The San Francisco call., 1904-11-06
NATIONAL DANCES

ing of fingers are the accompaniment
by which the dancer stimulates his own
exertions to the fierce skirling Of pipes
1t is to- Ireland we must go for the
Jig in all its vivacious activity, the
Irish race possessing a natural taste
for both music and dancing. The lively
jig has a marvellous influence over the
Celtic temperament which no alien
dance could in any way replace for
thems 1t has so strong a hold upon
them that few gatherings take place
among the peaSantry without IL. At
the numerous fairs groups OF youths
will always be met with. merrily foot
ing it to the breakdown" accompanied
with many stirring whOops and much
fiourishing of shillelahs. We cross
over to the extremity of Eur0pe-the
Russian turns and turns to a slow air
of the balaleica on the fat of the foot,
moving shoulders, arms and hips
clumsily. He thumps the ground with
his heels. at first very slowly, then with
increasing speed, with his hands on
his hips and his chest erect. This done,
he drinks a cup of scalding tea and be-
gins again. but no longer alone A
partner presents herself and, without
touching each other, the two perform
a pantomime. the motif Of which is the
eternal theme of coquetry- The girl Is
coy and the lover ~pursues her; she
throws down a flower, he picks IL up
and strives to catch her. 1t is only in
the Russian army that choirs exist. At
the head of each regiment is a squad
of the best singers, who while away
the hours of marching by popular songs
that make the men forget their ia
.tigue.
We now turn from Europe to the
land of the Brahmins. When an Asfatic
wishes to honor a guest, she shows him
his Davadassi (Bayaderes is the name
only used by Europeans); 1t is the COM
pliment of his hospitality. Their cold,
plastic beauty harmonizes admirably
with their dancing, which consists OF a
succession Of statuesque poses. A sort
of quivering motion of their naked
feet causes a jingling Of the golden
rings and bells with which their legs
are laden, and this metallic cadenced
sound at last produces a curious effect
upon the ear and the nerves.
The Egyptian and Tunisian Almees
differ greatly from the Bayaderes, for
the very essence Of their dances Is OBJ
jectionable. In Java the Tandak are
born in the fortress OF the Sultan;
these virgins lead a very retired life,
and from their birth and situation at
the court are held in profound respect.
The genesis of the cakewalk, like
famous birth. is "wrapt in mystery"
and like many other good things 1t
comes from the United States. The
walk and the barn dance, beyond all
question, have their origin in the
plantation sports: the latter took place
in the barn at the end of the harvest,
accompanied by banjos and "patting
juba," for the special enjoyment OF the
slaves working in the fields: while the
prize walk was among the household
servants, who rather looked contemptu-
ously on their rustic brothers. The
handsomest couples paired OF. and be-
ing dressed In their best they entered
into the competition. French paper
describes in the following amusing way
the "cakewalk": How to define this
dance for which no rules exist7 II Is
the triumph of personal Improvisation:
it's characteristic step reminds US of a
poodle being forced to stand on it's
hind legs; the dancer advancing by
little hops and leaps. holding his hands
exactly as the dog would its front
paws, curving his back in the most ex-
aggerated fashion possible"
Among the North Americans of yes
terday eve mean the aborigine In
dians) the custom Of dancing was very
prominent In their social usages. The
Iroquols tribe alone had thirty-two dis
tinct dances. Of which the Buffalo. the
Feather, the Sun and War, were es-
teemed the highest. Unfortunately the
native races and their ceremonies will
soon be thing of the past. One dance,
however, still occurs. and can be seen
IN all It's glory and perfection, once
every two years; 1t Is the weird Snake
dance Of the Moquis. The snakes used
in these heather rites are caught
eight days before. The young Indians
go to the north, the west, the south and
east. After being captured the snakes
are kept concealed. The head medi-
cine men alone know the secrets which
keep the reptiles from biting. and the
remedies to use in case Of bites. On
the appointed day the procession be-
gins and one Is at once bewildered and
horrified at the long column OF weird
figures, marching two by two. holding
Shiny, wriggling snakes between their
teethl The head OF the reptile Is
held toward the right, the object of
this being very manifest, as on that
side marches another column OF In
dians, holding eagle feather wands in
their hands with which they tickle the
heads and jaws of the snakes, thus
distracting their attention from those
in whose teeth they are grasped so
firmly. The actors have their faces
painted black from brow to upper
lip, where ghastly white begins and
continues over chin and neck. With