The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-01-10
Dancing "Hugging
Set TO Music


The dances OF to-day have degener. :
sted until they are little better than
hugging matches.''
so snys "A dancing master OF this city.
and he should be one TO krow. because
he has spent the greater part OF a life
time teaching dancing steps. Gray
hairs are coming to his head. and he
begins TO feel his age. He talked a few
days ago OF what dancing used To be-
and what IL IL now.
ITS just plain. busy hugging bee
the dance today" he snid. The young
men get a hnif- Neison on their girls,
and hug and hug until they're Rugged.
out. Why. II they had To work three.
hours as hard at something else they'd
say they had the hardest Job on earth,
They'd ask for a raise In pay and shor-
ter hours. They'd want tn organize a,
union for the protection OF their down
troddcn class.
The Women Like u.
Understand me. I'm talking Of ev-
cry class of dancers. Go to fashionable
society Affairs. and you'll see the same
hugging--a little more artistic. per-.
haps. but they're Just the Same. I've
heard girls say. Why. Mr.. So-and-so'
holds you just as close. and he's n.
lovely danccr!' You see. the hugee' In,
In for the game. too. Have you ever,
waltz? Ever note their positions?
In the first place. the young man,
| puts his right arm around the girl just,
| ns far ns ne can put lie grasps her,
left hand. pulls 10 over his left shoulder
they lean forward. and M the music
| starts they sort az brace their Shout
ders together and glide out ON the
| floor. She rests her chin upon him,
while he hugs.
We gods. think OF 10. Why nifty
years ago II "a young man had tried
TO dance that way he'd have been shot.
Society would have Stunned him. The
doors OF all good homes would have,
been locked against him. But now, to-,
day, he's snvited To- come tn the best OF
them and he hugs to his hearts con-.
tent. Why. the kind or dances danced
shows the degeneration. When did you
see them dance one OF the old time,
polkas. the gailop or gavottc? Even
It's the waltz. the two-step and once
In great great while the schottischc.
hussing to Music.
The waltz, and the two-step. the two.
great American hugging to- music
dances, take UP all the time. No other
dance affords the opportunities, hence
| no other dance In danced"
The two-step II just as bad as the
waltz. only the dancers have To be more
| get 'em tangled. It's jumping dance,
where they jump together and hug as
/ they 60. The two-step is popular. tooa
because 40 many of the pretty pieces
/ az catchy popular music are written
| in 'two-step time The dance first
, sprang INTO prominence about the time
/ OF the Spanish American war. when 80
many persons looked upon II as n mill
| tary dance. and when so many snappy
pieces of instrumental music were
written.
! But It's dance I'm which frequently
/ the same position Is assumed as for the
waltz. lie puts his right arm around
1 her. Just as high up on her back as he
can reach, He draws her left arm up
In n little knot. and az they balance ALI
shey get the swing together and OF they
| 20. humping this one. showing that one.
| Their bodies sway In unison, and the
swinging air OF the music increases
their delight. The music makes them
forget. Were they 10 dance so long
without Il, they would be painting for
breath. And they do grow tired. but
they don't feel the effects until after it's
| over.
How II Ought TO De Done.
mo. sir. something has TO be done
10 correct our dances. IL II isn't they
will fall into bad ways. and some day
be discarded. That's the tendency.
| When the young man learns In n waltz
TO only half enclrcle the young wom-
ans waist with his right arm. hold her
! right hand nearly at arms length from
4 his body: and when the young woman
learns TO let her left hand lie loosely
: on the young mans sleeve. then they
will dance as they should dance. But IL
they continue making movements
which arc "A sort OF a combination be-
/ tween n can-can and "a cake walk.
they'll see dancing abandoned.
How I'd like to see the old quadrlllc.
the polka, the mnzurka. the Maryland.
the Rockaway. the military galiop and
the old Highland gavotte revived and
danced with the pleasure they afforded
I'm olden days. The dancers enjoyed
them just as much and the dances
were n million times more refined"
The dancing master says he teaches
his pupils the proper positions 20 take.
| But IL they want To enter the hugging
game" he says. II tell them To go In