San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-03-25
MODERN DANCING.
How to Dance and What to Dance
Views OF an Experienced
Teacher The New

Dances.
A LIGHT representative called yes
terdsy upon Madame Virginia Don
aldson, the popular teacher of dane
ing, to ipterrogate her az to the most
fashionable dances of the day. Mad
anne Donaldson, as Is well known,
has been q successful instructress in
San Antonio for nearly IA years,
and the number of pupils taught by
her during that time runs in the thou
sands. After a few preliminary cour-
tesies, the reporter ouckled down to
business, and made known the object
of his visit.
Reporter-"Would you be kind
enough Madame, to tell me what new
dances are being now brought out in
the North and East?n
Mad well, really, that would be
a difficult matter. There are so many.
Each city has it's own peculiar style
and dances. Each competent teacher.
and some that are not competent, will
bring out at least one dance during a
season. Some OF these are merItorious
and fall in pleasant places. Others
are short lived and are soon frozen
- out. You see we have teachers of
dancing and dance teachers! But it
is not the most difficult steps which
are the most sure OF success. A dance,
to be popular, must be catching-as
with melody"
Reporter-Apuie Rooney for in
stance?
Exactiy-in regard to the new
dance, taking New York and Boston
as headquarters, / should have to be-
gin with the glide. This is the favorite
all over America as in Europe, but
the glide in this country and across
the water are quite different; the step
and tempo is the same but the style
different. 1 consider the American
girl who is good dancer TO be best
of all Dationalities, especially the
southern g RI. There is heaviness
about the English glider, and just a
little too much spring in the French
(ParisiaD), but the girl of the south,
with her smooth, graceful swaylng
movement, is the personification OF
Terpsichoresn perfection.
After the glide comes the military
schottische, the Duchess, very pref
ty little bit; the Rye, quite taking
when not too iiggy; the Bon Ton
schOttische, which some teachers call
glide schottische, but which is not
quite a new dance. My pupils have
been dancing it over two years.
r 1t has the glide step in it, 1
suppose?
Well, it may have properly the
glide step in it-and it generally stays
therefor not one person IN five hur-
dred can do q glide step to a schot-
tische-but they think they can. All,
that's the misfortune. BY the way,
there is craze now, the "coilege,n
or "side step" I have sent for it
There is the "Csprice"-it will never
be general favorite. The Bronco"
l don't know it-sounds too horsey.
A very graceful step or steps is the
"Oxford Minuet."
R.-"How is this, Madame, the
blending of two names-for instance
the "Polka-Redowa"-how can pol
Ia and redowa be danced at the same
monochrome icing four-step and the
other three-step?n
1t hts usually been considered by
the older teachers to indicate the
time and step of the dance, "poIka,n
pointing to the step, and "redowa" to
the tune time; but there seems to be
difference of opinion among some of
the teachers of today, Prof. I. Wood.
worth Masters, of Boston, against and
Prot. Dodsworth, of New York, for
the ABOVE definition. Both are very
high authority. I agree with the lat
ter.
R.-Is the Yorke any longer fash
ionable ?
On yes; and very graceful dance
tits There is another Yorke out
now, the Spanish Yorke. One of
that name Is danced with Il h Ugh
relowa step. mot polka redowa),
and the other with long swinging
glide. They all belong the polka
maZurka family.
R-How does San Antonio compare
with other cities in regard to dane
ing?
She is the Queen City Of, was
about to BAY If the south. /
will molly that assertion, but assert
that she is the Q Ieen City of Texas.
aud a waye was 4 heard of her 35 years
ago when was teaching in Calves
ton as the Garden of the Gods and
the home of Terpsichore," and as to
our little men and women, there are
none in all the length and breadth of
this land who can exdel, and few
compare with them.
"Notwithsta nding all the praise /
have bestowed, some of the seniors
have grave faults. This dashinp
and racing across the room, with the
arm high in air, executing the pump
handle action, while the hand grasps
a large fans positively vulgar.
LeapiDg and curvetting like q
young race horse, but without the
grace and suppleness of that animal,
renders one ridiculous, but the
most reprehensible OF ali, is the dis.