The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1872-10-16


to select them for arbiters in public
matters This temporary excitemen
liberation, we were going to say
soon died away.
The first converts TO Christianity
being still imbued with their pagan
customs, introduced dancing into their
new form of worship. Large com
panies of men and women were in
the habit of going out into the des-
erts to participate in religious cere-
monies, which mainly consisted Oi
wild fantastic dances. These having
in time become rather too liccntiOus,
We're prohibited by the ecclesiastical
authorities, and dancing once more
fell into disrcputc.
The exact date Of its revival is not
known, but it seemed TO have come
into favor at the time Of the mar
riage of Isabel of Arragon to Ga
leazzo, the Duke of Milan. Gather
inc de Medici was the first to bring
ballets and balls into fashion. and
thenceforth their popularity steadily
increased, and dancing became re-
fined pastime Ia 1861, Louis XIV
founded an academy of dancing, the
members of which, thirteen in num-
Der, We're selected from among the
best dancers in the kingdom Until
the year l772, ballet dancers never
appeared On the stage without being
masked. After leave mad been given
them once or twice to appear on spe-
cial occasions without their masks.
they were finally allowed to discard
them entirely. In connection with
this, it may not be amiss to state that
women were, for long while, exclud-
ed from the ballet, and the first who
ventured upon the stage in the ca
paeity Of dancers, were regarded with
contempt
The dances of the various nations
of ;he civilized world are generally
typical of the predominant traits of
character and emotional dispositions
Of the natives. More particularly is
this noticeable in southern countries,
where pantomime is 50 frequently the
eloquent language of the passions
In Spain the dances are both spirited
and voluptuous; they are seldom sub
jected to the rules of the art, and are
more impulsiye than studied. Each
province, we might almost say each
town, has its local and favorite dance.
In Catalonia and Arragon, it is the
jota; in Andalusia, a lively and
sprightly dance, called the Andalu-
sian; at Cordova, it is a sort of Moor
ish dance, than which nothing can be
more graceful, performed as it is in
the midst of luxuriant groves of lau-
rel aud orange trees. The national
dance of Spain is, however, the fan
dango. which is, in a measure, COM
bination of all the others. At one
time, a consistory Of the Church of
Rome had assembled with the inten-
ton of prohibiting and censuring this
dance, but the clerical gentlemen ap-
pointed as judges and arbiters were
so fascinated and electrified by the
various figures, that they uncon-
sciously began to dance themselves,
and were therefore unable to pro-
uounce against it. Dancing is no
less popular it Italy The celebrated
tarantella is essentially Neapolitan,
and its name was derived, is is said.
from the tarantula, the people gener-
ally believing that the venomous
sting Of this spider was cured by this
lively dance. The saltarello and Sicil-
ian predominant in the environs of
Rome.
Warm climates seem to be natural
" productive of and the most favor
able to the best singers and dancers
There alone can be found that glow
and vivaeity, that impetuousness and
enthusiasm which can hardly ever be
equalled in northern climes. In Rus
sia, for instance, dancing is quite as
common a pastime as in either Spain
or Italy. But how vast the differ
ence! The Russian peasants dance
is heavy, listless, and oftentimes de-
void of gracefulness. He merely
sways to and fro to the monotonous
music of the balaleica, long guitar,
whose notes are frequently drowned
by the shouts and songs of the by
ISLANDERS. The dance of the Cos
sacks is nothing but noisy tramp,
or condensed stamping of the feet,
digniied with the euphonious names !
of koppak, tropak and kastaehok.-I
But the court dance is the polonaise,
Of Polish origin, as indicated by its |
name. 1t is merely measured PROM |
enade or march, afording the very
best opportunity for conversation, and 1
is at once graceful and unconstrained,
while the strictest etiquette may be
The redowa, mazourka
and varsoviana are all Polish dances. /
Great Britain, France and Ger
many have each been the birthplace
IF quitea number of special or fancy
iances, but at the present day there
s really no national dancing, and the
same style prevails in all countries,
1t least in good society The jig and
dance are purely English,
While the reel is Enthusiastically of
Scotch origin The minuet-so call
ID because of the short step (menus
,as) taken in the different figures
originated in the old French province
# Potion, and was afterwards intro
luced by the Marquis de Flanmarens
nto England, where it long remain
d in great favor. and deservedly, for
t was a dignified and graceful dance.
The garotte, which has recently come
nto fashion here as fancy dance,
vas tripped centuries ago, by the
,easant girls, in the gavats' country,
small, mountainous locality in the
Ieighborhood of Gap, in the south of
france.
The ever delightful waltz, contrary
o general belief, is not Of German
rigan Itwas extremely popular in :
france towards the thirteenth and ;
ourteenth centuries, aad became .
nown in Germany only after that ,.
eriod. Its popularity was soon es-
ablished in all countries, despite of {
be prejudiees and objections raised
gainst it. The polka was brought
80, tbo roracta ,f I!,ro.a.,- =. ION