Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-02-24

The Racquet, the SocIesy. the wave,
0SSA M".SAeLcOcker-NeW Asc1s
Innovations.
From the New York Sun.
The round dance which Is known as The
Racquet ie described In Carriers Ball Room
Guide as follows:
t sscp sdes with LETT footon accent and
rseS snd nod left foot in air. Repeat by aiding with
Mr.. Cartier says that these directions are sim
ply intended for teaching, and that when the
learner has caught the movement the foot is
not held in air. but is slid along the floor. How
ever that may be, the modern method of dane
ing the Racquet is something very different.
The slides are made Of great length. and at the
finish there is a vigorous kick with the free foot.
THIS makes the dancing couple rock like
small boat In heavy sea, and gives an air OF
recklessness and abandon to the dance,
which has brought it into much disfavOr among
quiet people. Some vary the movement by
leaping in the air, instead Of sliding. As soon
as their feet touch the floor they kick then leap
again until fatigue compels them 10 stop. This
shakes down back hair and disarranges dress
come out OF rough and tumble fight. Quiet
couples have no chance on the floor when rae
quetters are around. They sweep everything
before them like an Ohio flood. and strew the
dancing floor with debris of torn lace, torn
flowers. and broken combs Ii leaves the per-
formers flushed and breathless but while IL
lasts there is maddening excitement about 1t
that pleases quick-blooded young people. 1t is
Still to be seen In all its luXuriance at fancy
dress balls and at sOclables where the young
folks go in for fun regardless of appearances
1t is danced In "a time. 1t took it's name
from popular waltz written by Miss Simmons.
The Society and the Wave are similar to the
Racquet with this exception, that In the So
clety there Is only one glide and in the Wave,
or. as 1t is sometimes called the knickerboc,er,
there are three glides Each ends by the kick
IN air or the sldewise movement of the forward
foot
At the recent annual meeting in this CITY of
the American Society of Professors of Dancing
these dances We're denounced in uBmeasured
terms. and 1t was decided that they should not
be taught in any school controlled by members
OF the society. This society was formed in Jau-
uary 1879, with the object OF securing uniform
ity in dancing all over the United States. Its
intention was to discourage eXtrayagant dances
ana to teach In their perfection the dances
In common use. 1t was found that people had
dozen different ways Of dancing the quad
rille and lancers, and that confusion fire.
quently arose. At present there are fortt
members in the society, of whom nearly all be-
long out of the city. At their annual meetings
in this city new dances are discussed, figures
are settled and lessons are given by the expe-
rlenccd teachers to the country dancing masters.
At the last meeting it was decided to teach no
new dances. The members of the society who
nave schools In this city are l.. De G. BrOOkes,
w. B. De Garmo, r. s. Manuel and H. F. H.
Rivers. W. b. De GarmO is the president, G. H.
Rivers of Brooklyn, the secretary and Joseph
7. Martin, Of Brooklyn, the treasurer. Four of
the members are women. Mr.. De GarmO said
yesterday that the Racquet the Society," the
wave and similar dances were q burlesQue on q
graceful dance which was introduced by the
society in 1879. This was the redowa glissade,
described as follows:
Glide left foot to second position draw right foot to
upon bringing it no to the right foot aud dspa Ing
To e then rsawa % Sde to left s
redoWa to right and so on 1t is danced to waltz.
This was exaggerated into swaying and kick
ing. and the result was that the legitimate dance
was killed by the burlesque. Now neither il
taught by many dancing masters The society
denounced the Racquet and several other dances
from the start out the bad dances lived while
the good one died.
Mr.. De Garmo said that the round dance now
most in vogue is the glide waltz, described as
follows:
Glide backward with left foot at the same time bend
1eaFs and pSo
upon the heel of the backward foot toe OF the ether
as tnss e oS With hs r Sas
both es to , sssSna awp ps @ the ba Of
sSmnsnss gliding Ssstxsrd VIE and
unua WIN the foVement Is described until the move
To reverse: The gentleman will glide left foot forward
e af sSs a 9,snt
ss ella Of feet 1 dsT foot e position
Left left 1 ,oG q. nearly fy, to third position
the heel 81 the foot 90, ' Tue 'e' upon
The glide, the common waltz and La Russo
are the only waltzes taught by the society. La
Russo consists Of two glides to the left and one
glide and glisse with half turn to the left.
glisse is half glide.
Mr.. Cartier said he did not belong to the 60
ciety, and cared nothing for its rules and regula-
lions. He taught the glide waltz as being the
best and most popular. and he also taught the
Racquet. the Wave and the Society. He. how
ever discouraged all kicking and extravagant
movement OF any kind. He said that most peo-
pie danced the redOwa for the waltz. the redowa
being In the same time and admitting of more
lively movement. People liked to feel that they
were getting around.
Mr.. John H. Trenor said that most dancers
did not know the difference between q waltz
and redowa. In waltz, which is In slightly
slower time, the feet were not taken from the
foor. while In the redOwa they were lifted at
each turn. The redOwa gIissade at the start
n had been very pretty and graceful dance. but
pie, until it was deemed best to abandon it
altogether. The Racquet, the Knickerbocker and
the Society were examples of the extremes to
which 1t might be carried, and he would not
nAOW tuClu W UC tduSut Ill Ills SCHOOL, AT the
present. day, he said, there are few good
walters. People confound the redOwa with
the waltz. The redOwa is the more active, but
the waltz is the more graceful movement.
Within the last two or three years the Racquet,
he said, had fallen into disfavor. Tight
trousers prevented the male dancers from
sprawling as extravagantly as they desired. Mr..
TrenOr said he had just reintroduced the varso-
'vtana and the Spanish waltz. In the latter
movements Of the arms and body accompany
the music
Mr. Allen Dodworth said that he taught the
Racquet, the Society and the Knickerbocker
watzes. The KnickerbOcker was the most
popular. 1t was the same dance under another
name as the glide waltz, or redowa glissade. 1t
was not vulgar dance In Itself. but could be
made SO by vulgar people. This. he said, was
true of every other dance. In Vienna the galop
led to such extremes that 1t was forbidden by
law. Then quick polka was introduced which
Is popular at balls, but not In private parties.
The redowa was the most popular waltz move
ment, as it was the most graceful of any dance.
Combined with the glissades 1t formed the
KnickerbOcker. 1t was true that the knicker-
booker was carried to extremes by vulgar per-
sons but never by respectable people.
Effective Blast Against . Ten Pin
Alley.
From the MONTGOMERY (Ala.l National Union