The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-24
ARGENTINE CAMP DANCE.
The Gauchs n tIis Heat Giri -Dancins the
Gate and TN llota.

Tho camp DANCES Of tho Argentine
pampaa are mOre or less elaborate affairs,
according to the preteneions Of the houses
that give them. On entering tho house
where tho dance Ia being held you arc
ushered at once to tho kitohen-there will
often be only two rooms In a houae-where
you will find tho rect Of the guests sitting
about drinking mate. II there Ia a chair
in the house 1t will be given to you in def
erence 10 tho '~distinguido' position the
family believe you to occupy In the world
OF affairs, az outlined by your Argentine
friend and sponsor In soliciting your lnvi-
tation, says a correspondent Of the Loe
Angeles Times. II there Is no chair you
get the broadcast and moothnst horse skull
to sit upon, or, II you prefer, a blanket.
The girls present are robustly developed,
straight backed young persons, who carry
themselves with easy grace. They are
dressed neatly in dresses that cover them
from shoulder to shoe top. and have a lot
OF funny filings on them that you will not
be able to describe. This men are of the
gauoho type, and brave In all the splendor
Of their best ponchos, chiripas and a lot Of
other technical and untranslatable fnery.
All wear loose, half top boots. a gaudy
handkerchief about the neck. an extremely
broad brimmed felt hat on the head, and,
browning feature OF all. around the waist
a huge foot wide belt. called a tirador. This
unique affair may have anywhere from
o to a dozen pockets or bags sewed in
1t, az we'll as a sheath for knife and
a holster for a revolver. Those worn at
dances are often decorated with embroidery
or silver work.
The dancing 10 begun on tho earthen
floor Of the kitchen, which from Its nature
does not permit Of much In the way of
gliding. The two most popular dances are
the cato and the hota. In this dance
you begin working out to the music Of q
guitar, the musician picking away for five
minutes or so at q kind Of monotonous
strumpity strump tune, from which he
breaks into a eong. When this song starts
you must, according to the rules, stop dane
ing and salute you partner with an APP
propriate verse Of poetry. She. in turn,
must counter with q siufllr verse, and
then, the song being over. you begin dancing
again to the strumpity strump.
The hota is a Cross between a Highland
fling and a Spanish ~fandango.. Dancing it,
you and your partner face, without touch
ing, each other, do q sort Of double shuttle
with your feet, snap your fingers above your
heads in imitation OF castanets, all the time
ga zing fixedly into each others eyes. This
last is the principal rule Of the game, and il
you let your eyes wander for a moment to
where another girl is dancing your partner
stops work instantly, gives her fine shout
dersa shrug, her equally fine head a toss and
goes back TO her horse skull" in a huff.
o will always be in danger of being
favored with an invitation from q jealous
sweetheart to accompany him of into the
moonshine to fight for the hand and heart
Of the lady. In this event 1t Is a hundred to
whose lack Of interest In the proceedings it
is etiquette for neither the host nor the
guests to interest themselves. Should you
chance to be the other man you are no whit
better of, for you will then have the girl on
your hands.
A dance lasts from whenever it begins to
something after sunrise the next morning.
You have a supper about midnight and a
breakfast toward daylight: both consist
principally Of a hot stew called a gisa. Men
and women are served separately, though
for what reason / ha We never been able to
determine. Between dances II you do as
the rest do, you suck up mate and drink
ca ma, though wisdom advises q total avoid
ance of the latter. Cana is a rum made from
sugar cane, and it has the peculiar property
Of ~swooping down upon the faculties Of the
drinker when he thinks it 10 not affecting |
in the least with all the suddenness and
fury Of the explosion of a delayed charge of
dynamite. By the time the hour Of breaking
up arrives every one Is tired out.