Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-03
'TROT' BAD; DIP
AND GLIDE GOOD
Dancing Teacher Asserts There
Is Art in Some New Ball
Room Steps.

A progressive in dancing spoke her
sisapproval today of those who scorn
new forms of dancing, merely because
they are new. Miss Lillian Viola Nose
ley. of Atlanta. a pupil OF the great
Chalif, of the Imperial Russian ballet,
and of Romeo, the Italian master, said
that too much conservatism in the art
of dancing Is as Objectionable as in poll
tics or in anything else.
And with her espousal Of the new
things. Miss Moseley ventured a proph-
ecy that within % years dancing would
be revolutionized, the general pubIic's
knowledge Of the art would be lifted
from the superficial to the technical
rag-time music would go, and steps
based on esthetic dancing would be in
troduced
Dancing is an art with technical
basis, just as music or painting or 1T
erature,. she said. rs there any rea-
son"why you should say a new step is
not good, even when 1t is based on the
purest technique. merely because 1t is
new? The world should welcome limo
vations that are artistic"
Dip and Tango Good.
Specifically, she said, the Boston dip
and the tango are good dances. from the
standpoint OF pure art.
when danced by refined persons, the
tango, or glide. and the dip are not OBJ
iectionable." she said. Rather, they
are welcome additions to the art. That
is the whole secret Refinement and
culture in the dancers refines the art
and uplifts It, Superior music is neces-
aary to make 1t what 1t should be, The
better class OF American citizens has a
mission to place dancing on the artistic
plane to which it belongs"
Miss Moseley analysed the dip and
the glide and demonstrated that they
could be graceful enough.
THE dancer unrehned can warp the
waltz or even the minuet into disagree
able FORMS" she asserted.
But with all her progressive nature
Miss Moseely could say nothing In in
dorsement of the turkey trot.
ut has no basis Of technique, and
that condemns II, she SAID.
DisapprovaI For Directors.
Miss Moseley expressed her disap-
prevail OF persons in general who scat
ter objections in the path of dancers,
who rail at the new forms, and yet who
have no knowledge OF the art and its
technique.
"Only those who are qualified should
judge as to the desirablity OF "A dance %
she said "a rag time flend could not
critcise grand opera. The analogy ap-
plies to dancing"
Miss Moseley Is seeking TO Introduce
a knowledge OF the art Of dancing and
its esthetic basis in Atlanta. She drills
class composed OF children of the
first Atlanta families in the technical
and esthetic forms OF dancing-the
classical interpretative, initiative,
characteristic and symbolical.
"They have taken to it easily and
naturally" she said, land it is signifi-
cant as the seed of universal educa-
ton In the art OF dancing, the one art
nearest and most beneficial to the peo-
pie, and yet one about which they know
little"
The education viii take time she
said. and probably opposition from the
conservatives and the ignorant, lust as
the waltz step was vigorously opposed
in the court Of Henry VIII. But she
sees that it ia coming, and she invests
the best classes with the mission to
purify and standardize the art. 1t is
among these that her efforts are di-
rected.
Dancing viii change" she promised,
Just as the waltz and the two-step
succeeded the minuet and the old state
ly. stif forms that we're not dancing
because they were not natural and
free