New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-18
COLLEGE TAKES UP DANCING
Miss Virginia Tanner Shows It's
Value in Developing a Child.

Teachers College. which most people con.
meet In their minds with demonstrations OF
microbeless housekeeping and experiments
with ireless cookers and lessons on artistic
laundering and similar useful. serious
things. can he equally keen on frivolous
subjects like dancing. Only they don't take
dancing frivolously up there.
Professor Wood head OF the departnnen,
Of physical education. holds that dancing
IL an important means OF helping the child
TO express itself and attain an sll-round
development and that IS why Miss Virginia
Tanner. the Radcliffe graduate who has
been delving. into the history OF dancing
ever since she left that institution. wa,
asked to come TO Teachers College yester.
day and give some OF the dances OF her
own composition with which she has enter
tanned many private audiences.
The Thompson gymnasium was filed with
professors and instructors and pupils and
guests from outside 10 see the recital ~
Dances as It was called. All the dance.
were I'm costume For the first. a Russian
wedding dance, Miss Tanner wore the high
headdress and the heavy brocade wedding
gown of Russian peasant BRIDE THIS
number was the one folk dance touch o,
the programme.
The next took tho audience Into a differ.
ent atmosphere, being court dance Of tie
seventeenth century which Miss Tanner
had worked out herself from French dance
books come down from those times. Her
dress was copied from seventeenth century
prints-the large ruff the wide skirts Her
costume for the ancient Egyptian dance
which followed this was very different,
with It's long. tight. clinging robe and 10
emblematic headdress, and different from
anything that went before were the slow,
stately steps Of the dance. speaking In
every movement OF the sombre philosophy
of tho Egyptians.
There was nothing sou1bre IN the dance
that folowed--a Joyous Arcsdlan idyl, done.
of course, I'm floating Grecian draperies.
Last OF all, Miss Tanner came out IN cling
ing greenish habniments. and gsve-with
her long hair floating about her-"Tne song
Of the Siren which was quite as haunting
and sinuous and tempting as the name i'm.
plies.
The recital was given under the auspices
OF the department Of music and the 10.
partment Of physical education.
we asked Miss Tanner mere" Professor
Wood said afterwsrd. TO give the teach-
ers and pupils 4 glimpse into the possihili-
ties Of her art. We are deeply interested
here in dancing that has not become COM
mercialized When it goes upon the stage
and gets the faint Of commercialism, n Is
almost sure TO lose its best qualities
Teachers College wishes 10 send out n
structors who can train children IN the
sort OF dancing that Is an art and an edu-
cation
"Our school children need this. See how
awkward many young girls are. They ara
starved and stunted. starved on one size
never have been shown how To expires Z
themselves And among the means OF eX-
presslon-music. literature. the drama -.
dancing should have by no means the low
est place
Miss Tanner was the dancer I'm The
Pageant Of the Perfect city, given in Bo~-
ton last year In August she VIII take part
N a pageant in ThetfOrd. Vt.