Below are some notes on those English Country Dances that have appeared in the two most recent adaptations of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice - the 1995 BBC production (P&P1995) and the 2005 feature movie (P&P2005). In both cases, I have framed my dance descriptions around the cited sources original wording (which I have put in bold) and I have then gone on to note how this understanding of the original dance might vary from other versions of the dance commonly danced or the version danced on screen. Although I have been able to cover all the historical dances musically or visually glimpsed in both adaptions, my comments on those dances featured in the 2005 movie are briefer than those for the 1995 production as I have only had an opportunity to view the movie once. We have received so many requests however for notes such as these that I thought we had best post up some notes even if they are still in a rudimentary form. Please scroll down towards the bottom of this page to find Part 2: Dances in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie.

For notated and recorded music to match these dances, see Peter Barnes' The Barnes Book of English Country Dance Tunes and the recordings of his band, Bare Necesities and Nicolas Broadbridge and Marjorie Fennessy's 1996 book Purcell's Dancing Master, and the recordings of Nicolas' band The Assembly Players. My own interpretations of the music don't always correspond exactly with the interpretations presented in the above excellent works, but my own English Country Dance Book, in which I intend to present music and dance instructions and notes for all the dance below and another 100 beside, might not be out till 2007 (keep in touch if interested!). In the meantime, for opportunities to dance the dances here notated see our up-coming events pages. For more on costume from the time of these dances or to order custom made Regency garments, see our Regency Costume pages. For more on dancing in the late 18th and early 19th century see our Dance History pages.

You can book us to play for your own Pride & Prejudice Ball / Birthday / Wedding function and we are also available to come as a historical dance troupe to perform and/or teach some dances at your function anywhere in Australia.

In the notes which follow Apted is short for The Apted Book of Country Dances, ed. W.S. Porter et.al. (English Folk Dance and Song Society, 1966). Thompson is short for'Charles and Samuel Thompson' who issued a collection of 24 dances each year for a period in the late 18th century. The Playford Ball refers to the 1990 book by Kate van Winkle Keller and Genevieve Shimer. The director of choreography for P&P drew heavily on dances presented in the Apted work, which in turn was essentially a compilation of dances from various Thompson editions. I would also like to thank the Contradancers of Hawaii for permission to use some of the midis which they have on their site, to thank Amy Garden for the rest of the midis on this page, to thank Elaine Bratke at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library in London for sending me photocopies of Thompson originals I was keen to cite and to thank Nicolas Broadbridge for the help he offered me in identifying the dances in the 2005 movie and obtaining original texts of some of these dances. Abbreviations in the text below are explained in dance terms.

Part 1: Dances in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice production

The Touchstone | A Trip to Highgate | Mutual Love | The Comical Fellow | The Happy Captive

Pleasures of the Town | Barley Mow | Shrewsbury Lasses | Mr Beveridges Maggot | Grimstock | Lasses of Portsmouth

Episode 1 DVD chapter 2 At the Meryton Assembly

The Touchstone to own tune midi

A triple minor longways dance from Thompson, Twenty Four Country Dances, 1780.

A1 Hey contrary sides by 1s crossing and going between the number 2 to start a hey with the opposite line (1M giving r.sh. to 3W and 1W giving l.sh. to 3M)
A2 Then the same on your own sides by 1s, when they again reach the top of set, crossing back to own side between 2s, 1M giving l.sh. to 3M and 1W giving r.sh. to 3W.
B1 Hands 6 quite round and back
B2 Lead thro' the 3d cu. and cast up one to finish in middle place, then Lead thro' the top and cast off to finish back in middle (progressed place)

Both the Apted book and The Playford Ball has entirely different B1&2 (involving leads, casts and 2hs) and the movie P&P has a different B2 involving setting and crossing.

A Trip to Highgate to own tune midi

A triple minor longways dance from Thompson, Twenty Four Country Dance, 1777.

A1 1st couple Set 3 to the right and left with the 2.d Lady while coming forward and taking hands in circle of 3 and turn with 2 step-change-tavelling steps then with the 2d Gent.n set to right and left and turn
A2 lead down the middle, up again & cast off
B1 hands 6 quite round to the left and back
B2 1s lead tho' the bottom by going beween 3s and casting back into middle and top by going up beween 2s then casting back into middle.

In the Apted, The Playford Ball, P&P1995 versions the problem of not having enough time in A1 to set to the right and left and circle 3 hands left all in 8 counts is solved by having dancers set only to the right, then using 6 slip steps to turn the circle. As doing only 1/2 a set feels awfully curious, the solution I propose below is to start the circling as you set forward and then complete the circle not with 4 walking steps but with 2 step-change travelling steps (an alternative would be to abandon the setting and to just do the circles - as in'Barley Mow'. The Apted, The Playford Ball, P&P1995 versions also follow the circle in B1 with a'morris' hey (beginning with the 1s going down between the 3). Such a hey would seem to be modern variation designed to give the 2s and 3s a little more dancing, for in the Thompson original which I have sited, the figure in B2 is danced only by the 1s, not the 2s and 3s - though the 1s do take the same path as they would if all were dancing a'morris' hey.

Mutual Love to tune for'The Flight' midi

A triple minor dance from Thompson, Twenty Four Country Dance, 1777.

A1 With 8 steps 1.st Man lead the 2.d cw round the 1.st and 2.d ladies while the 1st and 2nd W go forward and back but the 3s do nothing then with another 8 steps 1s and 2s turn both hands with their partners
A2 1st and 2nd Ladies do the same, holding hands and going acw around M while the M go forward and back, then 2h turn partner - this time perhaps acw.
B1 1s and 2s r right hands across 4 and left hands back again while 3s do nothing
B2 In skater's hold 1s lead down thro' the 3.d cu. and cast up into the middle then lead thro' the 2.d and cast off to finish in the middle.

The dance's name possibly encouraged the P&P1995 choreographer & director to use it as Jane and Bingley's first dance. Apted matched the dance'Mutual Love' to a tune which Thompson had go to'The Flight'. The Apted book also changed the dance from triple minor to duple minor (the 3s not getting much dancing in the original) and P&P followed Apted in this respect. P&P did not, however, follow the Apted editors on the B2, for where the Apted book has 1s and 2s do rights and lefts, then has the 1s slip to the bottom and 2s cast up, the movie has 1s simply lead down holding inside hand, then skip back and cast off. I have chosen to go back to the original triple minor form, and gone back to the original B2, which is that the 1s alone lead between 3s, cast back then lead up between 2s and cast down. When going from the l.h. star into the lead down, 1s may either switch to holding inside hands, as in the movie, or slide into l.h. in l.h., r.h. in r.h. skaters promenade hold, as Thomas Wilson favours. As Wilson also recommends in his Analysis of Country Dancing when the M are going around the W in A1, the later may choose to advance (with 4 steps) then retire (with 4 steps). While the W go around, the M may do as the W did.

The Comical Fellow to own tune midi

A triple minor longways dance from Thompson, Twenty Four Country Dance, 1776.

A1 First Man set to 2W, retire with 4 steps, then come forward again & 2h turn the 2.d Woman all the way to place
A2 the 1.st Wo. set forward towards 2nd M, retire then come forward again & turn the 2.d Man
B1 1s lead down the middle and turn with 8 steps, backup again & cast off 1 Cu. with 8 skipping steps, & clap 4 times while approaching partner & turn single over r.sh. while falling back to place
B2 hand 6 round to the left and right clap 4 times again while approaching partner & 2 hand turn your Partner with just 4 steps (or 2 step-change travelling steps) to place.

The Apted book, unhappy by how inactive the 3s were, made the dance duple minor and the P&P1995 choreographer followed them. This is unfortunate as it deprives the dance of the very satisfying 6 person circle (1s starting between and uniting 2s and 3s - very common late 18th century) and substitutes the less satisfying 1s circling with 2s above. The original also has a turn single after the clapping in B1 and a 2h turn after the clapping in B2. As 4 steps is not enough for a comfortable 2h turn all the way, the Apted book followed the clapping on both occasions with a 1/2 2h turn. The movie P&P changed this on both occasions to a cross by r.sh. Below I have given the original version, however, because I think starting the circling left and right in improper formation runs a little contrary to the dance language of the day, which was one of simplicity, with everyone, whenever possible starting and finishing figures in proper formation, I would recommend either going back to the Thompson original (but have the clapping coincide with and advance so that the 2h turn can then happen in 4 steps) or simply change the final 2h turn to another turn single (hopefully the original when it arrives will throw some light on this).

The Happy Captive to tune for'The Dusky Night' midi

A triple minor longways dance from Thompson, Twenty Four Country Dance, 1777.

A1 Lead dow thro' the 3.d Cu. & cast up one into middle / 1s back-to-back by r.sh. / the Gent.n hands round 3 at bottom & his Partner at top (M circle below W above)
A2 Lead up thro' the 2.d & cast off.to 2nd place / 1s back-to-back by l.sh./ the Gent.n hands round three at top & his partner at bottom (M circle above, W below)
B1 1s lead down & up, & and cast off one place
B2 (lead outsides) Holding hands in long lines, fall back with 4 steps, come forward with 4 steps and 2h turn partner with 8 steps.

The Apted editors, possibly in order to make the dance more interesting and put to use a prettier tune which had a tedious dance they did not wish to use, switched tunes to the longer'The Dusky Night' and added a turn single in A1 to fill out tune. You don't see much of this dance in the movie (Darcy is too busy insulting Elizabeth -could there be some meaning in this use of a dance by this title as a background to that scene?), but it does seem that where the Apted editors, filled out the middle of the A1&2 with a turn single (a figure that usually only needs 4 counts), the movie P&P filled it out with a better fitting 8 count back-to-back. If, as I've suggested below, you make the back-to-back by the r.sh. in A1 and by the left in A2 then the dancing M and W can easily go into the circles above and below which follow. The Apted editors also changed the B2 from having just the 1s'lead outsides', a figure which Wilson describes in his 1808 Analysis of Country Dancing but which is none the clearer for this description, with a very Playford is'all back, forward and turn partner 2h. Unsure as to what might be meant by lead outsides but sure that the 2s and 3s might enjoy a little more opportunity to join in the dance, I too have heard substituted the Playford formula in B2. Here then is The Happy Captive, with original instructions highlighted and with extra 8 count interpolations (to make dance work to longer tune) in between slashes

If you like the tune'The Dusky Night' and would like to try the dance which Thompson originally linked with it, then here it is:

A1 Cast off two Cu. and up again
A2 Cross over two Cu. up again and cast off
B1 hands 4 to left quite round at bottom and back to right
B2 right and left at top

Episode 1 DVD chapter 4 At Lucas Lodge

Pleasures of the Town to'The Fair Maid of the Inn' midi

A triple minor longways dance from Thompson's, Twenty Four Country Dance, 1777.

A1 With 16 walking steps The 1.st 2.d and 3.d Gent.n take hands & go round their Partners
A2 the Ladies the same.
B1 All take low promenade hold (r.h. in r.h. over l.h. in l.h.) with partner and with 16 walking steps travel steps the first Cu. go round with the Allemand till they come in their places again the 2.d and 3.rd Cu. follows so as to complete a promenade cast to left and back to place, finish facing partner and pushing back to own side, but 1s and 2s retain r.h. with partner.
B2 With 8 steps 1s and 2s cross over by r.sh. with 8 steps into partners place on improper side and then half right and left.

The P&P choreographer followed the Apted editors in putting this dance to the tune ascribed by Thompson to'The Fair Maid of the Inn', and also followed the Apted editor in having the A and B parts played just once. The original of both'The Fair Maid of the Inn' and'Pleasures of the Town' is, however, twice as long as that presented by the P&P1995 choreographer and Apted editors, so even if the music is played briskly (and it lends itself to this) it need not be a race to get around the opposite line in the A part or for all 3 couples to follow each other in the first half of the B part- you have a full 16 walking steps to do these figures. Similarly, in the second half of the B part you do not need to do 3 quick changes of a circular hey in 12 walking steps and then rest for 4 steps. You have 16 walking steps to'cross over and rights and left', and by this I suggest the first 2 couples use 8 walking steps to go to the other side of the set and face back towards their partner, then use 4 travelling steps to do a 1/2 of the rights and lefts) to finish with the music in progresses place.

The above reconstruction of Thompson's Pleasures of the Town fits the description better than the Apted editors, but is unsatisfactory in one main respect. In the late 18th early 19th century'Right and Left' was invariable a full rights and lefts - whether with or without hands - and was invariably with the couple above, not below - starting and finishing from proper already-progressed position. A more workable'Pleasues of the Town' is found in Asa Willox's 1793 Book of Figures. There the instructions are as follows (punctuation own):

The 1st 2nd and 3rd gentm pass round their partners they turn to them. Ladies do the same. Lead down 2 couple. Up again. Cast down one couple. Right & left at top.

The two main differences between these and Thompson's instructions are, firstly, that in what must be B1, instead of allemande to place, their is a lead down, back and cast, and secondly, there is no'cross to partner's place' at the beginning of B2. It is a much more easily understood dance. The cast at the end of the lead back progresses the 1s and the 1s have 16 steps to do a full right and left with the couple now above. This is just as you would expect. No 3/4 or 1/2 right and left. No doing the figure from one top. It is tempting to project this tradition back on the Thompson text and suggest that there to the right and left was meant to be a full one from below. The only way of achieving this interpretation is, however, to treat the allemande he describes as finishing with a progression just the same as does Willox's lead down and back. This is indeed, just how allemandes are done in modern Scottish country dance - but unfortunately does not seem to be what Thompson is describing. Perhaps his informant meant to describe a progressive allemande and something got mixed up in the published text.ublished text.

Episode 2 DVD chapter 7 At the Phillips' party

Barley Mow to the tune for'Linnen Hall' midi

Triple minor longways dance from Thompson, Twenty Four Country Dance, 1779.

A1 With 8 steps 1s hands round 3 with the 2.d Wo. then with another 8 steps 1s the same with 2.d Man
A2 1s cross over & then half figure by going around neighbouring 2, cutting up between the 2s and the casting into progressed position on proper side, then from this middle lead thro' 3s at the bottom & cast up
B1 hands 3 round Man at bottom & W. at top at the same time the Hey the same (1M starts l.sh. to 3 W while 1W starts l.sh. to 2M)
B2 hands 6 half round & back again allemand half round and back again (as this seems a little busy I might stay with the Apted B2 here, i.e. Hands 6 left and right.)

The Apted editor put this dance to the tune'Linnen Hall'. The Apted version of the dance differs from that given below by interpreting the' half figure' in A2 as the same as a cast, and thus having the 1s improper when leading through and starting their circles above and below from a side which makes going into the hey later awkward. All follows much more naturally (though at a brisker pace) if, after crossing over to improper sides the 1s actually do do a'half figure'. In the movie you see only a fragment of something that's unrelated to any of this and which doesn't seem to be period.

One reason the Apted editors might have used'Linnen Hall' for'The Barley Mow' is that the instructions for the dance which Thompson had originally go with'Linnen Hall' are a little confusing, as it requires either a 3 part tune or a tedious repeating of the B part 4 times. Even leaving aside this problem, the rather boring figures in the A and B parts do little to commend the da- but here it is:

A1 Right hands across Left hands back again
A2 lead down 2 Cu. up again & cast off
B1 turn your Partner with your right hand the same with your left hand
B2 Lead thro' the bottom come up one Cu. lead thro' the top & cast off
C1&2 lead outsides

Episode 2 DVD chapter 10 The Netherfield Ball

Shrewsbury Lasses to own tune midi

A triple minor longways dance from Thompson, Twenty-four Country Dances 1765 and (text used) Thompson's Compleat Collection, vol.4, 1780.

A1 First Man set forward to the 2d Wo. , turn single back to place over r.sh. then come forward to take hs with corner and turn all the way round with 8 steps, starting r.f.)
A2 1st Wo. do the same with the 2d Man
B With 12 steps 1s Cast off & hands round four with 3s at bottom. With 12 counts of skipping The Wo. go cw round the bottom Cu. the Man cw round the top Cu. ('orbits below and above') to meet improper in the middle and turn (partner with 2h 1/2 way) into your own Places in progressed position, 1M, by releasing his r.h. before his l.h. can open out easily to face new 2W or, when one place from end of set and needing to go to the bottom, the 1M&1W can let their 1/2 2h turn send them out behind and around the couple below them.

This dance was ossibly used by the P&P director for the dance between Mr Collins and Lizzy as it gives Mr Collins a very good opportunity to go wrong.... but recover. The Apted editors change the dance to a 3 couple dance and has the B part repeated with 3s leading. The Playford Ball follows Apted in this regards but the P&P movie takes the dance back to the progressive longways triple minor for as many as will form with no repeating of the B music. The movie also departed from the slow set-and-honour fromula used in Apted and The Playford Ball for the A1&2 and has the 1M do a quick set right&left, then honour and turn his corner and the 1W the same. As an honour (which often involve one step to the side) is likely to leave the M wanting to start dancing the 2h turn with his left foot (not entirely satisfactory) I would be tempted to either stick with Apted and use the slow set and honour, of if is is felt that this is out of period (for although used in the dance'Newcastle' from 1651 it does not seem to feature in common regency vocabulary) I would recommend a normal quick set both ways then a turn single with 4 steps over the r.sh. before doing the 2h turn with corner. There is one other element in which I might recommend a change from the movie version (and on which the Apted editors do not comment). In the movie the final'turn to your own places' is done with a r.h. This is nice when within one place of the end of the set as ones can merge the turn with a lead to the bottom of the set. It does not, however, work so well in the rest of the column as the 1M is forced to finish the dance presenting his r.sh. to 2W. For him to be able to finish opening out to face 2W I have recommended below that the 1/2 turn should be a 2h open turn. One final curiosity in the movie is that those seconds of the film devoted to observing Elizabeth dance have been flipped left-to-right, so Elizabeth casts acw finishes with a l.h. turn.

Mr Beveridge's Maggot to own tune midi

A duple minor longways dance first published by John Playford's son, Henry Playford, in his 1695 Dancing Master.

A1 The 1. Man cross over and go back to back with the 2. Wo. Then the 1 wo. Cross over and go back to back with the 2. Man at the same time (in short, 1s cross r.sh. to other side- possibly giving r.hs momentarily, then after a bow to 2s below, do-si-do-ing with 2s below)
A2 Then meet and turn S. over r.sh. with 6 steps (2 bars) then 1 man turn the 2. Wo. with his right hand, and 1. Wo. turn the 2. Man with her right hand at the same time in 12 steps (4 bars), then 1. Cu. take left hands and turn into their own places with 6 steps (2 bars)
B The 1 cu cross over into the 2 cu. place by pulling on l.h., passing l.sh. and casting down on opposite side while 2s meet partner and lead up, and go back to back with their Partner while 2s cast out with 6 steps onto outside end, then all four lead up hands abrest with 2 steps and a rise, then back with 2 steps and a rise, then 1M and W cross (W in front) as they lead up and go the partial Figure through; and cast off into the 2 cu. place while 2s meet partner again and lead up.

Although this dance is Playford and thereby warranting inclusion in the previous section of this web-page, I've included it here as it has widely become known as the'big dance' from the 1995 Pride & Prejudice production. Although neither this particular dance nor the duple minor formation it is in were being used in Jane Austen's day, the dance is a very'cinegenic' dance. I'm not here giving the Cecil Sharp version which has a longer B part dance sequence to fill out a repeated B part (even though the original clearly says play the second strain but once). I'm here giving a closer-to-original Dancing Master (1695-1728) version. This is the sequence they dance in the movie Emma, but in that movie they dance the sequence just once then go into a snowballing cast off. P&P1995 has the same non-Sharp B part as given below and used in Emma (with the dramtaic up and back) but for the A part has everyone r.h. turn, l.h. back, then 1s cross, cast, cross back up. I suspect this change from the original was probably inspired by the need for a more dramatic face-to-face beginning to a dance that was to be the vehicle for a'battle' between the two protaganists, without giving away altogether a dance which offers the lovely, camera-confronting, film-effective, 4-in-line (with Darcy and Elizabeth'trapped' side-by-side in the middle) up and back figure.

Episode 3 DVD chapter 14 The Phillips' Christmas Party

Grimstock to own tune midi

A 3 couples set from Playford's Dancing Master 1651-1690 - see the above section on Playford dances for the instructions. The movie P&P has the settings and turn singles all start l.f. - as in Renaissance/early-17th century style, not regency r.f. start style (the 18th century being a time when the prevalent starting foot became the r.f. - possibly under influence of the minuet which always started r.f. and which dominated 18th century ballroom dance). Why? Well, although the movie has one of the sisters call for Grimstock by name, the dance was never mentioned by Jane Austen and probably not danced much beyond the 17th century (the up and back a double figure falling from use in the early 1700s) so the choreographers simply gave the dance the style (and starting foot) of its original day. One other observations. In the movie the third hey, the cross-over hey, is danced with as much taking of partner's hands as possible - a nice touch.

Lasses of Portsmouth to the tune for'Fete Champetre' midi

A triple minor dance from Thompson which found its way into the Apted collection.

A1 1s 2h Turn your Part. all the way and cast off into second place while 2s move up & hands 4 with the 3.d Cu. below
A2 1s 2h turn again all the way cast up to top of set & hands 4 at top with 2s
B1 1s lead thro' the 3.d Cu. & cast up into middle then lead up thro' the top and cast off to finish in middle place
B2 & 1s Right and Left all the way around with 2s above

Although the dance is only discernible in the cabinet mirror behind the talking actors, is can be followed (up to the point when, curiously, there is a moment when the A part of the tune is repeated a third time - doubtlessly the result of some editing). In P&P1995 the tune used is'Fete Champetre'. This is different to in the Apted publication where'Lasses of Portsmouth' has its own tune and the tune'Fete Champetre' is used for the dance'The Corporation'. As this is the scene in P&P1995 when Wickam is dancing with Mary King while the ladies talk about how wealthy she is, it is possible that the choreographer/director, originally intended for the dance to be'The Corporation' (echoing the converstion about money)- and thus the playing of the tune most often associated with that dance today,'Fete Champetre'. Why then they are not dancing'The Corporation' I have no idea. Anyhow, here is my version of the dance they do seem to be doing. It differs from the Apted version of'Lasses of Portsmouth' (and the P&P version in the cabinet mirror) in that the Apted editors changed the'turn you partner' to a half-turn your partner. This gives dancers a little more time and has the 1s improper for their circling below (meaning the men don't have to hold hands with men, or women with women in this circle), but does take a little away from the dances late 18th century character, in that in that period, as in the actual Regency period, there is an inclination to return men to men's side and women to women's side whenever possible.

If you want to try the actual dance which went to the tune'Fete Champetre' in Thompson's Compleat Collection, vol.4, 1780, try this reconstruction:

A1 Turn your Part. right-hand with 8 walking steps or 4 travelling steps then left hand turn same
A2 Just 1s lead down the middle with 8 walking steps up again & cast off with 8 skipping or travelling steps
B1 The 1st lead up while 2s take hand behind them, and then go left as a couple, followed by 2d & 3d Cu. Promenade quite round till back in original position
B2 Cast off one Cu. so, with 8 walking or 4 travelling steps, 1s return to middle progressed position & quickly right & left at top to go, with just 2 walking steps or 1 travelling step for each of 4 sides, all the way around and back into progressed position.

Part 2: Dances in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice Movie