The Dances of the Regency & Empire
Dancing on the volcano between revolution and war
Over time, I have examined numerous details, historical backgrounds, and technical finesse of the dance culture around 1800, documenting them in detailed articles, to the point where an overview on a single page was slowly becoming lost.
Choose one of the articles below to delve deep into our archive. As a student or ball guest, please have your password ready to gain access to the complete historical treatises within the protected compendium.
Almack’s Assembly Rooms
The authority of the London Season & dance fashion
Between 1790 and 1830, Almack’s Assembly Rooms on London's King Street functioned as the undisputed social authority of the British high nobility. Under the relentless rule of the seven Lady Patronesses, receiving a personal voucher decided upon social advancement, a marriage appropriate to one's station, or social banishment. At the same time, the simple floorboards of the hall became the stage for the greatest historical dance upheavals of the era.
George IV & the ball culture of the Regency
From the young master dancer of the minuet to the director of a new era
As the "First Gentleman of Europe," George IV – first as Prince of Wales, from 1811 as Prince Regent, and from 1820 as King – shaped the style, fashion, and festive culture of Great Britain for over four decades. Beyond the later caricatures of historicism, this nine-part series illuminates his path from the slender dancer of the late Rococo, through his friendship and dramatic rupture with Beau Brummell, to his magnificent balls at Carlton House and his paradoxical connection to Jane Austen.
Our Compendium of Grace
For flawless appearances around 1800
The perfected dance in the Regency and Empire is inextricably linked with historical etiquette, attire, and fine social culture. We have bundled our comprehensive research articles on these topics centrally in the Compendium of Grace on the page of the Grand Jane Austen Ball for you. With one click on the respective topic blocks, you will be taken directly to the treatises there:
Perfected Grace & Freshness
Complexion, Coiffure & the secret of fragrances
The Carefree Attire
Daily chronology, gallantry wares & the architecture of the silhouette
Ball Etiquette, Conversation & Le Bon Genre
Ballroom laws, refined communication & the social cycle of day and year