The sun., 1905-09-07
SOUND The TWO.STEP'S KNELL
DANCING MASTERS TO SEND 1T
TO ARTS ASH HEAP.

They're Here for Their Annual COnventior
With New wrinkles In Fine Foot WORK
A TwO-FOiir Tune waltz with the Dis
carticd Reverse Uncle Dave Predicts
From Terre Haute, in Hoosierdom. Ia
Portland, Me-, the dancing masters have
come to shake foot and show the newest
wrinkles In Terpsichores art. Until next
Friday the Hotel Majestic, at Seventy
second street and Central Park West, will
be not mere tavern but temple of grace
where feather footed masters, caperine
PRETTY will lay their inspirations at the
goddess's altar.
The American Society Of Professors OF
Dancing Is holding Its annual convention.
The society, It wishes 1t distinctly under
stood, IL not collection Of sordtd persons
who gain their bread and meat by training
the awkward and the fatfoot. II b an
association Of masters, an institution with Q
mission. It desires to regain for the Ameri-
can people the stately grace OF George
Washington's day and to relegate the per-
nicious two-step to Arts ash heap. Against
the two-step. which Ia "a piping the very
life Of dancing, they protest. they have
declared relentless war.
The dancing masters have ught
novelties to Manhattan, inspirations which
will, they fondly hope, rescue their art
from it's deoadenoe. Uncle Dave Bowen
Of Ogdensburg, N. Y, who directed band
that played before King Edward, travelling
as Baron Renfrew, some forty years ago,
who skips lightly under the weight Of IS
years and who has been q teacher OF fine
footwork for seven and fifty Of them, passes
on these inspirations with a shake Of his
hoary head. Art, it is believed, owes
much to the Sage Of Ogdensburg.
Out OF Indiana, where the Center Of
Population, the Bard OF Alamo, Booth
Harrington and the Vice-President have
their habitat, Oskar Duenweg lightly trips
with a new waltz, which, he hopes, may
be come popular even on the Bowery, which
nightly rends TeIpsiohore's robe in a way
that Is low and coarse, and grievously
offensive to the masters. Mr.. Duenwegs
offering Is no moro to be compared to the
foolish, frivolous waltz than Is Mr.. Duen-
veg to such q parasite OF the noble art as
sweets in shirtsleeves to the music Of tin
at Jimpsey. the waitress, revolving IN the
arms Of her steady, Mike the Bite. Such
as these the master from Terre Haute saw
on Tuesday night and the sight saddened
him. He spoke of 1t with profound emotion.
hssf ms Tasd and I l. easd rse sea fa
Latin" said Mr.. Duenweg, -Credo means
I believe Could title be more appro-
PIRATE? Hardly, for I believe in my new
composition. Just as the waltz is the queen
Of dances. 80 may my Credo become the
fairest jewel In the queens crown:
In Indiana, says the master, dancing is
not mere time killer or an excuse for spoon
ing to music. 1t IL vehicle for the ex-
preston of deep emotion. 1t is as stately
as Fairbanks, strenuous as Roosevelt.
four time "This waltz, said Mr., Duenweg.
Is not for the lazy or the listless. II In
sists on the reverse. movement which
BE ems to have fallen into sad disuse. 1t
combines all the known waltz movements
in beautiful poem; It is like q rhapsody,
and esthetic. II one compar es the ordinary
waltz to Paradise Lost the Credo may be
considered Paradise Regained."
Uncle Dave Bowen approves Of the Credo
and has great hopes for it. Friskily lead
ing the new naval gavot Which M ne mas mas,
Dave found time to comment on the past,
present and future OF dancing. In person
ne resembles Senator Depew, nota bly,.
His dress Is OF bygone style. long black
coat and tiny white tie being distlnciive tin
fee lures. Here are the words Of the O,.-
densburg oracle
"The waltz. the index Of our art, must.
can and will be revived. Whenever l see
that Joy, Of ignorsmuses called the two,
step shHadsT makes ssee;oD s soTTG~fs oi e
ana anres Oo steahnq no postc Feeling not
the slightest talent. A mere ohIlt can
two-step. 1t is jerky and junpy and like
nothing so much a. jumping jack work
ing horizontally. 1t is a curse and bane,
a wart on the face Of Art, monstrosity,
n trry hot 10 lny md
lost For the good OF the nation it should
be uprooted, then, maybe, the people will
get back to the old time dances, the light
and graceful mazurkas, the dignified and
stately minuet-the aristoorat OF dances
the ,glisssdes and the polkas' Literature
now dead and gone, the authority on dane
ing, justly named 1t the ignoramus waltz"
Probably the masterpiece OF this years
offerings comes from Springfield, Mass
Thomas A. Holland is the poet; This is
Spirits Of America. The gavot is proper
and picturesque, suitable alike for youth,
spinster or mixed couples. 1t forms in the
figure Of five pointed star, a couple at each
point. The music Of America times the
first part. a, minuet The second part is
and consists, in the words Of Uncle Bowen,
OF lively capers descriptive Of the spirits
Of New England. The Southland rules
the final part and Dixie is the tune, The
dancers oakewalk to the plunking Of banjos
and poetic waltz concludes the MASTER
piece. Uncle Bowen led it craftily for
two hours, finished fresh as a daisy and
1t a world beater.
On Friday morning the various COM
positions viii Be accepted or. rejected by
the executive committee. Oficers will be
elected, too. George w. Wilson Of Port
land, Me-. author Of the "Gayety" waltz.
will probably be the new president. The
society Possesses no honor sufficiently high
for Uncle Dave Bowen. He Ia Nestor,
mentor and court. Of last resort. Uncle
Bowen doesn't warm up on the way New
Workers dance. True art ia overshad-
owed by the skyscrapers, he thinks.