Getting ready for the Ball

At the end of November, some of the guests who would be dancing at the Warwick Christmas Regency Ball on December 10th attended a Regency Dance Workshop held in the Northgate Methodist Church Hall. It was designed for people who are not very familiar with this kind of traditional dancing.

An experienced dance caller, Maggie Hosking, put the dancers through their paces, explaining some of the terminology that the caller on the night, Stephen Pascoe, is likely to use to describe the various figures and moves, such as the ‘right-hand star’ or ‘setting’. 

In the 18th and 19th centuries, dancing was regarded as an essential accomplishment for young people and the parents of young men and women of marriageable age would often employ a dance master to ensure that their children would acquit themselves well on the dance floor. 

Ball organiser Tricia Scott says, ‘The workshop wasn’t a dress rehearsal for the ball, it was more about teaching the language of traditional dance. We realised it wouldn’t be fair to expect someone who has never participated in this kind of thing to understand the caller’s instructions, such as ‘Cast!’ or ‘Set and turn single’ without some help. 

Other guests who are travelling from all over the country to take part are expected to be more experienced. Tricia says, ‘The fact that demand for tickets has well exceeded supply shows that Warwick is getting a reputation for its Regency Ball.  That’s great for our town and will mean we can attract people from far and wide’. 

The first revival Warwick Christmas Regency Ball marked the reopening of the Court House ballroom in 2014 after a major refurbishment, and with the event quickly gaining in popularity it may well become an annual occasion on the Warwick calendar.