, but Mr. Knightley performed his gentlemanly duty by asking that young lady to dance (and winning her heart in the process).
Regency dances were extremely lively. The dancers were young, generally from 18-30 years of age, and they did NOT slide or glide sedately, as some recent film adaptations seem to suggest. They performed agile dance steps and exerted themselves in vigorous movements which included hopping, jumping, skipping, and clapping hands.
Depending on the dance formation and steps, a gentleman was allowed to touch a lady and hold her hand (and vice versa, as shown in the example of Mansfield Park 1999 above and in the image below).
The couple had many opportunities to converse or catch their breaths when they waited for others to finish working their way down a dance progression. The ability to carry out a conversation was considered very important, as Lizzie pointedly reminded Mr. Darcy:
“Elizabeth … took her place in the set, amazed at the dignity to which she was arrived in being allowed to stand opposite to Mr. Darcy, and reading in her neighbours’ looks their equal amazement in beholding it. They stood for some time without speaking a word; and she began to imagine that their silence was to last through the two dances, and at first was resolved not to break it; till suddenly fancying that it would be the greater punishment to her partner to oblige him to talk, she made some slight observation on the dance. He replied, and was again silent. After a pause of some minutes, she addressed him a second time with:
“It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy.—I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples.”
He smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be said.
“Very well.—That reply will do for the present.—Perhaps by and by I may observe that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones.—But now we may be silent.”
“Do you talk by rule then, while you are dancing?”
“Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together, and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as as possible.”
The dances that would have been danced at the Nethefield Ball were:
The English Country Dance
The characteristic of an English country dance is that of gay simplicity. The steps should be few and easy, and the corresponding motion of the arms and body unaffected, modest , and graceful. – The Mirror of Graces, 1811
Country dances consisted of long lines of dances in which the couples performed figures as they progressed down the line.
When a dancer was too tired to do steps, she would have been considered no longer dancing at all, as with Fanny in Chapter 28 of Mansfield Park:
“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.”
Rather than everyone starting at once, dances would have called and led off by a single couple at the top; as that couple progressed down the set other couples would begin to dance, then lead off in turn as they reached the top, until all the dancers were moving. Jane Austen occasionally got to lead a dance, as she mentioned in a letter of November 20, 1800, to her sister Cassandra:
“My partners were the two St. Johns, Hooper, Holder, and very prodigious Mr. Mathew, with whom I called the last, and whom I liked the best of my little stock.”
This could lead to very long dances indeed (half an hour to an hour) if there were many couples in a set” – What Did Jane Austen Dance?
The Cotillion
The cotillion was based on the 18th-century French contradanse and was popular through the first two decades of the 19th century. It was performed in a square formation by eight dancers, who performed the figure of the dance alternately with ten changes.
The rapid changes of the cotillion are admirably calculated for the display of elegant gayety, and I hope that their animated evolvements will long continue a favourite accomplishment and amusement with our youthful fair. – The Mirror of Graces
The minuet.
This dance had grown almost out of fashion by the time A Lady of Distinction wrote The Mirror of Graces, and it is conjectured that Jane Austen must have danced it in her lifetime.
Boulanger
Boulangers, or circular dances, were performed at the end of the evening, when the couples were tired. Jane Austen danced the boulanger, which she mentioned in a letter to Cassandra in 1796: “We dined at Goodnestone, and in the evening danced two country-dances and the Boulangeries.”
Note: the Quadrille and the waltz would not have been danced at the Netherfield Ball. Jane did mention the quadrille in a letter to Fanny Knight, which was dated 1816. And the waltz would not have been regarded an acceptable dance in 1813. It is doubted that Jane ever waltzed. The reel might have been danced at the Meryton Assembly, or at a private dance given by Colonel Foster and his wife, for instance, but it would probably not have been featured at the Netherfield Ball at the same time as a country dance.
Second Note: The movies have it all wrong. According to the author of this post on Capering and Kickery, “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.”
More on the Topic
Another stellar post Vic. You are in your element. I loved the last quote about “Mr. Beveridge’s Maggot” being inappropriately used in the films. What a disappointment that they got it so wrong. I love that dance scene in P&P 95. They timed the movement and conversation brilliantly. *sigh*
Thank you, LA. I was astonished too, and a little sad, for I had collected several YouTube samples for inclusion. However, the article makes sense. Every contemporary image of dance shows couples dancing energetically. One scene in this abridged classic of Becoming Jane shows how unromantic such a lively dance would be in a film. One element they did get right is the skipping and hopping steps in the dance. (The scene shows up in about a minute.)
http://zyuan.za.org/thread-6105.html
I too am very disappointed – that seen in the ’95 P&P happens to be one of my favorite scenes of all the P&P movies. The tension you feel while watching that scene is amazing. I guess that is the good and bad thing about movies.
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I loved the info. about dance. it’s one of my favorite parts of all the movies. I’m so glad it was such a part of the culture of the time. My husband and I met while waltzing. Our families are of German descent and we still enjoy dancing and have tried to instill some of that in our children. It just livens up life and can be done in such a clean and pleasant and not disgusting manner if given the opportunity to find some such pleasant opportunity or event. Thanks for sharing. I especially enjoyed it.
[[also posted @ Austenprose]]
While I agree that it was the gentleman thing to do to dance as many dances as possible, I also wonder what ramifications it would have had on a gentleman’s reputation if he accepted to dance with a woman who was not as sociably accepted as others. I can see, unfortunately, that if a gentleman accepted to dance with such a woman than the woman (and her family) might gain hope in a future alliance between the two families – if this is not felt by the gentleman and his family I can only see it ending badly. Just a thought….
A Regency woman would never be allowed to ask a man to dance. Having said that, at a ball no one was supposed to pull rank. In other words, at public assemblies the highest ranked gentleman, such as Mr. Knightley, would be obliged to dance with the natural daughter of a gentleman, like Harriet Smith, if she was without a partner, but only if they had been already introduced. This tradition was one of the reasons why the Bingley women and Mr. Darcy seemed so standoffish – they kept themselves apart from the hoi polloi in Meryton, whereas Mr. Bingley plunged right in and danced every dance. (He probably asked for an introduction first!)
While in theory, a man of Mr. Martin’s rank could ask Emma to dance at a public assembly, they had never been formally introduced, and so she would not be solicited by him. I imagine there were emotional barriers that would not be crossed, for the thought of a farmer asking a lady of high rank to dance would seem very intimidating, even if they had been introduced. The long sets in country dances probably had people of various ranks face each other as the formations changed and as the couple worked their way down the line. One can also readily imagine young Oxford men going into the country and asking pretty maids to dance at public assemblies, and then chasing them for sport.
Almack’s got around this rather democratic rule by making their club selective. Private parties was another way to “control” who you danced with, for the miller’s or toll keeper’s daughter would not likely be invited to a select event at Netherfield or in a townhouse on Grosvenor Square.
I guess then if a woman and her family got any hope that there could be a future union if the gentleman danced with her (even out of obligation) then it would be left to her and her family to deal with it. I hope that makes sense lol….
I think, Patricia, that the ramifications for a gentleman dancing with a woman outside of his class were less onerous than if a woman danced with (and fell for) someone who was totally ineligible as a mate. There was a tack she could take: decline the invitation and sit out two dances or use fatigue for an excuse. But, except for large cities, I think that small town society was such that everyone knew their “place,” and a public dance simply became an opportunity for socialization and fun with people one encountered every week.
Great post — so detailed and informative! I have often wondered about the accuracy of the dances in these movies (as well as the hairstyles, which always seem to be shamelessly modern). One reason I loved the recent Emma so much was that it felt like they got the exuberance of the dancing right — lots of hopping and jumping and frolicking about! And yet the romantic dance, the one Knightley dances with Emma at the end of the night, is so lovely. Jane Austen so often used dance as a metaphor for relationships, and the trajectory of Knightley and Emma’s relationship is so beautifully echoed in that dance. I do hope that it is historically accurate in other ways (music, steps), because I do think it is one of the best dance scenes in all the Austen movies.
Oh, I must heartily agree with you Beth! The energetic dancing during the Ship’s Cook dance was such a refreshing change… And the enthusiastic whooping! What a surprise and I loved it… =)
Although I absolutely loved the final dance by Mr. Knightley and Emma, and I do think Ginny’s Market is an original work written for the adaptation, the illusion was slightly shattered for me when I heard the the sound of the modern piano instrument being played! First, was there a piano in the ball? Second, how practical (financially and logistically) would it have been to hire piano for the purposes of the ball?
But my heart still goes pitter-patter whenever I watch that scene! =)
It’s a shame that the more energetic and period-appropriate dances simply aren’t conducive to carrying on an important conversation that is to be captured for film. Can you imagine Lizzy and Mr. Darcy having their debate at the Netherfield Ball while gasping for breath? Frankly, I can’t imagine Mr. Darcy gasping for breath at a ball at all, although I’m sure he would have participated in such vigorous dances.
Oh, they’re conducive to it: you’d have substantial amounts of standing-out time in the dance, during which you could carry out a conversation. In a long set, a couple near the bottom might have ten minutes or more of standing around before they even started dancing.
(I’m the author of the Real Regency Dancers Don’t Turn Single post cited above and study the dance of this era intensively.)
Purcell’s Hole in the Wall tune is one of my favorites, but I did wonder what it was doing being used in a Regency period film! Thanks for clarifying that…
Again, another lovely and informative post, Vic! =)
Another entertaining and informative post! I enjoyed this one immensely. It’s sad that the movie adaptations got the dancing parts wrong when it was once of my favorites scenes!
Hi All, thank you for your comments and compliments!
Although many of the JA films got the dance scenes wrong, I agree with Stephani that energetic dances are not conducive to holding a conversation in a movie scene. The energy shown in the Crown dance in Emma 2009 certainly showed her youthful liveliness, and there are periods during the English Country Dance where couples waited for long moments before they moved again. So there is a way to show the more spirited Regency dances AND move the plot along with dialog.
Also sex: portraying talent at (1) dancing and (2) horseback riding could be coded ways for the author to communicate the character’s relation to the unspeakable.
I love Jane’s letter (about a ball) to Cassandra where she remarks: ‘To my inexpressible astonishment, I entirely escaped John Lyford. I was forced to work hard for it, however.’
I can just imagine Jane dodging every time that John Lyford approached.
Talking of ‘Pride & Prejudice, I wonder, Vic, whether you have ever thought about why Mr Collins was to inherit from Mr Bennett? After all, if it was entailed in the male line – and Lady Catherine de Burgh implies that when she says: ‘I see no occasion for entailing estates from the female line…’
just to finish my last message – if Mr Collins was Mr Bennet’s heir from the male line, then surely his name would be Bennet, not Collins. I can’t understand it.
Hi Cora, Very quickly. Mr. Collins was Mr. Bennet’s cousin and the only male heir in the family line.
Read this lawyer’s take on the fee entail in Suite 101: It is pretty detailed and will tell you why it was hard to change an ancient law. http://victorian-fiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/entailments-in-jane-austens-novels
Vic
I still think it is strange – after all, Mr Collins must be the son of a female Bennet – otherwise he would be named Bennet. If this female Bennet could inherit, through her son, surely Jane’s son would be the heir. What do you think?
(I did read the legal article very carefully and still do not think that the problem has been solved)
Cora, it is not the mother of Mr. Collins (the female Bennet) who would inherit, but her son. He could choose to have her live with him and support her, but the money and property would be strictly his. Mrs. Collins would not inherit through her son. She would be left out of the will as much as Mrs. Bennet. I believe that Mr. Collins would be closer in line to the inheritance than the son of Jane and Mr. Bingley. Jane Austen made no mistakes when it came to recording her era and its customs accurately: so far no one has mentioned this situation, which IS interesting. What if Jane and Bingley had a son before Mr. Collins stood to inherit? I will ask around. Vic
I vaguely remember coming across an article some time in the past decade (perhaps in an edition of Persuasions? I wish I could remember…) where there was some discussion over whether Mr Bennett took the name of a relative in order to inherit the property. We see examples of this in Jane’s own life – her brother Edward was adopted by the Knights and inherited their property at Chawton – and also in the example of Frank Churchill, who took the name of his uncle.
I believe the argument was partly based on how often Mr and Mrs Bennett refer to each other using their titles, instead of their “Christian names.”
I wish I could find a reference for this… anyway, it’s another little mystery she left for us! :)
I went to a Regency dance event in honor of Jane Austen’s birthday last Dec. 13th. It was interesting and fun. The dances are a LOT harder than they look. I liked the country dances the best. English country dancing is the forerunner of our American square dancing. My favorite dance is the Sir Roger de Coverley, (dance at Fezziwig’s in A Christmas Carol). A full write-up and photos are on my blog back in December. I hope more of you have the opportunity to experience dancing as it was done in Jane Austen’s lifetime.
Very nice post! Thank you for citing my articles “Real Regency Dancers Don’t Turn Single” and “What Did Jane Austen Dance?” I hope to have a third post with more details on the ballroom of the actual Regency (1810s) on my blog sometime soonish. This is one of my favorite periods of dance history.
A couple of clarifications for you:
– The Boulanger was not particularly slow, though it is very easy. It’s a lively strip-the-willow dance done in circular formation. Music for it is available on the Regency Ballroom CD here: http://www.bfv.com/regency/
– “Any Lady…refusing to dance with a gentleman, unless prevented by indisposition, will be under penalty of not joining the next dance, a restriction which no Lady would subject herself to.” (1822). She had to sit out that dance or pair of dances, not the entire evening.
– Ladies and gentlemen could stand up together in a set if there was an imbalance between the genders. It would not be done if there were anyone of the opposite gender available. I suspect it would not have been done at private upper-class balls, either.
– Mrs. Allen should have applied to the Master of Ceremonies for an introduction for a partner for Catherine. That was part of his job.
Susan: Thank you for your information, both in your great site and in these comments of clarification. You are right about a lady having to sit out a pair of dances after refusing a gentleman. Mr. King introduced Henry Tilney to Catherine, but Jane Austen does not say if Mrs. Allen was instrumental in arranging the introduction.
Two girls can dance together, but I believe that Mr. Darcy, being single and available, was obliged to dance with the ladies.
[…] Pride and Prejudice. My first post discussed Dressing for the Netherfield Ball and my second post talked about the dances.This post discusses the suppers served during Jane Austen’s era. “As for the ball, it is […]
[…] is winding up this week.. My first post discussed Dressing for the Netherfield Ball, the second talked about the dances, and the third showcased the suppers that might have been served. This post discusses the music […]
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Thanks for the post!
Do you know where I can get the actual steps to these dances to learn them?
They performed agile dance steps and exerted themselves in vigorous movements which included hopping, jumping, skipping, and clapping hands.
This is an absolutely wonderful post that we will be using to aid us in our Austen Twitter Project ( http://austenproject.com ).
Thanks so much!
thanks very good site
Congratulations on a very nice site
Could you include page numbers with the quotes that you have?
[…] Historical description of how people conducted themselves at English balls. […]
It would be interesting to know whether the instruments played by the musicians for Mr. Beveridge’s Maggot in the BBC Pride & Prejudice are the same as those mimed on screen as there appears to be the rarely played vox humana (a military tenor oboe appriopriate to the period and mainly used outside the military in west gallery music bands which might well have performed for social functions such as balls). Charles Spicer of the Mellstock Band plays one in a couple of their recordings but told me that the musical ‘rewards’ were not worth the effort expended. If it was actually played in this scene I wonder who was the performer?
very well done! i enjoyed reading it:)
based on your opinion what do you thing Netherfeild in general symbolizes?
why was it so important throughout the novel?