Inside a modern-day Jane Austen ball in the Chicago area

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single fan in possession of a passion for the novelist Jane Austen, must be in want of a way to celebrate her 250th birthday.

And so I went. The Chicago region is home to many events honoring the beloved British author this week — from trivia at bookstores to film screenings at libraries. But it was a church gymnasium in Glen Ellyn that beckoned me Saturday with something a little more grand: a Regency ball, complete with live music, period snacks and dancers of all ages in gowns and ribbons.

“In the Regency era, most of the people who were dancing would be under 35,” said Mady Newfield, one of the dance callers. “Most of us are well over 35, but we still intend to be dancing as long as possible.”

This event was organized by Chicagoland English Country Dance, founded by Newfield and Tammy Bretscher. The two friends say they began running English country dances together nearly 20 years ago in a barn on the campus of the Fermilab physics laboratory in Batavia. Now, the west suburban chapter meets almost every other week in the second-floor gym at Grace Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn.

“It has such a community aspect to it,” said Bretscher. “There's all of the eye contact and smiles. It just makes a person feel wonderful.”

Dancing held a special importance in the Regency era, named for the Prince Regent George IV who ruled the United Kingdom in the early 19th century, and in Jane Austen’s novels. Balls were an opportunity for men and women to socialize, and even touch, albeit through gloves.

Newfield said the dances then were designed to include a lot of “standing out,” where couples who were not yet involved in the choreography had time to stand and converse with each other relatively unchaperoned. Some modifications have been made for the modern era.

“Nowadays, when people dance, they want to be dancing,” said Newfield. “So we have adapted some of these things.”

At 7 p.m. Saturday, after a rehearsal earlier in the day, about 40 dancers assembled in their best approximation of Regency-era dress. There were ornate plumed headpieces alongside simple empire-waist frocks stitched from YouTube tutorials in a single day. A string quartet played along to dances like “La Boulangere” or “The Physical Snob,” while the participants – some in dressy flats, others in sneakers or Crocs – skipped across the creaky wood floor in intricate patterns.

This was not the Meryton ball of “Pride and Prejudice,” where “more than one young lady was sitting down in want of a partner.” Here, friends danced with friends, strangers of all genders coupled up and there was no disapproving Mr. Darcy to be seen hugging the sideline and bad-mouthing Elizabeth Bennet.

Then, the partygoers took a break for tea and refreshments. And while a Mr. Collins in attendance might be disappointed by the lack of boiled potatoes, the spread featured historical recipes such as orange cheesecakes and rout cakes.

“Big fan of Jane Austen, and the time period. It’s very fun,” said Maribeth van Loon, while snacking on punch and scones with her husband, Daniel.

“She was able to point out things that were perhaps hypocritical or unjust, but did it in such a humorous and subtle and warm way, that people can appreciate her on many, many levels.”

Jane Austen was born on Dec. 16th, 1775, in Steventon, England. She penned six full-length novels (including “Persuasion” and “Emma”), plus several shorter or unfinished works. However, she acquired little fame and no fortune during her short lifetime. The title page of her first published book, “Sense and Sensibility,” was simply inscribed: “By A Lady.”

Now, it is estimated that more than 20 million copies of “Pride and Prejudice” have sold worldwide. Austen’s writing has also inspired countless adaptations, from faithful BBC miniseries to “Clueless” to “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.”

Full disclosure: I count myself among the Jane Austen superfans. I even sometimes perform with Improvised Jane Austen, an ensemble that improvises hour-long historical rom-coms Saturdays at iO Theater.

Readers like me return to her novels again and again for their wit, their ridiculous and charming characters, and their frank discussions of gender and class restrictions. In Austen, true love is possible, but the realities of Regency society are never far out of frame.

And several attendees of Saturday’s ball, like Shafinaz Ahmed, find Austen to be just as relevant as she was two centuries ago.

“I don't think the situation for women has particularly changed, right?” said Ahmed. “We're still constricted by societal norms. We try really hard to break from them. And I think that is the tale as old as time.”