The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-02
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 pictures of the canny scotchnan was saucy young girl also dressed in the plaids and looking for the world as if ready Tor a 'hornpipe. Here is one,H he continued, "in the Italian national dress and another in the Spanish, ready | for some of the dances peculiar to tn cir nations. And these-this woman with her garish, gaudy costume and the man in his. are both Russian Then he drifted into a discussion of the Russian dances which showed his marked partiality for this type.
 Do you regard the Russians as the leaders in dancing?' he was asked, and | answering in the affirmative, explained that Russia of all the nations has most dignified the art establishing an imperial school of dancing and giving royal patronage to dancing as an art. For this reason a nation, they have achieved much.
 | 'I remember reading of the Russian countess, Swirska." I observed. Did you see her while you were in the east?'
 She was one of our pupils" replied MT. Miles. "A part of the summer she spent | in Newport and Bar Harbor where she gave her classical dances, and a part at the Chalif school in New York. Yes, she Is as beautiful as her pictures indicate. She frequently practiced her dances in
 
 ence of number of us, and was always barefoot. That is the way she dances. you know. NIirrzah Cheslr is another one that I saw this summer he re- marked 'who has achieved something of name" But not Pavlowa?' quered, and he said: No; for she and Mordkia were not in this country. I am looking forward, however. to seeing them this winter when hax raf,1 f, must see them Every one is talking of their wonderful art And so he discussed many of the artists the contracting characteristic of Isidora Duncan and Maud Allen, with Ruth St | Denis; the distinguishing features of many schools and types of dancing-the i peculiar grace of the hands in the Greek | dances, the light, graceful swayng of the body in the Russian-in that inimtable way which he talks of the subject which | is closest to him. But to return to the Boston," I re- marked. "Will that be taken up here this winter?" Yes" he said. q shall teach the Bos- ton glide to my Wednesday morning class. This was introduced only this summer. The Boston glide, you must know, is like most other dances merely a combination of other steps. All of the
 
 old worked out into some more graceful or perhaps more intricate form-. Should you look into the history of dancing you would find that here as in most fields of research, ther Is nothing new under the sun The art of dancing is as old as the the hills. We read of it in the Bible where dances were used in the per formance of religious rites. The art real ly dawned in Egypt. and the ancient ca1t xxyifh such activity that they even began to neglect other arts in it's pursit It be- came an actual language. Interpreting sentiments and passions, and held it's place in religious ceremonials in many of the ancient places"
 Then 1t became included among gym nastics, was accounted a military exer- else, and prescribed by physicians. This idea has again dawned and during the past few years dancing has been intro duced as one of the physical exercises in most of the first-class schools for girls in this country. In some, all other exer- cises have been abandoned and athletic dancing substituted. One of the prettiest spectacles l have ever witnessed was d horde of children in Central park this summer. There were probably 5000 and the teachers in the schools were with them. At given signal the waiting chill dren assembled for a dance, coming from every direction, and their eagerness, their happiness in the dancing, was beautiful. In no other exercise could they have found such intense enjoyment"
 Speaking of the increased popularity of dancing, MT. Miles said: .1t has be- come the fad of the moment. and this has given rise to the so-called freak dances. Some that I witnessed this sum- mer in New York were simply amazing Dancing, by the way, forms large per cent of every attraction at the theatres; but the dope and other outlandish and spectacular demonstrations of the things that may be accomplished in dancing are but the growth of craze for this popu- lar amusepent And, speaking of freak dancing" he said, impressively q must mention custom that has grown in Br- mingham, and I really think spells more pleasure than any social error that I cant think of-that of breaking in upon a dance. In my cotillion classes last win ter I had great difficulty persuading the boys that it is not good form and that, for many, it destroys the pleasure of dance. The horror of getting stuck weighs upon the very young boy, l be- lieve, more than any of his social trou- bles, and have seen them refuse to