English Country Dancing as Seen in Jane Austen Movies

Both recent movie adaptations of Jane Austen's great novel Pride and Prejudice, as well as the fictionalized biopic "Becoming Jane," prominently feature English Country dancing. Characters meet at balls, and fight or fall in love on the dance floor. Most of the dancing seen in the movies is modern English Country dance style which is easy to learn, although not historically accurate. While anachronistic, it is still fun to do and to watch. Whether you're throwing a Jane Austen Regency Ball or just interested in English Country dance, here's information about the dances seen in these recent Jane Austen movies.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1995)

The BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice (1995) with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle has a number of great dance scenes. The local dance where Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet meet features a number of classic English country dances, including "A Trip to Highgate" and "The Touchstone." Normally in English Country dance, each dance has a specific tune. For dramatic purposes, a number of dances have been put with different tunes. For example, the dance "The Happy Captive," is done to the tune of another dance, "Dusky Night." "Mutual Love" is also performed at the ball, to the tune of "The Flight." Mr. Bingley and Jane's lighthearted courtship is emphasized by their enjoyment of "The Comical Fellow" which is a silly dance with clapping. Later on in the production the characters dance "The Pleasures of the Town" to "The Fair Maid of the Inn" at Lucas Lodge, and "Barley Mow" to the tune of "Linnen Hall" at Aunt Phillips'. In a later scene at the Phillips', Lydia begs for "Grimstock." The other dance in that scene, only briefly glimpsed, has a complicated pedigree. The dance itself is "The Lasses of Portsmouth," done to the tune for "Fete Champetre." Interestingly enough, that tune is usually used for yet another dance, "The Corporation." John Garden speculates that it is a subtle reference to Wickham's pursuit of the wealthy Mary King.

Jane Austen creates a pivotal conversation between Darcy and Elizabeth at the Netherfield Ball. The more lighthearted "Shrewsberry Lasses" balances the heavily reworked and serious "Mr. Beveridge's Maggot." While an unappealing name for our modern ears, "maggot" once meant a fancy, whim or caprice, perhaps a tune that got in one's ear and was hard to get out. The heroic-sounding tune pairs well with the production's choreography, once again rearranged for dramatic purposes.

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

The more recent version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen features some energetic English Country dancing and interesting dance choices. "The Bishop,", "Black Bess", "The Duke of Gloucester's March," "Dutch Dollars," "Tythe Pig," and "Wakefield Hunt" are all fairly simple and lighthearted dances suitable for a country ball. "The Young Widow," the last dance played at the Meryton Assembly, is a zesty American dance from 1788 that has a slightly improper feeling.

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's big dance together at the Netherfield Ball is presented in a fanciful way in this movie. The tune is by Henry Purcell, from his "Abedalazar, or the Moor's Revenge." This melody was reused by Benjamin Britten in "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra." The choreography is by a modern English Country dance choreographer, Belgian native Phillipe Callens. The dance is titled "Moniek's Maggot" and is currently unpublished.

Becoming Jane

The fictionalized biography of Jane Austen's early years, 2007's Becoming Jane with Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy, features both a montage of Playford-era English Country dances at the Basingstoke Assembly and one of the most romantic English Country dances in the repertoire, "The Hole in the Wall," danced at Lady Gresham's Ball. "The Hole in the Wall," despite its slightly crude name, is a slow and sultry dance to music by Henry Purcell, allowing Jane (Anne Hathaway) to flirt intensely with Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy).

The Basingstoke Assembly scene features a terrific montage of English Country dance, including "Softly, Good Tummas," "The Happy Hit," "A Trip to Paris," and "The Grand Vizier's Flight." The music for "Softly, Good Tummas, a Nathaniel Kynaston dance from 1718, recurs several times in the movie. Like many Kynaston tunes it has a driving bass line and fast skipping notes above, suitable for the "Jane Austen gone wild" feel of her highly inappropriate romance.

Sources for Dance Directions and Music

For those who are planning a Jane Austen or Regency ball, most of the dances are available in easy-to-understand modern editions. Many dances originally published by Charles and Samuel Thompson have been reprinted in the Apted Book of Country Dances edited by W.S. Porter. A number of other dances appear in a modern collection of dances from John Playford's English Dancing Master, The Playford Ball edited by Kate van Winkle Keller and Genevieve Shimer. Melodies for many of the dances are found in Peter Barnes' essential two-volume set, The Barnes Book of English Country Dance Tunes, volumes I and II. The Country Dance and Song Society has directories to help you find local musicians and dance callers for your event.

References

"English Country", Earthly Delights

Barnes Book of English Country Dance Tunes I and II available from Canis Publishing

English Country Dance books, Country Dance and Song Society

"Music from Jane Austen Adaptations", The Republic of Pemberley

Pride and Prejudice (1995), IMDB.com

Pride and Prejudice (2005), IMDB.com

Becoming Jane, IMDB.com