A Case for Modern Music at English Country Dance Events
While researching for my event Jane Austen's 250th Birthday Ball, which I held on December 16, 2025, I learned that Playford dances were old-fashioned by Austen's time, ergo their popularity at modern Regency events is generally anachronistic. Read this Capering & Kickery blog post to learn more: " What Did Jane Austen Dance? " New English country dances were regularly published during Austen's time. When I make new English country dances set to modern music, I am doing what people back then did. Therefore I do not passively placate purists by having only historical dances at my balls. Assertively I consider their desires as well as my own, so my dance lists are half historical and half modern. For the modern set I pick songs from the 20th century on and choregraph dances to them. For this undertaking I use figures from the historical record and make my own that fit the dance style. I have made one figure so far: "Lead round one couple." You can read...