Hanna Q Dance Company brings Regency era to life

On March 20, the Hanna Q Dance Company turned St. Patrick’s Hall into a Regency-era ballroom. In typical Johanna LjungQvist-Brinson fashion, she had attended to every detail to turn the evening into a dance celebration of the Regency era. The audience was asked to come in Bridgerton-style (after the popular Netflix series set in early 19th-century London) outfits. That meant high waisted floor-length dresses for the women with opera length gloves. Maria Cirillo-Lein even had a dance card hanging from her wrist. Many of the men wore long jackets with embroidered fronts and cravats. There was excitement in the air as people walked around admiring each other’s outfits and feeling the Bridgerton vibe.

A celebration of spring

Since the evening also celebrated the Vernal Equinox, LjungQvist-Brinson made sure that in addition to the dinner, there was also a salad with a hard-boiled egg for every plate to symbolize the celebration of the change of seasons.

The Hanna Q dancers celebrated the Vernal Equinox theme from Aztec and Mayan myths and tradition where the sun creates a shadow illusion of a serpent. The first dance they performed was “Spring has Sprung “ which symbolized the rebirth of Nature after the long winter is gone. Dancer Madeline Anderson slithered across the stage in a brilliant green costume personifying a snake in a pas de deux with William Feldon. The next dance, “A Day in the Park” was a Bridgerton-style performance, and last there was a “Passionate Waltz Rendezvous “ in the dramatic style of Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. The other dancers were Giorgia Picano, Abigail Haugh, and Facundo Ferreyra.

A nod to history

After the Hanna Q dancers, Steven Bloomer-Teague performed a medley of songs which totally captivated the audience. Following him was Liz Steen’s interpretation of a Fanny Dimmick soliloquy written by Lori Strelecki. Fanny Dimmick owned and managed the Dimmick Inn of Milford for more than forty years in the 1800s. Lori Strelecki heads the Columns Museum of the Pike County Historical Society in Milford.

Then it was historical dance time. LjungQvist-Brinson had choreographed some dances for audience participation. She had previously taught these steps in two free workshops, but gave a refresher lesson here. “Dancing together is a healthy, fun activity and we connect socially, in person, which is very important for our wellbeing and happiness,” she said.

It was an amazing sight to see local people in full Bridgerton dress happily dancing to the authentic music of the era.

Praise for the event

In talking about the evening, Amy Litzenberger summarized it like this, “Hanna Q brings world class dance performances to Milford. The choreography and the dancers just get better and better. The singing was amazing and it was great to get up and try to replicate the historical dances”

“I could tell from the looks in everyone’s eyes and the smiles on their faces that they enjoyed dancing together. The laughter and giggles were wonderful to hear and said it all,” LjungQvist-Brinson said. It was a joyous evening.