Evening star., 1886-09-25
Shadow Dances OF Vices.

THE NEWEST SHAMEFUL SENSATION IN NEW
sei a. * YoRk's 'DENs OF INIQuiTY
Cor Bait. American .-...--..
FtNEW YORK, Sept 1S.-A particu ,arly OF.
iensive sort OF notwithstanding is to be
investigated officially tomorrow, or in the
small hours of tonight by the agents of DR..
Crosbys morality society. Shadow dances
have become popular on Saturday nights at
the gaudy dance nails. AS they rarely begin
before Two o'cock on Sunday morning when
an Sooa citiZens, inc.ujing the police. are
largely by young women and men whose oc
equations earlier ia the day have put them in
a a condi ton to entirely Disregard Iormalities
Iney DO much drinking. during the evening
and so wnen midnight is passed bv they ar..
poSsessors OF Reckless merriment. Their
partners In the shadow dance are shameless
ioafers, vino Kill the earlier part OF the night
by ropIng IN for the gambling-houses, bunct,.
1lns stfs.hseri IN town, OR ,oungins about
famous Brighton Will best bear descr,p.
ton. The dancing floor extended back
siNiy feet and WAS about iorty wide. Tables at
either side, and at them sat girls ana womrn
who did not care to dance just then, or who
hadn't partners. There were, also, "a hundred
male visitors, who had stepped in TO see the
show. These the giils at the tables maoe
friends with at once, and drank and smoked
cigarettes at their expense. Che floor nanager
squatty built fellow, blew a whistle wien
The time arrived for the dancing to begin Two
sets, ike those for the ordinary GuadrilIe We're
AoiAiASas "hu euC os1ifu-NulCu Was percQeu 1
platform IN the front OF the naii-began TO play
ordinary quadrilie music. At this moment the
electrical nights were put out, and the two cal
clunls III Il corner in the rear OF the hall and
the other III the front OF the room in d corner
diagonal 10 II, were let blaze, reflections throw
Ing the illumination on the dancers who were
then moving slowly. Near each reflector
stood NAH, having frames in which were
transparent sneets of isingass colored red.
blue, green, yellow, purple and dark brown
like tnat useu in theatrical spectacleS-were
placed in front OF the lights at Intervals turn
Ing the dancers red, blue or green, as might be-
In the early part oi the performance the for-
wardlng, bowling and retreating were intermin-
gled with considerable walLZing, in which The
women often threw both arms around their
partners necks in complete abanuon and were
carried around without AN effort OF their own
AS the music grew faster and more lively ali
resemblance TO the respectable and diguified
Quadrilie was lost The ordinary dancing stems
increased in length and height and as tie
son, now orange, now green, dresses became
scarfs, and high Kicking made the scene! The
music grew wilder and faster, and the girls and
men on the floor seemed to forget everything
but the moment All sense of propriety was
gone, and every movement was reckless They
threw themselves In each others arms and
raced up and down the floor. Then they Kicked
higher than before. When the orgies had
reached their height. the frames with the dark
brown tsingiass were put before the lights. and
the dancers could hardly be seem The next i'm.
slant the electric lights blazed out again. re-
vealing tie performers with pretence OF acci-
dent in compromising attitudes The men
and The shadow dance was over That is the
exhibition, duplicated OF late in a score of re-
sorts, which Is 70 be summartIy stopped.
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