Bringing Austen to Life: Dancing Through Time- A Jane Austen Festival Experience
- Mya Ballou
- Nov 12, 2025
- 3 min read
Perhaps one of the most striking things to me about Jane Austen is the devoted, global community her work continues to inspire. I witnessed that devotion firsthand during the 250th-birthday celebration of this remarkable novelist, hosted by the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England.
When I stepped off the train in Bath, it immediately felt as though I’d slipped back two centuries. Everywhere I looked, women glided by in flowing Regency dresses and bonneted heads as they fanned themselves gracefully. The men, in tailcoats, top hats, and pocket watches strolled the cobblestone streets, perfectly fitting into the cobblestone streets and Georgian architecture that is such a big part of Bath.
My first stop was the Jane Austen Centre, where we learned about Austen’s family history and what her daily life would have been like while living in Bath. The staff, all in character and full costume, brought the past to life. Our guide, who was playing none other than Mr. Wickham, was hilarious, joking that he was a “changed man” who had even been to therapy.
Trying on period-accurate outfits was the highlight of that visit. This was such a special experience and made me feel less like a tourist and more like I was truly a part of the Jane Austen experience. Afterward, we explored the city and met many wonderful people, including Adrian Lukis who played Mr. Wickham in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
Later that day we attended a lecture titled Seeing and Being Seen in Bath. The speaker, John White from Select Society, dressed head-to-toe in Regency attire, spoke as if he truly lived in the early 1800s. He described the intricate social codes, daily routines, and expectations of Bath’s fashionable residents during Austen’s time. I learned that even a simple stroll along the famed Royal Crescent required careful choreography: ladies were expected to acknowledge acquaintances with a precise nod, while a misplaced bow or an overfamiliar greeting could spark a flurry of gossip by evening.
That night, although we didn’t have tickets to the grand ball, we joined other onlookers outside the Assembly Rooms and watched through tall windows as dancers twirled to elegant country tunes. We ended up dancing right there in the street, laughing and spinning to the faint sound of the music inside. It really made me understand why people in this time loved a good country dance so much, and for a few moments I felt as if I were truly part of Austen’s world, a character swept up in the music rather than a modern visitor peeking in from the outside.
The next morning began with a tour of the ancient Roman Baths and a visit to Bath Abbey. We also went to the Royal Crescent and went to the gift shop to get some Austen-themed souvenirs. Later we listened to a fascinating lecture on the major and minor characters across Austen’s novels. The speaker, John Mullan, compared personalities and relationships across different books, giving me a deeper appreciation for Austen’s subtle social satire. Such as how the quietly observant Anne Elliot in Persuasion and the outspoken Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice each navigate family pressures and class expectations in their own way, exposing how women of very different temperaments still face the same social constraints.
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