Details
The date of our next Jane Austen Ball weekend is April 29 & 30, 2023. Save the date! Details of the 2022 Ball are below, to whet your appetite.
Our 14th annual English Country dance weekend in Rochester, NY will take place on April 30 & May 1, 2022. We are thrilled to have booked the internationally known David Millstone as caller, and the exciting English dance trio Alchemy (Karen Axelrod, Rachel Bell & Eric Martin) will work their magic with the music. The weekend includes a practice session, an experienced English dance, and a Sunday afternoon Regency period ball in a roomy, elegant ballroom, with most of the dancers in costumes reminiscent of Jane Austen’s time.
Advanced registration is required; last day to register is April 10, 2022.
Anticipating that most of our dancers will be a bit rusty, the Ball itself will be longer with full walkthroughs and more breaks and the dance selection will be adjusted to the dancer’s energy levels.
COVID precautions
To keep everyone safe, we’ve adopted additional safety procedures:
- Everyone must show proof of full vaccination (as defined by the CDC), even if this proof was shown previously at a Rochester dance event.
- Everyone must show proof of having received a booster shot more than two weeks prior to the date of the event unless the attendee is not yet eligible for a booster.
- Everyone must wear an N95, KN95, or KF94 mask, OR wear a disposable surgical-style mask with a tightly-fitting cloth mask on top of it (fitting snugly around all sides of the face). Cloth masks alone will no longer be considered sufficient protection, nor will surgical masks alone.
We share your frustration with these additional measures, but we would rather err on the side of caution than risk our dancers’ health. We feel that for large dance gatherings, masking will still be prudent on May 1, so we will not relax these masking rules even if conditions improve.
(Thanks to the Historical Tea & Dance Society for developing this policy and allowing us to use it.)
Click here for a printable flyer (with registration form).
Dances will be chosen from the following list:
Click on dance names to see videos. Dance instructions can be found here. Those instructions take priority if the videos differ in interpretation.
Schedule of Events
Sundays, April 10 & 24
1:00-4:00 pm: Ball prep sessions, at Temple Beth El, 139 Winton Rd, Rochester, NY 14610. NOTE: this is a change in both start time and location from our earlier plans. The prep session originally planned for April 3 has been cancelled. $5 per session. Newcomers to English country dancing should attend all Ball prep sessions. We welcome everyone to also attend our usual beginner-friendly evening dance on those days at The First Baptist Church of Rochester, 175 Allens Creek Rd, 14618, at 6:30 PM. Due to COVID restrictions, there will be no potluck in between as in previous years.
Saturday, April 30
1:00-4:00 pm: Ball practice led by David Millstone at First Baptist Church with music by Alchemy, $10;Pay at the door, credit cards accepted.
6:30-9:30 pm: Experienced English dance, at First Baptist. An evening of challenging but rewarding dances and old favorites. Solid familiarity with English country dancing assumed; basic figures will not be taught and walk-throughs will be minimal. Music by Alchemy, dances taught by a cavalcade of regional callers. $20. Pay at the door, credit cards accepted. Open to all with the needed skills — you don’t have to be coming to the Ball. No potluck dinner before hand this year.
Sunday, May 1
11:00 am: Welcome table opens at the Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave., 14607. Changing rooms will be available. Your Ball nametag will give you free admission to the art gallery, open 11 AM to 5 PM.
1:00 -5:00 pm: The Ball, with multiple breaks and boxed refreshments mid-way.
Further details
Registration: Click here to view prices. While registration has closed, the registrar can be reached via e-mail at if questions should arise. Number of dancers at the Ball is capped at 85 to minimize crowding on the dance floor. Registration closed on April 10 to assure getting an accurate number to our caterer.
Contributions:
Weekend admission fees cover about 90% of our expenses. If you would like to make an additional contribution to help defray expenses and to provide assistance to those who need financial help to attend the Jane Austen Ball, click on the Donate button.
Preparation: Dancers should have prior experience with English Country dancing and be at least 17 years old. Even though dances at the Ball are walked through and prompted, we strongly encourage dancers to take advantage of our prep sessions, practices, and the Ball instructions & videos provided on our website. Dancers will give themselves — and their partners — the greatest pleasure if they are familiar with the afternoon’s program before the Ball. A link to the dance instructions can be found above under the table of dance names, or they can be mailed upon request.
Dress: Regency period attire is encouraged but anything formal or dressy is fine. Lisa Brown of Regency Rentals offers rentals of Regency era costumes by appointment. Contact her at to inquire. Lisa’s guides to Regency Ball attire for ladies and gentlemen may also be of interest.
Hospitality: Due to the complications of COVID, we are not offering accommodations with local dancers this year.
Caller
David Millstone
David Millstone started contra dancing with Dudley Laufman in the early 1970s and has been calling dances for more than forty years. His monthly contra dance with the band “Northern Spy” in Norwich, Vermont ran from 1980–2015, making this one of the longest series in New England. David recently served six years as president of the Country Dance and Song Society. An experienced caller of English country dances, he’s been on staff at dance weekends, festivals and weeklong camps from Alaska and Hawaii, Maine to Florida.
He is known for his clear and supportive teaching style, the breadth of his repertoire, his sense of humor, and his ability to pick dances that offer the right level of challenge for all audiences.
Band
Alchemy
Karen Axelrod: piano & accordion, Eric Martin: violin, viola, vocals, Rachel Bell: accordion, vocals
Alchemy is Karen Axelrod, Rachel Bell, and Eric Martin, three dynamic players steeped in traditional English Country Dance and Contra Dance music. Individually, they have performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe. As a trio, their improvisatory style brings a contemporary and innovative feel to both traditional and newly composed tunes and songs.
Alchemy invites the dancers to share in a sublime dance experience ranging from intensely energetic to the kind of exquisite, nuanced beauty that tugs at the heart strings. Click here to listen to some of their music.