Chris Oswald, chair of the Hampshire Regency Dancers, holds up a period costume he made during a dance practice session of Hampshire Regency Dancers in Winchester, England, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)

LONDON (AP) — 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 s

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