Whether you’re attending a Regency Ball or just cantering around your kitchen to the theme from Pride and Prejudice, there’s much to learn. Here’s how to get started…

First thing’s first, some acclimatisation…

Your partner is the person opposite you, your neighbour is the person next to you, the corners are the people either side of your partner, and the caller is the person up on stage telling you who to dance with and how. Still with us? Good.

In terms of the room, the ‘top’ is the end near the band and the ‘bottom’ is the other end. The men’s side and ladies’ side are hopefully self-explanatory. You dance in ‘sets’, most commonly either a ‘longways set’ where there are two lines of couples and you dance as a group of four and change sets each dance, or a ‘three-couple’ set where you dance as a group of six and remain in that set for the whole thing.

Now. Are you dancing? (Yes, we are asking - in a polite Regency way, of course)

There are endless dances and dance steps to learn. At most balls these days, the caller will talk you through everything so there’s no need to panic. However, if you want a head start, these are a few steps you could learn.

Honours

Before a dance starts, and at the end, ladies curtsey to gentlemen and gentlemen bow.

Set

A small, bouncing step almost on the spot to the right and then the left.

Hey

The top dancer looks down the set to dancers two and three who look up and they weave among themselves, creating a figure of eight on the dancefloor.

Petronella

An anti-clockwise turn during which the dancer moves from their line to the adjacent side of the set to their left.

Poussette

Partners hold both of each other’s hands and move up and down the set moving in an anti-clockwise direction.

Go down/Go up

Move away from or towards the top of the set.