Playford to the Present Ball

This weekend for the first time ever we bravely decided that we were good enough dancers to attend the esteemed Playford to the Present Ball in Pasadena, CA. In the past we've always felt inadequate to attend this ball, because the dances are not taught there and the caller only calls the first round or two and then leaves you on your own. I'm so glad that he does this, because it is just magical when suddenly you realize the whole room is dancing in unison to the music. Below is a group photo of our friends that we regularly dance with in Anaheim.

You might be wondering why there are people in different era costumes and why the ball is called the Playford to the Present. Well the ball is named after John Playford, he was the first person to write down all the different English country dances in a book called The English Dancing Master back in 1651. Therefore all of our dances extend from that time period forward, and so did our clothing.

I tried mixing and matching my new gold open gown (you can see how I made it here) with my favorite blue silk embroidery gown (here). Ben wore his naval lieutenant coat and looked dashing as always.

Of course I had to get a picture with my best friend Rebekah. I love that this is the first gown she ever made and it still looks fabulous!

Got to show off our fluff in the back...

Someone decided to take a picture of all the people in the color blue, guess who was included!

And then green too!

I only sat out a few dances and I recorded one of them for you to enjoy! Here is Footprints in the Sand:

This was such an amazing ball to attend with such fabulous dancers. Now of course most balls have calling instructions all the way through so beginners are more able to follow along. But of course with enough practice you don't need that anymore, and this was such a treat!

Did you know there are English Country Groups all around the world? We have friends that just came back from traveling in Europe where they attended balls! It is so much fun, you should give it a try!