The Washington herald., 1909-07-04
MAUD ALLAN ON DANCING.
Natural, SpOnt= aeOus Expression
of the Emotions

Prom the Lor5ou Ctrcuicc-
To q crowded meeting of the o. P
Clu5. held the other night al the Critic
ZION Restaurant in London Mss Maud
Allan disc0ursed on the Attainable Ideal
in Dancing. She has pleasant voice
soft and low-"an excellent thing IN wo-
man" though not 50 excellent in a
+ lecturer.
Whilst seeking advice how best 20 dis
charge the task she had undertaken. she
said. she was told 20 explain her own
attitude toward the subject. 4 haven't
one" said Miss Allan 1 have not The
/ faintest idea why dance as do. I have
only one axiom 70 PROFOUND. one text
upon which 90 preach my sermon Il Is
this. Dancing IS the spontaneous express
sion OF the spiritual state. II has been
so since the beginning OF time. and VIII
continue SO until time Is 10 more.
"Of course. by dancing I mean natural
dancing. not the tortUring and tortured
/ contortions Of schools. but TIE move
menJs evoked by. and which seek 20 give
/ expression 90. the imperi0us commands OF
ones own nature. movements which IN
terpret the force. and even the phiIoso-
phy OF our own Individual emotions. In
such movements the body flies 10 meet
the thoughts of the soul. and seeks 20
give them Interpretation in the insistent
eloQuence Of unconsidered gesture
What Is the cOronary2 Why. Just
this: If the emotions are impure. the
dance VIII be impure: II they are artil-
I cial the dance win be artificial. and r
they are noble and sweet. the dance viii
be noble and sweet beyond all powers
I OF description.
Dancing Is not an acquired art" Miss
Allan declared Tt Is q spontaneous art;
revealing. perhaps. more than any other.
/ the temperament OF the dancer Without
/ thar undennahle quality whlch s. called
temperament. the dance IS meaningless.
I Dancing is a spontaneous expression Of
spiritual state. The dancers art is the
/ dancers life.
Natural dancing expresses the music
+ OF which IL is part; II IS not drilled or
/ compelled by Il. The music and the
/ dance are one. undivided. fnseparable
! These conditions show 2 tremendous.
/ q terrifying responsibility upon the dan
I Ger. She feels that she IS interpreting
an art IN which the least error OF tact
( or taste involves her in hopeless and re-
+ pelaut vuIgarity- Il IS dreadful 20 think
T that dancing may be made 10 illustrate
and perhaps no art can illustrate so well
/ the lowest and most brutal passions
/ that sway humanity. Such things should
not be memorable IN the same breath
with natural dancing. which is primarily
/ capable OF expressing only what IS
healthful and beautiful
/ In the dawn of art. dancing was purely
religious IN character Everything points
! to-day to the fact-I am reverentiy proud
70 ind myself IN a position 20 say it-that
We are returning 10 the religious ideal. 20
+ the ideal OF the Greeks. Let Us foster
this ambition: let Us once more cultivate
I the beauty Of movement, and dedicate
I the results 10 the service Of beauty and
T OF truth. which are one"
/ So with the claim that really beautiful
dancing IS the highest expression OF civ
ilization. Miss Allan brought her address
+ 20 en- end
( AS one OF the subsequent speakers ad-
mitted, IT was bit above MS head. Most
I Of the congregation felt, perhaps. that
/ they had been listening to a sermon. and
were vaguely disappointed Aristotle and
I DR.. Johnson and the Niebelung legend
/ and TheOcritus are a little remote from
I the star turn" al the Palace Theater.