Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-08-05
Partners for a Dance.

There is evidence that man knew how
to dance wherever there are human
records; in the hieroplyphics of the old
est nations, on Egyptian monuments
In pictures on rocks, in the most ancient
writings on papyrus. The priests OF
Iris and Osiris danced before their al.
tars, the Hebrew children, when they
escaped from Pharaoh. danced to the
songs of Miriam, and David denced
before the ark of the Covenant. But
suppose we skip history and come down
to yesterday. The Herald writer saw
on Madison street a rublcund and jolly
individual, manifestly in that state of
happiness produced by libations of so0e-
thing more potent than water. To
give full expression to his internal de-
light he began gyrating and dancing to
the musical croonlngs of his own husky
voice. There was happy but vacuous
smile upon his face, and his eyes show
ed him To be Obliyious to most things
external. With appropriate but by no
means graceful gestures he waltzed
around on the pavement, holding his
cane for his partner, having no thought
for himself and no care for the specta-
tor. Nature was thus rudely vindica-
ting her supremacy and Illustrating
that, after language, dancing is the one
method by which the feelings are eX-
pressed, and has its origin in the con-
stitution of humanity. There is not an
| emotion that has swept the heart
strings but what has found expression
through the chOregraghic art. Love,
mirth, martial fury, funeral grief, re-
| lgiOn, all have had their special dances,
and religious form still survives
| among us in that eccentric sect We call
the Shakers. Among savages the glo-
! rles OF the chase, as well as the more
heroic deeds of war are TecOunted by
means of dancing. and, besides their
war dances. the North American In
dians have their buffalo dance, the
kamtschatkans their bear dance, aud
| the Australians their kangaroo dance
For our own social dances and pam
tOmime and the ceremonial have long
disappeared, and little remains but the
love of kicking and the love of flirting.
No one who dances quadrille nova
days is conscious why he shuflies his
feet i'll one way at one time and anOth-
er way at another time, If, in fact, he
cOndescends TO shuttle them at all.
Every motion had a meaning at one
time, though the key is now lost. For
all that, dancing still has its uses. Is
any young man short in his conveTsa-
tiOnal powers, and, like Orlando, easily
"graveled for lack of matter ?" He
can still hold his own with the fair sex
If he have but agility, a single CONVEX
sational formula being adaptable to
many partners. Thus he may dance
himself into the affections of some
maiden fair, though he could never
have talked himself there if he had liv-
ed hundred years. How can a lady
show the grace of her form so well as
in the dance The 'ladies' chain"
was invented expressly for that, and
very well does it fulfil its purpose.
Most nations have their cwn Peculiar
dances, and we. cosmopolItans that We
are, have trie1 them all. The country
dance IS Indigenous with us, or rather
brought by our forbears from England,
and its hearty, social fun, its pretty
figures, its availability for any number
and for all ages, make it truly happy
dance, like the chorus of song where
all the parts come IN together. Then
there was the stately minuet dance of
the eighteenth century, which we see
occasionally in some old comedy on the
stage. That, too, was English, and
suited the English temperament. We
read that at grand ball given in New
York on the Inauguration of Washing
ton, as President, and III his honor, he
danced two cotlliOns and minuet.
We are glad to rescue from the idle
wOrshippers such bit as this about the
father of his country, for we have but
little other evidence that he was hu-
man being. We know of three occa- |
sions on which he swore, and one on /
which he laughed uproariously, and |
these, with his dancing, must convince !
the most skeptical that he had some of !
the attributes Of humanity at least. |
Perhaps as time goes on We will find /
more.
The eutillion or guadrille We got /
from France, the maZurka and polo
naise from Poland, the waltz from Ger
many, though it originated In France
some centuries before the Germans
adopted it, The German cotillion,
which we call the german, also
came from Germany. This is not so
as it was fifteen years ago,
but it is most seductive dance. Schil-
er describes it:
See how the couples whiri along the dances bouy-
ant tide.
And scarcely touch with winge feet The noor on
which tney glide.
Ohi are they dying shadows, from material form
set free2
Or elm shapes, whose airy rngs the summer
mOonbeams sees
Every accessory was called in to beau
5treamers and strips of tarletan floated
above the heads of the dancers, while
ingling bells and exploding bon-bons
kept time with the low and sympatbe-
tic music that filled the air like per-
tune. To lead the german was post
)f high honor, and one who could do 1t
well had no other worlds of dance to
conquer. 1t required clear head, a
fertile Imagination, graceful figure, a
handsome face, polished manner and
/ perfect dress. Some Of our society
young men possessed all these, and were
heroes in their day. In the society nov-
us anu ldlCo VI INChl1 NCalo dSO Illt /
hero was always man who was unex-
,elled In leading the german. But the
'avOrite movement of the german was
he gallop, and its vivacity too often
into rOmp and general
ndecorousness, which finally led TO its
)anishment.
The varsovienne, from Vienna, was
popular dance in the bathrooms some
ears ago, but it, too, has been laid
side in favor of our modern quadrilles,
he most of which now have waltz
in some of the figures.
The waltz has long been tried, and
he poetry of its motion is enticing and
eductive, but American girls can never
lance it well, nor at all compete with
heir German and Scandinavian sisters.
And the reason is that American girls
eel, or at least half suspect, that some
where concealed in the waltz there is
n Improperly, and this restraints them
rom the abandon that is essential to
race of movement. When an impro-
riety is felt, for that person it exists,
or '-as one thinketh in his heart so is !
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