Dancing with Jane Austen

Join David Millstone, Upper Valley dance caller extraordinaire, for a talk on English country dance in Jane Austen’s day. Join us in the Mayer Room or on Zoom. Register for Zoom here.

Social dancing is featured throughout Jane Austen’s novels; indeed, the author herself was an enthusiastic dancer in her youth. This multi-media presentation provides a brief history of the dance form from its roots in the mid-seventeenth century; we’ll pay particular attention to English country dance as it was done in Austen’s lifetime some 150 years later. Participants will come away with a deeper appreciation of the important role that dance and dance events have for the characters in Austen’s novels. You’ll also appreciate some of the nuances of the dancing at our upcoming Jane Austen Ball!