Join us on Friday 8 August, 1-3pm for a talk on Georgian dance followed by a real demonstration!

If you close your eyes and imagine the Georgians, the parties and dances from Jane Austen’s novels will probably spring to mind. But what were these events really like?

 In this event, Dr Hillary Burlock, expert on historical dance, will give a talk on ‘A Night at the Assembly Rooms’, exploring what it was like to attend a ball in the Georgian era. Who would you meet? What would you dance? How should you (or should you not) behave?

 We’ll also be joined by a group of costumed dancers, ‘Regency Rejigged’, who will show us how it should be done, as they give a demonstration of Regency dances accompanied by musicians playing genuine music from the time.

 After all that excitement – join us for a cup of tea and a slice of cake – where you will have the chance to chat to the speaker and the dancers to talk more about regency dance!

 And for anyone who would like to feel more involved, please do feel free to BYOB (bring your own bonnet) but there is no obligation for those who prefer to watch only!

 Cost (including tea and cake): £12 per person.

Location: The Guildhall, St Martin’s Courtyard, York, YO1 9QN

13:00 - 15:00

Doors open 10 mins prior

 Dietary and Access: Please email ymhevents@york.gov.uk or call 01904553663 to discuss any dietary and access requirements before attendance. Please note we do not have any on-site parking available.

Tickets are non-refundable. 

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Talk Information

‘A Night at the Assembly Rooms’

About:

As spaces for dance, dalliance, and display, assembly rooms are the architectural eye candy to cinematic depictions of the Georgian period today. So, what would it be like to attend a ball at the assembly rooms in Georgian Britain? Who would you meet? What would you dance? From the opening minuets to the closing country dances, this talk explores the colourful characters and the pressures to perform within the assembly rooms in York, and beyond. Join Dr Hillary Burlock as she navigates the spoken and unspoken rules of the Georgian ballroom.

Hillary Burlock is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Liverpool, working on the histories of British assembly rooms in the 18th and 19th centuries. She was awarded her PhD in History at Queen Mary University of London in 2022 where her thesis explored intersections between Georgian political culture and social dance from 1760 to 1832. Having held fellowships at the Lewis Walpole Library, Huntington Library and Royal Archives, Dr Burlock has recently published an edited collection on the cultural influence of Bath’s Assembly Rooms with Routledge.

Performer Information

‘Regency Rejigged’ is a group of dancers based in the North West of England. They perform dances popular from the 17th to early 19th centuries in Regency style costume, accompanied by their musicians, the ‘Regency Players’, who play acoustic instruments appropriate to the period.

Their dances are described by Jane Austen as the “good old English country dances” and can be seen in films such as Pride and Prejudice. Austen herself once said “to be fond of dancing is a certain step towards falling in love!”