Many of you know that I'm kind of an English lit fangirl, particularly enjoying Austen and Dickens. I've read most of their writings, I've watched multiple film versions of my favorite ones, and perhaps most of all, enjoy music, costuming, and dances from the era.
Ranging from the upbeat to the serene, the elegance of the "English Country Dance" captivates me. The women stand on the man's right, demonstrating their helping (think of someone's right-hand man), yet equal position in society, and the beautiful steps draw patterns on the ballroom floor, almost tying an invisible complicated knot. The dance is also cooperative, a
minor set made up of two or three couples, a
general set made up of as many minor sets (usually just referred to as sets) as the room would fit, and was truly an integral part of English communities, bringing together the wealthy (such as Emma Woodhouse) and the poor (as per Elizabeth Bennet) for a friendly, integrated social event. While there was some status to being chosen as a partner, much degradation for being left out, and sometimes, romantic hopes inspired by one's repeated selection to dance, participants danced equally with their own sex as the other, adding to the collective nature of the activity.
Well, I've been looking into some dances familiar to period drama fans through film, some in more than one, as well as some that you may have never heard of, coming across some links which may be helpful to other people with similar interests. I've tried to gather them all together in one place, making it more helpful, hopefully, for those who don't know exactly where to look.
Firstly, you may need a brief course or refresher on the terms used in the dancing instructions. Just in case, an organization's website,
Toronto English Dance, has an .html here for this purpose.
For the tunes made famous by A&E's 1995 production of
Pride and Prejudice, click
here. This sheet music is courtesy of the Pemberley Players, the group of musicians who arranged and recorded the music from that film, through the Jane Austen Centre at Bath.
Instructions for these dances can be found across the web in various locations, but I have here a list of the links to instructions listed out:
-Mr. Beveridge's Maggot, Grimstock, Shrewsbury Lasses
-(You can find most of the dances at this site, but they're not very well done, so I am only using it for the remaining more difficult to find instructions)
For the music to the gorgeous "Hole in the Wall" found in A&E's
Emma and the BBC production of Elizabeth Gaskell's
Wives and Daughters, click
here.
For instructions on dancing it, visit the
Country Dance and Song Society's webpage.
The following don't necessarily have a film appearance, but are still beautiful dances from the era to learn and play!
Finally, for .pdf files of 191 English Country Dances, collected and edited in the early 1900s by a man named Cecil Sharp, click
here. Most of these dances will more than likely not be familiar to you, except perhaps some as folk songs, but hey! They're English Country Dances, so who's complaining?!
For instructions on dancing the Sharp Dances, click
here.
For Palmer Pocket Playford sheet music (only treble line), click
here. For Palmer Pocket Playford dance instructions, click
here.
