Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-10-22
Dancing the CSardaS.

1t must have been nearly o'clock, a late hour
for SO rural spot, when the gypsies, after a
silence of some minutes, began playing a slow.
melancholy air, which | instantly recognized
from the peculiar rhythmic be Hungarian.
Pair by pair the dancers approached the band.
until dense ring was formed close to the music
For Csardas only two people are necessary,
although, as in a waltz, it may be danced by
hundreds. The gentleman holds the lady S
waist by placing hand on either SIDE while her
hands rest on his shoulders, SO that they front
each other, and am told that the rules of the
dance compel them to look each other in
the face. They began moving to and fro in
slow time to wild and melancholy air, the
popularity of the movement being that the
dancers every now and then interrupted their
minuet by sudden milk-maid's curtsey. for
can give no other name to the curious little bob
they performed after every two steps. This
show, quiet movement very much astOnished
me. had always heard the Csardas spoken of
as-something almost savage in its widness and
these people might have been on their way to a
funeral for aught Of animation they evinced
The instruments of the gypsies all seemed to be
bewailing their fate in chorus; the cymbalom
trembled with emotion, the face of the leader Of
the band was so long that l thought he was
meditatng an unusually appalling suicide But
before knew it, the music had changed and
the fun grew fast and furious. The previous
step, or something very like it, was con-
tinued. only sixteen times as fast, so that the
dancers did nothing but bob up and down like
cOrks on stormy sea. They still held each
other, and never moved from the place where
they had taken their stand, for Csardas must
be danced on as small space of ground as pos
sible. Now l understood that one must be a
born Hungarian to dance the Csardas; for
caught sight Of ErZsi, and by slight move
ment was able to watch her evOlutiOns; and
came to the conclusion that an Englishwoman
of her rank would as soon think Of dancing the
Csardas, as it ought to be danced, as of dancing
ballet. Her partner held her little waist
on either side. and every. now and then
twisted or rolled her to and fro between
his hands, and then changed or threw her
from one arm to the other, her hands being
meanwhile upon his shoulders. and she looking
straight into his eyes with a pair of the loye-
liest Orbs that ever bewildered mans senses
They had already been dancing at least for
half an hour, and the bobbing up and down
had lapsed into kind OF continual tremulous
crease ErZsi's partner held her with one
hand, and waved his hand above his head
with shout, caught her in both hands, and
whirled her wildly round and round, let her
with the gesture, as l thought, of q man
going mad executed wonderful double
shuttle with his feet, and then began to whirl
round and round like dervish, she doing the
same, till with one accord they stopped,
and seemed to fling themselves into each
executed continually by dozen couples all
dancing SO close to each other that they fire.
quently touched. and, above, all so close to the
gypsies that q stumble or fall would have
smashed In the cymbaiom, or utterly extermina-
ted the double bass. Imagine the fearful noise
OF eight or nine instruments in one Compare
lively small room; and, added to that, the stamp
ing and shutting of feet, the occasional shout of
tne dancers. and lively conversation going on
among the spectators-and then imagine the
heat. The thinnest members of the community
looked as II they had spent a month in 8 yapor
Dath; but the more robust appeared as though
2 watering cart had. just gone over them, So
uamp ana imp were they; even their very
gave ga" Them ludicrously forlorn appearance.-