Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-11-14
Dancing the Csardas.

| Ii must have been nearly o'clock. a late
hour for rural spot, when the gypsies,
| after a silence of some minutes, began play
ing slow, melancholy air, which instantly
rec, gnized-from the peculiar rhythmic be
| Hungarian. Pair by pair the dancers ap-
preached the band, until a dense ring was
formed close to the music. For Csardas
only two people are necessary. although, as
| in a waltz il may be danced by hundreds.
| he 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
tace. They began moving to and fro in slow
time to wild and melancholy air, the
peculiarly of the movement being that the
dancers every now and then interrupted their
minuet by a sudden milk maids curtesy, 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 wildness. and these people
might have been on their was 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 land was so long that thought he was
But before knew it, the music had changed
and the fun grew fast and furious. The
previous step. or something very like 1t, was
continued, only sixteen times as fast, so that
| the dancers did nothing but bob up and down
like corks on a stormy sea. Tney atill held
each other, and never moved from the place
where they had taken their stand, for a
Csardas must be danced on as small a space
of ground as possible Now understood
that one must he born Hungarian to dance
the Csardas; for | caught sight of Erzsi. and
by a slight movement was able to watch her
evoluiions; and came to the conclusion
that an Englishwoman of her rank would
as soon think of dancing the Csnrdas, As
it ought to be danced. NJ of dancing
a 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 mean
" hile upon his shoulders, and she looking
straight into his ewes with pair of the love
liest orbs that ever bewildered n mans senses.
| They had already been dancing at least for
half an hour. and the bobbng up and down
had lapscd into kind OF continual tremulons
movement. hut the excitement seemed to in
crease. Erzis partner held her with one
hand, and waved his hand above his head
with a shout. caught her in both hands. and
whirled her wildly round and round, let her
90. and putting his two hands to his head,
with the gesture, as | thought of man
going mad executed wonderful double
shuttle with his feet. and then began to whirl
round and round like u dcrvsh. she doing the
same, till with one accord thew stopped,
and seemed to fling themselves into each
Others arms again. Imagine these maneu-
vres executed continually by dozen
couples all dancing 80 close to each other
that they frequently touched, and. above all,
so close to the gypsies that stumble or n
fall would have smashed in the cymbalom,
or utterly exterininated the double bass.
Imagine the fearful noise of eight nine in
struments in one comparatively small room:
and, added to that, the stamping and shuffi-
ing of feet. the occasional shout Of the dane
ers. and lively conversation going on among
the spectators-and then imagine the heat.
The thinnest members of the community
looked as if they had spent month in va
por bath; but the more robust appeared as
though a watering cart had just gone over
them, so damp and limp were they; even
their very mustaches hung down at the cor
ners. and gave them ludicrously forlorn
appearance.-Th The Aygosy.