The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-04-13
How TO DANCE WELL.
A Few Words of InstruC-
ton From An Aesthet-
ic DanSeuse.
UNGRACEFUL ANpsrlFF WALKING
A WelI-Made Corset Essential
Model Slippers and Skirts.

young laQieS now TO dance gracefully,
I should be quite at a loss how to be-
gin, for although dancing is the old
est of the arts, there is very little
known about it.
Considering the popularity of dane
ing with all classes of people, and con
sidering the fact that it is the accept
ed form of amusement with the best
society people, it is surprising there is
no more written about it.
Thesirst thing that | should tell my
girls to do would be to become grace
full. After that would come the steps.
But being graceful is not easy, and
I should apprehend a deal OF difficulty
before we had passed that stage OF
progress.
But suppose my class were in front
of me, in the long line familiar to
dancing pupils, and | were telling
them what to do. l should say:
Young ladies, we will first learn
the body balances
Then [ should lean forward as far
as possible, standing only on one foot,
and should invite my young ladies to
do the same. One trial would con-
vince them that it is not an easy
thing to do. But we would persevere
until we could all balance nicely on
either foot. Thus the first step
towards graceful dancing would be
taken. One learns the piano in the
same way-by practicing arm and
finger movements first. One does moi
take pieces" right away.
After that, by easy stages, we would
take up the arm movements and
would practice until we were all able
to sway our arms gracefully, swing
the body and turn the head, SO that
there would be real poetry in every
motion.
In the practicing we would exag-
gerate all the motions.
Then we would begin dancing
steps and would take up the waltz
and all the other conventional dances.
But in the beginning WE should
train as if we were co become athletes,
or acrobats, without thought OF mere
ballroom dancing.
UNGRACEFUL AND STIFF wALTZING.
l have noticed that in a ballroom
the young women hold themselves
very straight and dance entirely with
the lower limbs. Many of them are SO
rigid that they might easily carry a
book on top Of the head, without ever
letting it slide off as they glide through
the mazes of the waltz. Their
shoulders are held very square, and so
far as life and motion are concerned,
they might as we'll be made of saw
dust above the waist, This is very
noticeablein the. tgerman. (which calls
for fancy figures and fancy motions.
Some do move about a great deal
but still are not graceful. And l at
tribute the fault not so much to them
as to the way they are taught. They
are taught steps" instead OF princi-
pies.
In Waiting the entire body should
move with the feet. The step is a
short, easy one, and it admits beauti-
fully of the most graceful of body
movements. AS the foot trips for
ward, the body should bend a little
backwards from the waist, while h
shoulders should give a slight turn IN
the direction of the next step and the
head take that lovely reverse motion
which is considered the browning
touch to graceful dancing. The Del
sartians call it 'Tle opposition of mo-
tion.7 1t is certainly very pretty.
A DANCERS CORSET
It is said THAT a corset makes the
figure stiff and prevents the wearer
from being graceful.
l have never found it SO. A we'll
made corset fits the body exactly and
supports 1t instead of combining it..
1t a help rather than a hindrance. l
do not think I could dance without a
corset or a boned waist of some sort.
And / am quite sure that | could do
all of my dances In the snuggest street
gov that | own. 1t is nonsense to
D that grace and well-fitting
gowns cannot go together. 1t is
easier for a wonan to be graceful, if
her dress fits her, than if she is wear
ing a loose rag of a dress.
I think that the dressing of the hair
plays an important part in the dance.
/ cannot fancy a graceful dancer who
does not dress her hair gracefully.
Prim braids, tower-like structures on
the top of the head and, worst of all,
the chignon, which threatens to come
in with the crinoline, are destructive
to graceful head movements. The
hair must be dressed easily and lightly
If one may SO describe hair dress
ing. 1t should preserve the shape of
the head and be as closely dressed to
the head as can be. Little curls, a
fluffy bang and side waves are all
pretty when one is dressing the hair
Tor the dance.
THE MODEL DANCING SLIPPERS.
Shoes are a much more important
part to the wardrobe than many imag-
inc. Too often the buying of dancing
shoes is left until the very last moment
and then the shoes are selected, not
because they fit well, but because they
match the dress.
The proper dancing shoe has a sole
just the size and shape Of the foot. 1t
is pointed at the toe and the sole is a
little heavier than paper weight. The
heel is high-just as high as the
a wishes.
Itmay be that in past days women
could walk and dance better without
heels. But it is not SO now. The foot
has been trained for generations to
walk upon a heel. And without a
heel thefoot is sadly strained across
the instep.
/ find that for dancing purposes a
plain satin slipper is best. 1t gives"
to the foot and, being without orna-
mentation, it makes the foot look
small. A good slipper will not come
off with even the merriest dancing,
and is quite as good in every way as
the shoe, besides being more poetic
than the shoe could possibly be.
II ! were asked TO describe a model
dancing skirt | should say that it
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