The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-11

What is the first thing to be learned if
you are going to dance the stately minuet
that you speak about?''
"Tbe first thing is to take hold of hands
properly. The gentleman must lift his
right hand high in the air as if he were
going to execute the McAllister shake, and
then the lady, elevating her hand to an equal
height, drops the tips of her fingers over
the tips of his, and thus with a claps merely
of the fingers, although the whole hand is
involved, the couple is IN position to be-
gin. The lady must take slight hold of
her draperies with her other hand. II she
is wearing q train she should catch it up a
little at the side, just as if she were going
to DO an old-fashioned curtsey. When the
couple have taken their positions thus they
pause ana stand for at least half a minute
motionless."
as not the position rather awkwardn'
mot at ALL On the contrary it is most
graceful. The lady's head is inclined lit
tie toward the right, and her body sways
in the same direction from the waist To
give the proper amount OF antagonism of
body, the right leg and the right foot are
thrown toward the left, and the gentleman
extends his right foot so tnat it almos
meets the lady's about step ahead. Neither
foot appears to be bearing the weight, and
the whole attitude is swayiDg, graceful,
| yet firm one.n
"What comes next!"
after that has been learned
THE NEXT THING IS THE cURTsEY,
and that is very difficult 1t may best be
described by saying that, if a lady had her
skirts of, which of course she has not, she
would appear TO be trying to sit upon the
| heel of the left foot. She simply sits down.
/ but balances herself with her right leg so
that she can recover her position without
| losing her balance. All the bending is done
| by the knees. The body from the waist I'D
is kept perfectly straight"
But the man dosen't bow in this way.n
mo. He bows in the regulation fashion
although so much lower that his partner
has an ample opportunity to inspect the top
| of his head, and to gauge to a nicely how
long it will be ere there is desert in
place of the brush which now adorns that
region"
If you were to visit hslf dozen acade
mics instead of one, you would find that
everywhere you would be told the same
| thing, only with this variation that at some
| of the academies they will tell you that the
Oxford minuet has taken the place Of the
stately nlinuet. The Oxford is little aster
than the other and permits of little more
swinging and little higher stepping.
1t is fact not to be disputed that the
minuet is deprived of a large portion of its
grace and beauty when the men who take
part wear the regulation suit. Knicker-
! BROKERS preferably of velvet, a velvet coat
a brocaded vest and ruffied shirt seen
very properly to be the necessary accesso-
ries of SO stately a dance. If, to all these
the young men Of the day will add the DOW,
dered wig, the abundant jewelry and the
buckled shoes of century ago, the picture
afforded by glimpse into the Handsomely
DECORATED bathrooms
of Fifth and Madison avenues will be tn,
prettiest sight here for many a winter.
| Quite different from the minuet is the but
terhy. You will be taught this after vol
master the intricacies of the former. Il i,
specially pretty when danced only by youpe
women, aud it also calls for gay costumin q
which is most becoming. All the youne
women wear very large tulle hats. The
large size is found in an enormous brim il
front. which mods and flaps as the dancer,
wave il and out of the may meshes of tn,
gay dance.
1t has been lamented for the past two o,
three years that there were 10 few dancins
men in society. Beyond a few weil-knowr
leaders and a score of very young men
there are so few to become partners of tn,
fair sex, that dancing really seemed likel,
to fall out of fashion, simply because Their,
were not enough among the dancers to keel
it up.
To cater to this scarcity, and to keep tn
"oldest of the artsn still populsr, all tn
newldances are such that they can be dance,
by girls alone. And many of than are NO
pretty If men take part.
The skaters is very popular dance an,
the most popular music which can be plave
for 1t is the same as that to which theprett,