The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-04
LoNDoN's STYLE OF DANCING.
Is 1t Decadent or Degenerate-Al


Is 1t Decadent or Degenerate-An
English Observers Critical Re- |
marks.
In spite of all that has been said |
and sung in protest, it must be obvi-
Gus to any spectator at a modern |
dance that dancing as an art shows no
signs of regeneration; indeed once it
has departed from its ancient tradi-
tons, it appears to find "facile est des-
census" Even society leaders have
raised their voices in vain, and it can
not be wondered at that Suburbia is
not slow to embrace what Mayfair and
Belgravia are forced to condone, in
fact, for the most part encourage. Still,
the question forces itself upon the on
locker, where is it to end? Will the art
Cor what is left of iD eventually de-
generate into a glorified football
scrimmage? Or shall we suddenly re-
vert to the "stiff and stately dancing
of the past?
We certainly erred on the side of
stiffness at one time Certain foreign
ers, who have not revisited England
since the century was middle-aged,
still picture to themselves the English
valse as a vista of slowly revolving
couples stiff to woodenness. What a
| rude awakening they would receive
were they to see an English dance of
to-day! No foreigner ever "hop-vals-
ed more vigorously than Young Eng
| land does now. Still, though we may
regret the disappearance of the valse
of few years ago, which had attain
ed absolute perfection of time and mo-
| ion, he hop valse' does not come al
| together under the ban of the true low
| er of the art. More to be condemned
| Is the style Of valsing now prevalent.
| Affectation is the keynote struck by
| both men and girls. Whereas dancing
| Should above all be natural, since it's
| origin was doubtless the outcome of
| youthful gladness, which is common to
| all ages and all races, the aim of mod
| ern ball room dancers is to affect dis
torted and cramped positions. which, it
| is to be presumed, they fondly believe
possess style" They sink their necks
into their shoulders until they might
| well be mistaken for the strange Gre
atures of Othello's tales; they stick out
their elbows, they hang their heads on
| one side, some men even place he la
| dies right hand on their shoulder in a
fearful and wonderful posiion-these
| be but a few of their fantastic devic-
es; their name is legion
| Still, the dance "a deux" is beautiful
| compared with the square dance-the
| lancers, which is the only survivor of
its race. There are some hostesses and
chaperons fortunately a very small
| proportion) who object to the pomp
into which certain figures of he SOCIAL
| o6 Iitcbov 1on
their feeble protests are drowned in
the wild onrush of stalwart youths and
frolicsome maidens Primarily, the
lancers are no onger lancers. The
charming second figure, with its Old
World grace of curtsey and bow, is
voted out of date, and waiting is sub
stituted The delightful grand chain"
is generally replaced by "galop,"
and q "Here-we-g go round the -mulber-
ry-bush'' finale. Naturally some inno-
vations and notifications must creep
into dance after many years of pop
uarfty, but the present Interpretation
of the third and fourth figures should
certainly call down the censure of all
who give themselves credit for the pos
session of good taste. 1t is scarcey an
edifying or a pretty sight to see ladies
fitted off their feet as they swing round
in ladies to the centre or visiting"
This is what usually occurs in these
figures, for the gentlemen form a cir
Gle, inside which the ladies are swung
round at lightning speed. AS the la
dies inf their arms in the gentlemen's
the rapid movement lifts them off the
ground. and they often swing round in
the air almost in horizontal posi-
ton. The disinterested spectators can
neither admire the Attest development
of the last figure. The sight of all the
gentlemen of "set" linked arm in
arm, charging UP and down the room
like troop Of cavalry, and the la
dies initiating them, is neither beauti-
flu nor congruous with the surround
ings. No one could be prudish enough
to veto lively dances, but there is a
point where fun ceases and vulgarity
Ito call it by harsh word) steps in.
There is a style of dancing which one
is quite prepared to see on the Crystal
Pace lawns on Bank holiday, but
which does not appear in its place in a
West End drawing room.
There is much moaning and grooming
at the decay of chivalry at the van
ishing of innocent filtration, and those
small attentions SO dear to the fenin-
inc heart. But men are not wholly
culpable. The lions share of the blame
rests with the girl of the so-called high
and upper classes. She makes herself
too CHEAP" as the expressive slang
word has it; in her dancing, as in
many other ways, she too often "gives
herself away" Still, it does not do to
make too sweeping a condemnation for
there are without a doubt many girls
who only follow where others lead, or
are carried away by the excitement of
the moment. and who, on reflection,
would soon be convinced of the mis-
take they are making, both from a So
cial and an artistic point of view. To
them the appeal should be made to re-
store some of it's lost beauty to the
most graceful of all observation-disclosures
News.