The Semi-weekly leader., 1912-02-07
MINUET COMES BACK
Queen Mary Of England Would
Revive Slow Tempo.
New York Is Already Making Plans
for Its Adoption and In London
Debutantes Are Hard at Work
Learning steps.

New York-"Slow" dances are
coming in again. Queen Mary
of England has brought about
the new fashion. and already New
York is making plans for its adoption.
In London the debutantes are hard at
work learning the new steps. Some
Of these steps are rather complicated.
for they go back to the days Of the
minuet and other charming old world
dances. 1t is almost revolution.
The new dances are one Of the first
things In which the influence Of the
young English queen Is being felt
Mary,of England is an admirer Of any
thing that is beautiful and graceful.
She dislikes anything that Is the.
slightest approach to roughness. The
courtly manners and charming pos
turings and movements of former days
always have been highly regarded by
her. Thus the new dances have her
great appreciation. Meantime the
fashionable and gay Londoners are
mourning a little. At any rate, they
are obedient, since the merest sug-
gestion of "England's first lady" IL a
command. But the livelier dances Of
the last few years have been very
popular. The Kitchen lancers." for
example, has proved unfailing fun.
The debutantes and the young fellows
Of high society In London are q tribe
dubious as to whether they are go
ing to have such good times now that
"slow" dancing has become an es-
'tablished thing.
"The tendency is SO far away as
possible from the rapid and gay dam
cling Of the past" said a widely
known dancing master in New York.
The English fashion win be adopted.
In our dancing We follow England
very closely. Before the winter is
over, so far as we can see Il, many
Of the minuet steps viii be In. How
popular they win prove, ! can't say.
They are not being taken up any too
cheerfully In London. from what We
hear"
Yes. slow dances and old world
dances are being revived again" said
Oscar Duryea. I'VE are getting away
from the chicken hop and the bear
hug as much as possible and making
the tempo slower. The idea now Il TO
bring back many of the old dances
and old steps from as far back a. 20
years ago, In some cases even longer
ago than that These dances have
e0ma honfr upIop vawx n~~aa aud
somewhat modified. Today the most
popular dance is the long Boston
waltz What will lead In popular
opinion six months from now Il is diff
flcult to say, but It certainly win be
some slow step suggested at least by
one Of the almost forgotten dances OF
the old world courts"
It win be interesting to note whether
this revival Of the spirit at least Of
the courtly old minuet win have .
marked influence on the costumes Of
men and women. The idea II too new
even In London for dressmakers aid
tatlors to prophesy. But one thing IL
certain. that II the "slow" dance with
ANYTHING like the minnat aAans be
comes the thing, the snort danc1ng
frock Of the debutante and ali the
young girls In fashionable circles must
With the old-time, measured step.
It wm have to be replaced By gowns
with trails.
While this one modification In COS
tuning d assured. others are posi-
BILE. There 10 no question but the
black coat and trousers and white
waistcoat do not harmonic with the
picturesque attitudes Of slow and
stately dancing. Knee breechaD Of
black and black silk stockings would
not be too much OF an evolution for
men II new dancing modelled ON that
OF another era became the vogue.