The herald., 1894-01-12
THE SWELL DANCERS.
HE TRAINS THE STEPS or eoTHAm's
FASHiONABLEs.

A Talk With the Dancing Master TO sthe
McAlIister set''-The Four Hundred Do
Not Dance the German as Ordinary Per
sons Do, but They Romp Once In Awhile.
Nothing could be more polished than
certain dancing academy in West Fif
ty-fifth street. The glass doors are like
mirrors, the brass trimmings are daz-
cling, the obsequious darkies shine like
oiled mahogany; when you step on the
/. slippery ballroom floor, you instructive
| ly put your hand in your pocket to feel
for your insurance policy and, as for the
professor, he has the manners of an
amalgamated Chesterfield and Turvey-I
drop.
1t is here, according to the professor,
that the youthful scions of the great
and only Four Hundred lightly foot it
over the polished floor. The professor
talks with beautiful frankness and was
so good as to explain to reporter how
the dances of the said Four Hundred
differ from those of the common, aw-I
d'n'ry people.
mot the common people either, the
professor fastened to correct himself.
There are no common people in this
country. We are all the same here. Il
Nevertheless he continued to refer to-
1.-THE common people, and his tones
were not always fattering. On the other
hand, he sort of hobnobbed with the
royalty by calling his swellest pupils by|
their last names minus their first ones
or by their first ones minus their last
ones. 1t was hard to tell which method
implied the greater intimacy.
1.-THE fashionable dance of New York
society,"" said the professor, land Of
course you know that when 1 speak Of
society mean the really swell circles,
the McAllister set, as it is called-the
fashionable dance in that set is the ger
man. OF course there is sometimes
kind of interregnum before the cotillon
begins, and during this period the or
cbestra plays waltzes and a sort of re-
quest programme. Different ones have
favorite dances, and this is their chance
to get them played.
do these real swell people ever dance
square dances?'
The professor cast look of mild scorn
in the reporters direction. 1t evidently
grieved him that such dense ignorance
existed even among the common people.
''Oh, no, mol" he said
mot even the lanciers?" ventured
the reporter quite humbly.
"Oh, well, do make an exception of
the lanciers. generally have one Ian
ciers among the dances which are given
1,a{nro +ba rot,l1Nx, 1aas,,c p.,+ fl,ox, ~
with an airy gesture, Its not danced
as it is by AVID 'n'ry people. We get 16
couples on the floor in one set and have
regular romp!"
The recollection of society-and it
will be remembered that the professor
was explicit in telling what he meant
by society engaged in romp, just like
common, awd'n'ry people. though the
I professor said not, did not seem to dis
turb that gentleman's equilibrium.
Society, said the professor, dances
the cotillon, but not as AVID 'n'ry people
dance it. You know there are plenty
of people, say in Haylem-though, to be
sure, there is very good society in Har-
lem-who are not accustomed to dane
ing the german, and when they attempt
it they think they must have something
elaborate and striking. don't you know,
and new. They are new themselves, and
perhaps it is natural that they should
be on the lookout for novelty elsewhere.
"These are the people who go into an
ecstacy over the description of the bas-
ket figure. They get their german fig
ures out of a book, you know, not from
experience. And they try to dance it.
A lot of ladies and gentlemen dance
around the room and then join hands in
two rings--the ladies form one ring and
the gentlemen form one around them.
They circle in opposite directions, and
then the gentlemen, still holding hands,
step under the ladies Joined hands.
This brings about a sort of mutual EN-
brace, which is the most uncomfortable
thing imaginable. Gowns are crushed
and back hair tunbled. Now, you know,
they won't have that sort of thing in
society"
''Do they blow out candles and spin
platters and dance with dummies in So
ciety?"
The professor evidently made great
effort to restrain his emotions of scorn
and succeeded in keeping straight, il
purple, countenance. He intimated that
such forms of entertainment might do
for babies and backwoodsmen, but So
ciety, even "a society which romped, 16
couples strong, through the lanciers.
does not recognize such crude capers.
"Oh, said the trainer of aristocratic
toes, Il might let the children's classes
try the position figure, or a football
figure, or a baseball figure, but it would
never do among older people. That is
just the difference between the fashion
able people and the AVID n 'ry people.
The latter want all sorts of extrava-
giant, elaborate dances. Real society
wants the simplest figures there are.
The regular swell german begins with
the grand chain" figure. First, Of
course, the couples are all seated and
numbered. The music begins, the lead
er counts off the first eight couples, claps
his hands as a signal and off they go in
3 waltz. Then he claps his hands again,
and the 16 dancers select new partners.
and there is another waltz. Then they
join hands and circle round, there is
grand chain, and at signal every one
takes the nearest partner and again they