# Modern Dancing/Chapter 6

THE SINGLE STEP, OR LES À-CÔTE
VI
THE TANGO BRÉSILIENNE, OR MAXIXE—THE TWO STEP—LES À-CÔTE—THE SKATING STEP
The Maxixe Brésilienne is, up to the time of writing this, the latest modern dance. There is only one great question to be decided, and that is how do you pronounce the name. Should it be pronounced Maxeks, Maxesse, Mattcheche, or Mattchsche? I know how to do the dance, but the name I have not yet quite mastered. I only know that nearly all the South American pieces of music have "Tango Brésilien" written on them, and a few have the mystic word "Maxixe." The Brazilians themselves pronounce the word Mashish, with a slight accent in the second syllable.
But the dance, which is the main thing, is beautiful, and, like most beautiful dances, requires a considerable amount of grace. The steps themselves are not difficult; on the contrary, they are childishly simple; it is the easiest dance of all to do, and I think the hardest of all to do well. My advice to the beginner is to start by being very conservative about it. Get the steps and ​figures so that you do not have to think about them, and acquaint yourself with the music and rhythm of the dance; after this you may sway the body and try to be graceful. If you feel easy and graceful, you probably are; but if you feel stiff or awkward, go back to the way you first learned and do the dance simply and plainly. For, let me assure you, this dance, with all its bends and swaying, will make a woman appear very attractive or very ridiculous. Done simply, it is like the Tango, Two Step, or any other good dance, and everybody who can dance at all can dance them.
I am dividing the dance up into figures to simplify matters, but after they are learned it does not follow that you have to adhere to this notation. The Maxixe is like any other dance—you do the steps as they occur to you. Personally, I don't think any steps should have names, but I know that the majority disagree with me, so I am giving them the names they usually go by in France and America.
FIRST STEP—THE TWO STEP
SKATING STEP
SINGLE STEP
THE MAXIXE
We will suppose, now, that you are doing a Two Step, which must be done quietly, and turning as much as possible.
SECOND STEP—THE SINGLE. LES À-CÔTE
THE SINGLE STEP, OR LES À-CÔTE
THE SKATING STEP, OR LE CORTA JACA
THE SKATING STEP (BEFORE THE DIP)
THE SKATING STEP (THE DIP) This photo was taken in action and was not posed; it illustrates the dip in "Skating."
THE BACK TWO STEP
THE BACK TWO STEP
THE TURN
THE TURN The lady turns to the right, facing her partner.
AFTER THE TURN
BACK TWO STEP
TWO STEP
THE MAXIXE
THE SKATING STEP ELABORATED
A very pretty addition to the Skating Step is when the couples turn around, change position, and continue dancing in the same direction. It sounds rather complicated, but it is not so at all. Let us imagine we are doing the Skating Step; the man is on the lady's left-hand side; now, to make the turn he leads the lady as though he were going into the Single, but instead of doing so they both two-step around and continue in the same direction. It is absolutely essential that the gentleman hold the lady very loosely, otherwise they will surely go into the Back Two Step, but if they are apart from each other when they turn it will have the effect of leaving the man on the lady's right instead of her left. To go back again to the original position, the man, when he is about to step with his left foot, must do so behind the lady, so as to take him to his correct side.
The steps I have explained so far are all that belong to the original version of the Maxixe. There are all kinds of fancy steps, but unless you are dancing for exhibition I do not advise you to try them in the ball-room; and, as it is the aim of this little book to teach the ball-room dances, I shall make no attempt to explain how you should ​boost your partner up in the air on one knee without the aid of a net.
A GOOD ROTATION OF MAXIXE STEPS
While I do not advise a fixed order of steps for any ball-room dance, I feel that in the Maxixe it will make it a great deal more interesting for beginners to know what they are going to do; and after they are used to the dance it will be an easy matter to lead a partner into any steps the dancer may fancy. The following is more or less the rotation of steps as I teach them to my pupils:
MAXIXE ROTATION
| 1st. | Commence by Walking. |
| 2d. | Two Step. |
| 3d. | Single (change hands in Single). |
| 4th. | Skating. |
| 5th. | Single (lady's back to gentleman). |
| 6th. | Turn (lady turns facing gentleman). |
| 7th. | Two Step (same as 2d). |
| 8th. | Single (change hands). |
| 9th. | Skating Steps elaborated. |
| 10th. | Back Two Step. |
| 11th. | Single and Turn. |
| 12th. | Two Step (bring hands in semicircle). |
| | Commence and dance again—ad lib. |
THE TURN
CHANGING HANDS
THE MAXIXE
THE HALF AND HALF While dancing side by side the dancers are on opposite feet.
THE HALF AND HALF
There is little or no difficulty about this dance except the time, and that is a little difficult because it is entirely new to dancing. It is 5/4 time, which means there are five beats to the bar. In Waltz time there are six, and you usually count 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3; but in the Half and Half you count 1, 2, 3, 1, 2.
THE HALF AND HALF One of the positions in the Half and Half.
THE HALF AND HALF The Eight Step is just as effective in the Half and Half as in the Tango.
The steps you can do in this dance are unlimited. For instance, the gentleman can turn the lady so that she is going in the same direction as he is, and they can do the Eight Step—of course, always keeping the 1, 2, 3, 1, 2 time.
If you wish to spin you must do so on the slow step, continuing forward on the last two counts.
All of the modern Waltz or Hesitation steps fit in delightfully after one has caught the rhythm.
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