BACDS' 1726 Ball
A Choice Selection of Country Dances from the Year 1726
Historical English country dancing for modern feet
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Albany Veterans Memorial Building,
1325 Portland Ave,
Albany, CA
Dancing 6:45p–10:00p
EXPERIENCED DANCERS ONLY*
This Ball is for connoisseurs of early Eighteenth century dance drawn from the Neal collection and other dance publications of the year 1726. The entire program is drawn from dances published in that year, many of them appearing for the first time. Fans of Andrew Shaw’s reconstructions, attendees of New London Assembly, and everyone ready to celebrate 300 years of delicious English country dances are sure to enjoy this excellent program.
Make it a weekend! In addition to the ball there will be a Friday night dance for all called by Kalia which will include previews of the more challenging ball dances, and a Sunday afternoon dance in Petaluma on October 18 called by Rachel Pusey and Dilip Sequeria from Seattle. Some hospitality can be provided for out of town guests, and we very much hope that you will plan to join us for this very special event.
We will use positional calling at all the three events. At the Ball, costumes and formal attire will be admired, but not required. Friday night and Sunday afternoon dances will be a mix of historic and modern dances.
Dance Leaders: Kalia Kliban, Sharon Green, Mary Luckhardt.
Music by: Judy Linsenberg (recorders), Robert Mealy (violin), David Morris (cello/gamba), Katherine Heater (harpsichord).
*Experience: The 1726 Ball is for experienced English Country Dancers, so instruction will be streamlined. We expect dancers attending this ball to be completely comfortable with heys for three and four, double figure eights, and triple minor progression. They should also be able to maintain their sense of orientation within the set. This is not the time to bring your friends who are new to English country dancing. At the ball there will be one walkthrough, with prompting only as needed.