11. Dancing. The steps were elegant or joyful, the movements refined. And the eye contact. Oh, my blushing cheeks. You can slow dance all you want. Give me a few moments in a set with a Regency gentleman gazing at me in appreciation. Can you hear my heart beating faster? 
12. Shopping. We shop. We flock to malls and wander along eying the displays. Ever notice that a lot of it looks the same? In the nineteenth century, virtually everything was made by hand. Oh, machine looms were starting to make stockings mechanically, displacing hundreds of workers, but, in general, if you wanted a new dress, someone had to take your measurements, design it, cut it from fabric you’d chosen, and sew it by hand just for you. Same with shoes, gloves, jewelry, fans, bonnets, and hats. Now there you could certainly make a fashion statement all your own! Everything was a designer original!
13. Candlelight. Florescent lights are energy efficient, but they make me look pale and sickly. Candlelight provides a golden glow that flatters almost everyone. Even today we think of it as warm and inviting. We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with candles. Romantic dinners for two are often bathed in candlelight. Can you imagine dancing under crystal chandeliers alight with over 1,000 candles? Well, okay, I do like fire extinguishers too and air conditioning. Very handy. What about you?
3 comments:
Oh the dancing! I love to read about dances, and to watch them in period pieces.
Best of all, I may get a chance later this year to take part in a Regency dance lesson! Now I just have to find out what to wear...
I would love to learn how to dance the way they did in the 19th century. It would be fun and also elegant.
Evan S.
Lana, hope you get that chance! When the Beau Monde, the Regency chapter of Romance Writers of America, holds its annual soiree, I usually spend my entire time on the dance floor. It's so much fun!
Evan, if you google Regency and dance or period dance, you might find a group in your area where you can learn. Contra dancing is also very similar, and there are lots of groups for that. You can also sometimes find a Regency dance at a science fiction convention. I've been to several of those. And you think it's fun dancing with a nineteenth-century gentleman? Try dancing with a Klingon. :-)
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