It was a time of the quadrille, the pavane and a waltz much different from the ones Johann Strauss would later popularize.
During the English Regency period, dancing was so popular, clothing was loose and made for it. Everyone danced, no matter their age or social status.
Over the summer, a dedicated group of volunteers from the Isaiah Davenport House Museum has been learning Regency dances. They hope to perform them at future reenactments and for special occasions.
In June, Elizabeth Albe, a professional dancer and instructor from San Diego, Calif., spent two weeks in Savannah to begin the process. Albe left DVDs and instructions behind so the Davenport Dancers could continue to practice on their own.
Albe is the coordinator of the Maritime Dance Program at the San Diego Maritime Museum. Performers at the maritime museum dance on the deck of the HMS Surprise, the ship used in the movie “Master and Commander.”
In 2006, during a previous visit to Savannah, Albe visited the Davenport House and became entranced with it. The house was built in 1820, at the height of the Regency period.
During that visit, Albe taught a group of Davenport House volunteers to dance the quadrille. They later performed it as part of a living history program on Lafayette’s visit to Savannah that was presented in October 2006.
While in Savannah this summer, Albe choreographed “The Davenport Waltz” specifically for the Davenport Dancers. The Davenport House sponsors several special events, including teas, New Year’s celebrations and other programming.
Regency dance has had a revival of sorts, thanks to the reborn popularity of esteemed British author Jane Austen. “Jane Austen was a dance caller,” Albe says.
In her novels and letters, Austen discusses balls and dances of the day. While she left few specifics, dance manuals of the era have survived to modern day and have been used as guides to recreate the dances.
Davenport House assistant director Jeff Freeman studied with Albe in 2006 and again this time.
“It’s the opportunity to learn dancing the way it was done in our time period,” he says.
Regency dance isn’t that hard, Josh White says. “You just have to be willing to make mistakes,” he says.
“Once you get over the fear of making mistakes, you learn. It really looks beautiful.”
The quadrille is for four couples, with two couples facing each other. “It’s a lively dance,” White says. “The pavane is a more slow, stately dance. It looks really easy, but the movement and the placement of the feet has to be exact.”
Dance was the social interaction of the day. “We’re focusing on the lifestyle of our period,” White says.
“This would have been fun,” he says. “Everyone would have know this style of dance. They would have learned how to dance at a younger age.”
“It was part of the education of teenagers,” Davenport House director Jamie Credle says. “It was like tap dance and ballet are today.”
‘Everyone danced’
Albe studied classical dance and ballet before taking up Regency dance.
“These are the social dances of the Regency period, from 1790 to 1820,” Albe says. “The year I portray in San Diego is 1805 England.”
Children of the Regency period were taught to dance as part of their education. “All ages danced,” Albe says.
“Regency dance was very lively, Men were expected to dance and dance well. Men often studied ballet before studying fencing.
“Everyone danced,” she says. “If you had the means, you would be formally trained by a dance master.”
The ornate quadrille was and is one of the most difficult dances to learn. “One dance can last 30 minutes,” Albe says. “It can take a year of practice to master.”
But when performed, the quadrille is impressive. “You might have 30 people dancing,” Albe says.
Bringing Regency dance to Savannah is a mission, she says.
“I wanted to give Savannah back the beauty it has given me,” she says. “I want to bring the Regency period to life for special functions.
“These dancers will have costumes,” Albe says. “They will probably do their first presentation in December. The dream would be for me to come back and perform with them.”
Through dance, Albe also honors her brother. “He passed away a few years ago,” she says. “He always said he wanted us to go to Savannah together.
“I felt he was here with me,” Albe says. “I could not take a wrong turn. I was finding my niche. By doing this, I feel I’m honoring him.”
During her visit, Albe admittedly pushed the local dancers.
“We’re doing two- to three-hour rehearsals,” she says.
But despite the rigors of practicing and the heat of summer, the dancers say they’ll persist.
“I’m doing this because it’s fun,” says Anne Hagan. “I already dance, and this adds to the historical experience. It makes it come alive in a way.”
“It’s a little harder than I thought it would be,” says Emily Pickles. “Everyone plays with iPads and TV today, but this was the social media of its day. Some people could play instruments, sing or dance.”
“This was taking place in every house in Savannah,” Albe says. “It was a more genteel time. There certainly can’t be a better place to do this than Savannah because it’s such a romantic city.”
ON THE WEB
Go to savannahnow.com/accent to see video of the Davenport Dancers in action.