Chapter 27: Dancing Lessons
An open-source illustration of the First Quadrille at Almack's. This was introduced to society in 1805 by Miss Berry. Via the Duke of Devonshire, the dance became fashionable in 1813.
One major area was dancing. Dancing was a very formal affair during the Regency. There were many rules that had to be strictly observed. Regarding clothing; for example, no gentleman should enter the room with a whole or half-boots. No gentleman should enter with sticks or canes. Pantaloons are not a proper dress for dancing, knee breeches and stockings were. That is for men.
This next rule did cause Old Slippery much vexation. His eyes started to go red, always a dangerous sign. Luckily Sid, or the Chief Detective Inspector and his sister Dr. Amelia Smith, were present to calm him down during these rehearsal and recording sessions. They had to be.
Basically, there should be no noises, directions, clapping, calling out, etc. The director, technicians, and producers found it nigh impossible to stop intervening.
Old Slippery would demonstrate a move and the individual or dance couple would be expected to copy him exactly. He was the one that counted out time on his stick. Old Slippery quickly found out who the good students were and the 'slow learners' were, so to speak. The good professor, Professor James Hudson noted, that patience had not been a virtue of the ghost during his life, and it seemed to be the case now. Hard red-eyed glares could result, plus the offending student started to feel a coldness coming all over them. Luckily help was at hand with the good Chief Detective Inspector, Amelia, or Sid, to calm him down and stop a more extreme incident taking place, so to speak. Professor Hudson could also help as he too had the ability to communicate with Old Slippery. He also understood the historical context which was also very helpful.
Old Slippery knew what was required. Most of the ladies really took to this though. There had been a problem with two ladies dancing together in the 18c, however, Old Slippery seemed to have no problem with this now. The ladies, on the whole, were more attentive and were able to concentrate better. It was the gentlemen that Old Slippery had problems with. Those that had expertise with dancing were amazed by the ghost's attention to every detail.
The Minuet must start first.
The Minuet was not an easy dance. There were six steps or measures The couple who was at the front of the row should join and place both feet together. They move their front foot forward. This is for six steps. This is only the start.
Left, right, left. Then the beats were extended out to six beats. Then the heel of the right foot was lifted off the ground. This was alternated, right, and left heel for each of the six beats.
Everybody had now entered the world and time of the Right Hon Jake Horatio Higginbottom. The Old Ghost was also starting to calm down.
He wanted, however, all modern affectations and mannerisms taken out of the dance. Woe betide anyone who made a mistake, no matter how small.
There was another major dance of the Regency period that presented fewer problems. That was the Waltz. This became all the rage for all the Regency dancers. As all the dancers were professionals this did not present any problems as they were very familiar with this dance. However, Old Slippery insisted there would be no exaggerated leaning back during the dance. The gentleman must lightly hold a ladies' waist. However, at the time the Waltz had caused a huge sensation. There was a whole new level of intimacy in this dance. This was quite a shock for society. Couples could look lovingly into each other's eyes as they twirled around the dance floor.
Old Slippery needless to say took full advantage of this. The lady dancers had grown pretty used to the Old Ghost by now. He took each lady individually, to demonstrate the correct way to dance the Waltz. They did find it pretty intimidating to be held this close to Old Slippery. He did transmit a slight warmth across to each lady through his fingers. His old flirtatious skills were still in fine working order as well.
The director and producers were really impressed with the Waltz scenes. There was a magical grandeur to this dance. There was an underlying sexual frisson as well. The flow and swirl of colour across the screen were also very impressive. Actual shots of Old Slippery dancing the Waltz with the young ladies were also seamlessly added to the final cut of the movie. This supercharged the whole dancing sequence.
Slippery was very impressed with the authentic orchestra that was brought along to play. The players, like everyone else, were totally thrown when they first met Old Slippery. However, even though they were specialists in the Regency Period and played on authentic instruments with authentic tuning, they still learnt a lot from the resident ghost. From their costumes to the way they played their instruments, he picked up on the smallest detail.
The director had a reputation as a perfectionist. However, he had to admit that Old Slippery outdid him. Nothing escaped the ghoul.
Again, there were his lightning-like reversals, from flirting with the lady actresses to shooting his red eyes at anyone who erred, in a fraction of a second. The whole production company soon got used to this. Of course, he never tired, which was something else everyone had to get used to.
Old Slippery was really enjoying himself. He was now totally the centre of attention. He was surrounded by lovely young ladies, actresses, he did remember them. He did frequent the theatre and it was not unknown for him to have the odd dalliance with the 'leading ladies' of the time, well any suitable lady for that matter. The Detective Chief Inspector or Sid can stand in to transfer his thoughts. Dr. Amelia Smith also dropped in to help out. Her knowledge of that period also helped no end, because she understood the context. Some, like the main actor and actress, director and producers were pretty sure that Old Slippery was mind reading them. He was.
The original script was being considerably rewritten. A whole new movie was emerging. A scary element had to be still very much part of it. However, the interaction and input from the 'House Ghost', the Highwayman, himself was making a huge difference.
The Friday meetings had been suspended and would only be restored when most of the fuss had died down and the movie crew had finished in the Bull. However, Professor James Hudson would often drop in. He too had a direct line to Old Slippery's mind as he was also a direct descendant. Old Slippery trusted and respected him. New facets and facts about the Regency kept pouring out. Plus other specialists turned up, like dance historians and costume historians, as well as a number of other academics. Professor Hudson could vouch for them so they were allowed to witness what was taking place. Again this experience was invaluable in their academic work.