Join Chicagoland English Country Dance for a Regency Ball in honor of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.

2:30 to 4:30 PM – Afternoon ball prep dance to recorded music, with tea and light refreshments

4:30 to 7:00 PM – Supper break (on your own), dressing time (dressing rooms provided)

7:00 to 10:00 PM – Evening ball with live music and period refreshments

Historical dress is admired, but not required.

Live music

with Mary Vanhoozer and Cosmic Otters
Jonathan Whitall and Meg Dedolph

Location:

Grace Lutheran Church, 493 Forest Ave., Glen Ellyn IL 60137

More information on the location here

Previous dance experience not required but attending the afternoon practice is strongly suggested. Come with or without a partner.

Basic Admission: $20 — Supporter Admission $30

Printable flyer (2 per page)

Register through Zeffy here. Space is limited.

(Please note that registrants must agree to our conditions.)

Performer bios:

Mary Vanhoozer

Multi-instrumentalist Mary Vanhoozer grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she learned to play the Scottish fiddle and developed an enduring love of folk music. Traditional noëls from southern France played an equally formative role as they introduced her to the hurdy gurdy. Since acquiring her first hurdy gurdy in 2017, she has explored and performed a variety of repertoire, including Bal Folk, French baroque, renaissance dance music of France, Germany, and England, and English Country Dances. A member of the critically acclaimed Ciaramella Ensemble, she has performed at the San Francisco Early Music Society as well as a live broadcast on KUSC radio, Los Angeles. Mary has produced two albums featuring selections from John Playford’s Dancing Master for hurdy gurdy. She holds degrees in piano performance from Wheaton College Conservatory (B.M.), the Eastman School of Music (M.M.), and the Cleveland Institute of Music (D.M.A).

Jonathan Whitall

Jonathan Whitall is sought after for his versatility as a folk dance musician in multiple genres. Originally from Pittsburgh, where he grew up studying classical piano and violin, he has since learned thousands of tunes and regularly plays for contra dances, English country dances, Irish set dances, Scottish ceilidhs, and French balfolk. When not on the fiddle, he brings intricate, energetic and tasteful accompaniment.

Meg Dedolph

Meg Dedolph is a dance caller, musician, and organizer in the Chicago area. She plays guitar and drums with the contra dance bands Big Brandy, and the Cosmic Otters, and helps organize the monthly all-ages barn dances run by the Fox Valley Folklore Society. She is a guest caller at contra dances in and around the Chicago area. She dances with Pullman Morris and Sword and Braintrust Morris, and is vice president-elect of the Country Dance and Song Society Board of Directors. She is frequently on staff at Lloyd Shaw Foundation and CDSS camps and is on the organizing committee for Terpsichore’s Dance Holiday. In her free time, Meg teaches Wiggleworms classes for the Old Town School of Folk Music and works at a local yarn shop.