LONDON | Ellie Potts goes dancing with her friends most weeks. They don’t put on the latest Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran, though — they much prefer English country dances that were popular more than 200 years ago.

As the music starts, about two dozen men and women curtsy and bow, extend a gloved hand to their partner, before dancing in circles or skipping in elaborate patterns around each other.

Like many of her fellow Hampshire Regency Dancers, Potts is a devotee of Jane Austen and all things from the Regency period. Not only have they studied the books and watched all the screen adaptations — they also research the music, make their own period dresses, and immerse themselves in dances Austen and her characters would have enjoyed in centuries past.

“I’ve been interested in Jane Austen s

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