Dance at the Netherfield Ball

The 2015 Netherfield Ball

"It may be possible to do without dancing entirely. Instances have been known of young people passing many, many months successively, without being at any ball of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind;--but when a beginning is made--when the felicities of rapid motion have once been, though slightly, felt--it must be a very heavy set that does not ask for more."

Emma chapter 29

It has indeed been many months since our last ball in Rochester, but another opportunity is upon us. On October 29, your JASNA Central and Western NY Region and the Country Dancers of Rochester will jointly sponsor the second annual Netherfield Ball. 

The Netherfield Ball in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is an elegant event filled with drama and the clash of spirits between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Our Netherfield ball is designed to be a friendly event specifically dedicated to novice dancers who would like to learn to dance like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy (I just can't bring myself to call him Fitzwilliam).

Here are the details of the event:

Netherfield Ball

When:         Saturday, October 27, 2-6 pm

Where:        First Baptist Church, 175 Allens Creek Road, Rochester NY 14618

Website:      cdrochester.org

Admission: $10

Attire:         Regency attire admired but not required - wear comfortable clothes and shoes

The ball will feature extensive instruction in the art of English Country Dance. Every dance will be called, so you will be guided expertly through each dance. In the 1995 movie version of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet dances Shrewsbury Lasses with Mr. Collins and Mr. Beveridge's Maggot with Mr. Darcy, which are somewhat difficult dances. The Rochester Netherfield Ball will have a program of easy dances tailored for beginning dancers

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth dances the first two dances with Mr. Collins.

"The two first dances, however, brought a return of distress; they were dances of mortification. Mr. Collins, awkward and solemn, apologising instead of attending, and often moving wrong without being aware of it, gave her all the shame and misery which a disagreeable partner for a couple of dances can give. The moment of her release from him was exstacy." Pride and Prejudice chapter 18.

You will have nothing to fear from Mr. Collins, as experienced dancers will be present to gently guide new dancers through all the steps.

Experienced dancers will be your guide

As the ball in Pride and Prejudice progresses, Elizabeth is forced to sit near her mother at supper and listen to her brag about Jane and Mr. Bingley to Lady Lucas.

"When they sat down to supper, therefore, she considered it a most unlucky perverseness which placed them within one of each other; and deeply was she vexed to find that her mother was talking to that one person (Lady Lucas) freely…At length however Mrs. Bennet had no more to say; and Lady Lucas…was left to the comforts of cold ham and chicken." Pride and Prejudice chapter 18.

Our Netherfield Ball will include elegant Regency-inspired refreshments and much better company, however, no cold ham and chicken.

Elizabeth Bennett prepares carefully for the ball in Pride and Prejudice.

"She had dressed with more than usual care..." Pride and Prejudice chapter 18.

While Regency attire will be admired, it is not required. Dancers are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Of course, if you require accessories for your Regency wear, you can visit one of the vendors who will be attending the ball. Feathers, pins, and jewelry will all be available along with information on the War of 1812 re-enactors.

The Vendors' Tent

Whether you are an experienced dancer or someone who would like to learn to dance like Jane Austen, please join us at the Netherfield Ball. Perhaps Sir William Lucas said it best.

"There is nothing like dancing after all. -- I consider it as one of the first refinements of polished societies." Pride and Prejudice chapter 6.

Of Rocks and Men

Mt. Rainier from Skyline Trail, Paradise Visitor Center

"What are men to rocks and mountains?" 

Pride and Prejudice chapter 27

Funny how the minds of Jane Austen fans can work in the same directions.

Recently, Sara Emsley posted a nice blog entitle "What are Men to Rocks and Mountains" with some great pictures from Alberta, Canada. Clearly, she was inspired by the scenery to think about the quote from Pride and Prejudice. I had the same experience hiking on Mt. Rainier near Seattle, Washington last week. As I looked over the rocky snow-draped mountain and the glacier-strewn boulders I, too, couldn’t help but think of Jane Austen’s words.

“No scheme could have been more agreeable to Elizabeth, and her acceptance of the invitation was most ready and grateful. "My dear, dear aunt," she rapturously cried, "what delight! what felicity! You give me fresh life and vigour. Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains? Oh! what hours of transport we shall spend! And when we do return, it shall not be like other travellers, without being able to give one accurate idea of any thing. We will know where we have gone -- we will recollect what we have seen. Lakes, mountains, and rivers shall not be jumbled together in our imaginations; nor, when we attempt to describe any particular scene, will we begin quarrelling about its relative situation. Let our first effusions be less insupportable than those of the generality of travellers." Pride and Prejudice chapter 27

Elizabeth Bennet speaks these words at a particularly difficult time. Her best friend Charlotte has just married a man Elizabeth feels is ridiculous. Mr. Bingley has just jilted her favorite sister.  She has finally been rid of the proud Mr. Darcy, who had the nerve to find her to be just “tolerable”. Finally, she has recently learned that her friend Mr. Wickham has withdrawn his preference toward her in favor of an heiress, although Elizabeth is kinder toward Mr. Wickham than she is toward Mr. Bingley.

In he midst of the gloom, Elizabeth is invited on a summer tour with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. Surely the opportunity to find some certainty in her life leads her to welcome such a trip.

But it is not to be. While her perceptions of rocks and mountains may be fixed, Elizabeth Bennet will return from the trip with every perception of the men in the story overturned. She will come to question and finally fully reverse her perceptions of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham. As she tells Jane:

"You never will be able to make both of them good for any thing. Take your choice, but you must be satisfied with only one. There is but such a quantity of merit between them; just enough to make one good sort of man; and of late it has been shifting about pretty much. For my part, I am inclined to believe it all Mr. Darcy's, but you shall do as you chuse." Pride and Prejudice chapter 40

Elizabeth’s vision of rocks and mountains may not shift, but her perception of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham certainly does. Sometimes when we search for certainty, it’s just not there, but the rocks and mountains are still awe-inspiring.

Here’s the view on Mt. Rainier.

The rocks: Nisqually Creek with cloud-shrouded Mt. Rainier behind

The mountains: Tatoosh Range from Paradise Visitor Center

Narada Falls on the road to Mt. Rainier

Mountain stream, Skyline Trail, Paradise Visitor Center

Sub-alpine meadow

 

Old growth forest at the base of Mt. Rainier