Trying a Georgian Dance Class
2nd November 2025 - New Experience Number 20.
Trying a Georgian dance class (from the era, not the country) is a wonderful way of bringing history right off the pages and straight to your feet.
A friend of mine had recently had a big birthday, and as a way of celebrating the milestone I took her to a dance class that neither of us had ever experienced before.
Ticking off another of my 52 new things in the year, here’s how we got on, and how you can try it too.
The Georgian Era
I feel that I should clarify that this was a dance class from the Georgian era, and not from the country, Georgia – although maybe that will be another new experience for another day?
This isn’t a history blog, but I thought I’d delve a little into the era for context.
The years between 1714 and 1837 are known as the Georgian period, and it was a time when Great Britain was building an identity for itself.
In 1707, the union of the English and Scottish kingdoms had seen the creation of Great Britain. Following this, and to celebrate the new entity;
- a new anthem was written, (Rule Britannia in 1740),
- the world’s first free, national, public museum was founded (the British Museum in 1753),
- and a globally recognised general-knowledge reference was first published (Encyclopædia Britannica in 1768).
It was also a time when cultural activities were held in extremely high regard by the upper classes. The arts were allowed to flourish, with an abundance of poets, painters, musicians and architects all making their mark. During our dance class we were going to bring a small part of it back to life.
Georgian Dance On The Screen
If you’ve ever watched Bridgerton, Pride and Prejudice, or many of the other TV shows and films that have brought the Georgian era to life on the screen, you might have been swept up in the grandeur of the period.
Large halls festooned with grandiose decoration and opulent furnishings provide the extravagant backdrop for many dance scenes, as ladies in luxurious dresses with wide skirts swish between partners.
There’s something intoxicatingly inviting about these occasions, and whilst I wouldn’t be wearing a fancy frock, I was hoping we might capture a tiny essence of the bygone events.
The Perfect Venue For Trying A Georgian Dance Class
York city centre is a jigsaw of history with evidence of many different eras slotting in next to each other.
Overlooking St Helen’s Square, with views of the iconic York Minster sitting just a few streets beyond, our Georgian dance class took place in York Mansion House.
Built in the early 1700s, this striking Georgian House was purpose built for the Lord Mayor, and has been occupied by numerous people holding the position since.
It’s now also a visitor attraction and events space, making it the perfect location for our Georgian dance class.
Dancing In The State Room
The magnificent State Room feels unquestionably grand as you enter on the plush red carpet.
Walls are painted a vibrant green with gold detailing on the ornamental relief. Large portraits hang purposefully and your eyes are drawn upwards to the balcony overlooking the room.
It’s not hard to lose yourself imagining the lavish dinners and dances gone by.
Learning The Steps - Trying A Georgian Dance Class
After the briefest of introductions, we were straight into proceedings.
Of the 8 participants, there was only myself and Jenny who had never been to the dance before. This gave us a great advantage as we had six other people to learn from!
We began each routine walking through a couple of steps, and then dancing them to music. Then we walked through the next few steps before dancing those to music. Once we’d learnt all of the movements in the sequence, we pieced it all together.
Dancing To Music
Walking the steps through was one thing. Putting them to music was another.
As our teacher pressed play, there was something about moving to music which made us stand that little straighter and add a little finesse to our finishes.
Whilst the music was mostly quiet and gentle, one routine in particular sped up.
There was a whole section where the tempo increased and we had to hot foot it around the room to complete the movements to be back in the right position at the right time for the next part.
A Gentle Mind And Body Workout
It was a gentle workout for the body, and a good challenge for the mind as we tried to remember the instructions in the right order. Aside from adding in an extra spin, and forgetting which side we were meant to cross on, I think we did pretty well!
Thankfully there were only ever around 8 parts of a routine to remember, which were then repeated, so my brain wasn’t entirely frazzled by the end of it.
Finding The Patterns - Trying A Georgian Dance Class
Trying to remember the steps as a sequence of fluid patterns, helped a tiny bit in remembering the order of the instructions.
I like to imagine that if you were stood on the balcony looking down on us whilst we performed the routine, it would be like watching the patterns in a kaleidoscope seamlessly change with each twist. Although in reality we probably looked a lot more haphazard.
A brilliant teacher
Our teacher was very relaxed and encouraging, and had had the interesting challenge of interpreting the limited written instructions for the dances from the era.
Somehow, she had managed to turn the words into actual steps, and had made it easy for us to pick them up, and move fairly gracefully around the room as we recreated dances some of our very distant relatives may have done.
Why I Enjoyed Trying A Georgian Dance Class
Trying a Georgian dance class was a joyful reminder that stepping outside of our comfort zone doesn’t have to be daunting to be rewarding.
In just one hour, we’d learnt something new, moved our bodies, challenged our minds, and brought a small piece of history back to life.
It was friendly, welcoming, and far less intimidating than you might imagine — proof that new experiences don’t need to be extreme to be memorable.
Sometimes, all it takes is saying yes to something unfamiliar to discover just how much you’re capable of.
Want To Try It Yourself?
- To try the Georgian dance class that we went to, take a look at the York Mansion House website. Classes do not run all throughout the year, so take a look at the what’s on pages where future dates will be available for booking.
- Our teacher offers a selection of other early dances that you can try if you are in Yorkshire. You can visit the Dance The Past website to find out more.
- You can also find dance societies across the UK and beyond that offer workshops in early dances. Click to find out more about The Historical Dance Society.
Cost Of Experience
- It cost us £6 each for the hour dance class. This also gave us access to the Mansion House and we were able to have a look around before the class started.
- Prices will vary depending on the dance teachers and venue.
Recommendations
- Check the class. Our class was very informal and we could wear whatever we liked. It also recommended comfy shoes for the session. It’s worth double checking before you go, just in case there’s some expectation you’ll be in an outfit from the era!
- Take some water. Whilst it isn’t an overly strenuous workout, you might still want to take something to drink with you.
- Embrace imperfection. If you’ve done any sort of dancing before, you might find a bit of muscle memory kicks in, but don’t worry if you don’t quite get the steps right at first – it’ll come with practice.
- Don’t forget to take some pictures. Capture your new experience if you give it a go, and please do let me know if you try a Georgian dance class!