Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-09
DANCING IN THE STREET.
The Children and the Wandering
Musicians.

Musicians.
From the New York Herald
Every afternoon about o'clock in a side
street not far from Herald square, two
Italians arrive with their hand organ, and
for about an hour the street is alive with
music and dancing
At the first strains Of music ground out
by the strong arm of the son Of Italy from
twenty to forty children. chiefly girls, sud
denly appear.
Where do they come from?
From Broadway and from 9Th avenue and
from 7th avenue. up from the pavements
apparently and out of the brick walls Of the
houses on each side Of the street. Their
ages vary from three years to sixteen; they
are or the extreme blond and of the ex-
IRENE brunette types. including the negro,
and of all types between that are neither
blond nor brunette. Their light colored
dresses OF different hues produce a pretty
effect, and not one Of the girls wears a hat
though the taste displayed in stockings and
shoes is excellent and the varieties extern
sive.
The children cluster in crops on the
broad. smooth pavement in front of thea
ter, some of the older girls having baby
carriages and babies to care for. and in
stantly. from each group are detached the
dancers in twos and threes.
Now 1t is a waltz. and the little girls keep
time admirably and dance gracefully; there
Is not too much haste nor too much Ian
guor. The music stops for moment and
the dancing stops with 1t. Now il begins
again, and this time it Is more rapid. more
jigiike. The girls recommence dancing,
keeping time with different step. but still
in a dignifed manner. A colored girl about
ten years old cannot resist this style of
music. and every bit of her begins to dance
her arms. her legs. her head. her whole
body dance-every joint seems loosened.
She throws her arms around another col
drags her unwillingly about. Presently she
releases her and dances by herself. She
seems possessed of the spirit of motion-She
cannot keep still.
Boys Won't Dance.
The boys do not dance. They glide among
the dancers on their bicycles or roller
skates, but dancing is for girls. their actions
seem to say.
By this time the whole block has become
alive to the fact that a spectacle Of consid-
cradle interest Is being enacted in it's midst,
and heads are thrust out of windows, pass
ers by stop to look on and even the stolid
driver of an express wagon, waiting before
the theater, deigns to turn his head an in
slant. Two employees of the theater In their
shirt sleeves, sitting on the steps and calm
ly smoking, watch the dance, while in the
doorway behind them maid. with her hair
In curl papers and big feather buster in
her hand, looks on approvingly. She is
presently joined by a young man In his
shirt sleeves and a woman carrying pink
satin cloak over her arm.
From dressing room window above
looks out the head Of an actress and farther
away, from an upper window, two Of the
stage hands look down upon the pretty
scene.
And the little girls dance on.
The music stops and then begins new
tune.
The children stop for few minutes. and
then begin again with the music. This
time 1t Is another step. They take hands,
forward and back. swing together, separate
and repeat the figure There are a number
of them doing this gracefully, thoughtfuliy.
A child in a scarlet gown, with jet black
curls, seems a favorite and dances with
enthusiasm. Only a few coiored children
indulge in this dance. The others look on.
1t is too stately, too dignified for the Afri-
can character or for the youthful fire of
energy in the limbs Of these irrepressible
bits Of humanity.
The Inst Dance.
The music changes for a fourth time. and
again the children dance different step
and figure This is a more elaborate dance
than the others and has an element in it
that might perhaps in time develop into
some high kicking. The colored girls dance
this with vigor and kick higher than the
white girls.
The dance Is in full swing when the music
stops suddenly. The Italians wheel away
their organ apparently unconscious of or
Indifferent to the pleasure they have given
the children, who Immediately cease dane
ing and begin to scatter in every direction
They are soon all gone, the scattering pro-
cession being followed up by rear guard
of seven baby carriages, holding seven ba-
bies and pushed by seven of the older girls
The stage hands disappear from their win
dow the actress head is withdrawn, the
maid with the curl papers and big feather
buster goes about her busting and is followed
by the young man in his shirt sleeves and
the woman carrying pink satin CLOAK
The coatless Young men on the steps enter
the theater and once more the street as
s,lmes it's usual aspect and is given up to
traffic until the same hour the next day.
when the children and the organ grinder
have It all their own way again for an
hour.