The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-19

and In every ballroom more tnan any other
they can get an evening Of enjoyment out
OF IL.
Another thing that has much to do with
bringing disfavor on the two-step. and one
OF the principal reasons that 1t Is not more
encouraged by the teachers, is the position
that most OF the people take In dancing
A.. Instead OF the man holding his partner
In front Of him. as should be done. he now
holds her more at his side. The couple
take up about twice as much room as is
neeessary. and In this position. which no
.sachsr would learn his pupils. they lose
all OF the natural gracefulness OF the dance
This position that now is assumed by a ma
tority of the dancers that are seen in our
bathrooms takes away all OF the dignity
which has heretofore characterized the
round dances. The two-step has at the
present time been transformed into more OF
a romp than a round dance. This rollick-
ing spirit in dancing has been steadily
growing for the last few years, and the
teachers all over the country have real
lied this gradual transformation, but none
of them. not even those in the East. have
been able to control IT.
GRACE Is SACRIFICED.
IT am sorry TO say that many Of the
older people are encouraging their chAdren
TO take up this mode OF dancing and not TO
care for smooth glides and graceful move
ments that have in the past always CHAR
acterized the dances OF this country. 1t
has also become noticeable that there Is
not as much gracefulness employed In the
modern dances as there was in the old-style
movements. L must say that those who
danced a number OF years ago seemed to
get equally as much enjoyment out Of the
amusement as they do to-day. OF course
with the old dances ii took longer TO mas
ter them, but when they were mastered
quite a difficult thing had been accomp-
lished. In the days gone by there was
quite a long list Of dances which were fun
of many difficult movements to be learned,
now with three dances one accomplishes
the learning of this art and none Of the
three is considered difficult.
1T Is the duty OF every dancing teacher,
however, to teach grace along with the
movements that constitute the various
dances. A school for dancing is a school
OF good manners as well. Take a young
woman. for instance. who is rather awk-
ward in her movements She will go to
dancing school not only to learn the move
ments OF the dance. but TO learn how to
give a graceful bearing to her walk, how
" HEEL pCOPlC anu ~ ClACA q "AN
becoming the least confused. In a draw
ing room filed with people you can always
pick out the women who have attended
dancing school by their gracefulness. Their
manner OF courtesying is easy and the gen.
eraI bearing OF their whole bodies is far
from being awkward. Many people are un-
der the impression that to be taught such
an accomplishment as this is useless and a
waste of time, but I want TO say that the
manners OF n person on a dancing floor or
in a drawing room have much TO do with
the impression that they make on the rest
OF the company. No matter how elegantly
o woman or man may be dressed, or how
highly they are educated. II their manner
are awkward and their hands and feet seem
TO be In their way. the impression that they
make Is bad. Such people are not only I'M
comfortable themselves, but they make all
of those around them uncomfortable as
well. 1t is very noticeable that men as a
general thing in a ballroom, after the dance
IS over and they have led their partners to
their seats and they themselves have sat
down, that they viii rest one foot on the
other knee, or I'm other words. sit cross
legged, and il they endeavor to assume q
position with both feet on the floor that
they will appear very awkward and seem
exceedingly uncomfortable and out OF
place. Now, a position of this kind while
very easy and restful. 70 doubt, is entirely
out of place and il-mannered. A man in
a place of that kind should sit with both
feet resting on the floor. The only way to
acquire ~gracefulness and ease in such a
position as this is by constant practice with
someone who is familiar with sitting this
way or who has been instructed in a dane
ing school.
AMERICA LEADS THE WORLD.
Some years ago it was generally believed
that the people of foreign countries, es-
pecially England. France and Germany,
were ahead of American people IN dancing,
but IL Is now proven that this Is not true.
AS it is to-day the American people lead
the world in this amusement. They have
progressed more in the art of ballroom
dancing than the people of all the other
countries put together. This statement Is
especially true when it comes to the prin-
cipal round dance known the world over as
the waltz. The waltz was originally a
German dance. AS the German people to-
day dance IL. It is exactly the same as it
was twenty-five years ago. They repeat
the same movements over and over again,
making the one turn in the same direction.
The people or this country give more va
riety to the waltz by introducing the re-
verse. They also. by graceful glides and
movements, make Ii a most enjoyable
dance, and theemanner in which they go
through 1t is far superior to the methods
employed by either the Germans or French.
In all dances, however. the Americans en-
ploy more gracefulness than the people OF
TIE old countries. The remark Is often
heard that the French are such graceful
anu easy dancers, but IL one has ever seen
a bailroom filled with French dancers and
one crowded with Americans, he would
quickly see that the people Of this coun-
try are the better dancers and look much
better on the floor. In going through the
waltz. which gives more opportunity for
dignity and grace than probably any other
dance. the French people leap into the air.
Now. q whole room full of dancers going
through this movement appears very
strange, and In truth they look out OF place.
The Americans dance the waltz with an
easy, gliding motion. When one looks down
on them from the balcony OF a ballroom
they appear as a wave instead OF a hop
ping and jumping mass OF humanity. The
movements that the people of this country
use in dancing the waltz are much easier