Dancing Through the Ages and Adaptations of Jane Austen

What kind of person are you at a dance? Are you more like Lydia, who loves to dance and be the center of attention? Or are you more like Mr. Darcy, who sticks to the walls and maybe eats a few refreshments. Or are you somewhere in between?

No matter what, the likelihood of you dancing or at least watching someone else dance semi-often in your life is fairly high. Although we may now only do the current popular Tik Tok dance or stream Dirty Dancing (or some other film) to watch the professionals, dance remains prominent in our daily lives.

During Jane Austen’s time, dance was a very popular pastime and form of entertainment. Both community and private balls were an excellent opportunity to mingle with people (and start a romance) and exercise.

As you watch the show you may notice the dancing isn’t always the calm dancing you see in the films, or even historically accurate. You may also notice some tunes that were written well after the Regency Period. Melanie Cartwright, the choreographer, incorporated dances such as waltz, quadrille, contra, polka, and even line dancing! Stephanie Brienholt, the director, wanted to subtly incorporate both old and new concepts, trends, re-interpretations and adaptations in our re-telling of Pride and Prejudice. Like a palimpsest (typically a document that has many layers and levels of writing that’s been added to and built upon) Pride and Prejudice has had so many editions and adaptations which our production builds upon.

Learn a Contra! Jacob Hall’s Jig is a contra dance from England circa 1695. This fun, lively dance was probably performed and participated in at many parties and dances during this time and probably even during Jane Austen’s life. I had the opportunity to teach the actors this dance to help them understand the dancing of Austen’s lifetime. Oftentimes we picture the slow contra dances with couples having conversations and staring deep into each other’s souls, such as what we see in many classic adaptations of Pride and Prejudice. However, Jacob Hall’s Jig isn’t the same. The music is lively and the steps are quick, showing the versatility of the types of dance and music that existed before and during Austen’s life.

Background Information to know before you start:

Types of Sets:

M: Man

W: Woman

Terminology:

CCW: Counterclockwise (also known as Line of Dance or LOD)

CW: Clockwise (also known as Reverse Line of Dance or RLOD)

World: The group of two couples that do the dance together as 1st and 2nd couples

Jacob Hall’s Jig

Formation: Longways Proper Set, Duple Minor (2 couples)

To help with any confusion here are some slides breaking down each of the steps to help you work through it. Here

Music:

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Section

	Measure	Pattern
A1	1-4	1st Man takes 2nd Woman by right hand and goes around once CW
A1	5-8	2nd woman switches to take left hand of 1st man opening up so 1st Woman can grab right hand with 1st Man and left with 2nd Women. Circle once, CW, then everyone goes home.
A2	1-4	2nd Man takes 1st Woman by left hand and goes around once CCW.
A2	5-8	Switch hands opening up so 2nd Woman can grab right hand with 1st woman and left with 2nd Man. Circle once, CCW, then everyone go home.
B1	1-4	1st First couple grab hands (W: Right, M: Left) walking down the set, in the middle, between and past the 2nd couple. Then they change hands, turning in towards each other and grab other hands walking back. Stopping between couple 2.
B1	5-8	All four take hands walking up the set for 4 counts Everyone walks back for 4 counts, ends start to come in towards each other to close off the circle. (Everyone facing Center)
B2	1-4	They all circle CW until they end up where they started this new circle. 2nd Couple should now be where the first couple started at the head.
B2	5-8	1st leads up the set back through the 2nd couple, this time they cast off, pushing away and walking away from their partner and circling around the outside of the 2nd couple. Coming into the 2nd couple’s original spot.

Repeat down the line. 1st will now be with a new 2nd couple and the original 2nd on the very end will get a break. After your break on either end, you come back in as the other couple until music ends.

Tags

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

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Simple is Best [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Indeed.[/caption] by Adam White, dramaturg I write this blog post on the day of final dress rehearsal, on the eve of opening night! Everyone involved in this production of A Man for All Seasons has done marvelous work; the set and costuming and make up are all beautiful, and the cast is eager to put their performance in front of a live audience. I guess one could wonder if a dramaturg would give anything but a glowing report of their play that's about to go up, but quite truthfully: I'm eager for you to see this play! On the subject of wanting you to see our production of A Man For All Seasons, I want to relay to you an interesting experience I had just two day ago. Every BYUarts theatre production gets a promotional video, and I was asked by the video makers in charge of the promotional video to be interviewed for the piece on A Man for All Seasons. I accepted, and when I was in the interview, they had two questions for me: 1.) What is A Man for All Seasons about? 2.) Why should people go see A Man for All Seasons? As a dramaturg, I had a great answer for number one. Summarizing the events of this play in an interesting way was no problem. But that second question? That question gave me the hardest time! In the interview moment I was so flustered by my lack of an a concise answer. I quickly babbled out some gibberish to the camera man, after which I apologized and told him if he needed something more intelligible he shouldn't hesitate to call me back. Needless to say I was pretty embarrassed after the experience. Here's the thing: I'm the dramaturgy for this show. I should have some insight as to why people should go see this play (and I do). As I've thought about this experience and about my work as a dramaturg, I've come to the realize that in this situation what I needed was simplicity. Simple is best. See, during that brief interview with the promotional video guys, I was trying to make up a reason for people to see this show that sounded meaningful, or at least scholarly. That wasn't the right attitude for me at all because it meant that I was reaching beyond the play, maybe for selfish reasons, to lend what I deemed to be credibility to a piece of art that, maybe, doesn't need to be legitimized at all. I was being long-winded and downright silly. What the play really needed was for me to speak its simple 'truth.' To redeem myself a little bit and to put my new motto for dramaturgy into practice, I will tell you why I think people should see A Man for All Seasons. I firmly believe, in the words of Oscar Wilde, that "Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life." This play, this conflict between Thomas More, his family, and King Henry VIII, informs our understanding of what it means to have a conscience. Bolt challenges us to explore what it means to have an integrity and what having integrity means in our most intimate relationships. Also revealed in this play is the corrupting influence of political power. I think that every person grapples with these themes, experiences, and issues.A Man for All Seasons is an important play for people to see. The promotional video guys didn't end up using my interview for the promotional video. Frankly, I feel so relieved; it was awful. May you forego the trappings of intelligent-sounding language the next time you are in an interview. Enjoy the show!

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by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg After the show wrapped up and people went their separate ways, Garret Rushforth, who played Wilbur, and I chatted and I asked him some questions about his experience with the play. What better way to gain insight about the show than from the actor who was in the thick of things from the very beginning? Here is what Garret had to say about this unique opportunity: Me: How was this experience of playing Wilbur? What was your Favorite aspect of it all? Garret: I loved playing Wilbur. My favorite aspect was discovering the character more and more each performance. I never really felt that I had learned all that the character had to offer. Me: What were some challenges that you faced while preparing for the show? Garret: A few of the challenges that I faced had to do primarily with transportation. My car tried to die a couple of times during the run. As far as developing the show goes, I found that the difficulties were mostly in finding the lines. Not simply reciting them, but discovering what was beneath them, motivating them and making them come to life. Me: What lessons have you learned from playing this part, or just from the play in general? Garret: I've learned that there is an amazing opportunity to find out about yourself from the character discovery process. I also learned how much a family the cast can become if given the opportunity. Me: What is your favorite part of this story? Garret: I love when Wilbur and Charlotte talk about Charlotte's death and Wilbur is so devastated. It showed how deep Wilbur's reliance on Charlotte was as well as his desire to help her too. Me: As you leave this production, what will stay with you? Garret: The friendships I've made and the things that I've learned about myself because of the show. Me: What aspects of your character did you love/latch onto from the beginning? Garret: I latched onto the loneliness aspect of Wilbur's life. For all his life, he'd not been given much of a chance, Fern and Charlotte being the exceptions. He was written off by nearly everyone until Charlotte pointed out how special he is. Me: Any final thoughts you would like to share with those who came to the show? Garret: Charlotte's a web was a show that offered a unique view of friendship and family. It doesn't matter what someone looks like or where they're from, friendship and family can transcend all differences.

Dancing Through the Ages and Adaptations of Jane Austen

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