Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-12

Washington's dancing is Miss Effie Baker.
who, indeed, is prepared to take up the
cudgels i'll behalf of the newest dance
She. it. Is who has already begun to in
terest esthetes in Washington in the
movement, and who will shortly give a
private performance of her dancing. at
which a few of the elite-"the real minds
of the city"-will learn something of the
futurist dance.
Utter freedom of expression is the
thought which she, brings to Washington
"Meaning?" asked the interviewer.
Meaning, replied Miss, Baker. that
the. articulation must be free. and the in
dividual must move with that ease and
grace which was originally intended.
Dancing. you see
Miss Baker here made a simple, inde-
scribable gesture. It was what to less
esthetic person would have been merely
a wave of the arm. something between
calling a policeman and stopping a taxi
cab. But how different was the express
sion that she put into that gesture. HUI
name liberation, desire to elevate and i'm
prove the mind and disinterested con-
tempt for the ''hoppy'' dances of the
present fashion were all expressed in that
subtle gesture.
The interviewer was fascinated. He
watched the sweep of that arm, the long,
expressive fingers, that seemed to take
hold of something, touch 1t moment
lating curve from shoulder to wrist,
so that he gasped A'fs =dancng!"
|; Apparently Miss Baker didn't realize
that she had made the gesture. She
continued her discussion, That is the
beauty of the futurist dance. 1t isn't a
self-conscious dance. Miss Baker showed
1t. After YOU come to- dance 1t while
you begin to realize that it isn't dance
at all, but a ritual of happiness because
life is s~ood and you are young and the
world is a fair place to live in.
Dancing. ;. Continued Miss Baker, has
travelled around the circle. 1t has begun
splendidly and gone on and on and on.
and at every step it has sunk just a lit
tie bit more. The long sweep of the cir
Gle has ended. Now we viii return to
the older dances Slowly. but surely we
will make our way back to the older
realm of classic purity. This is what we
all should seek
And will society take it. up?" was
asked.
Society" said Miss Baker, may mean
many things. The people of mind and of
appreciation-those who are not too much
, attracted by the conventions of the time
will welcome IL eagerly. There are al
ways many who understand wherever
the dance is danced. 1t is those whom
we would first reach. AS a general dance
-ah, who can say?"
*
But Washington is conventional
YES" assented Miss Baker, Wash
ington is. conventional. But the city Of
convention is by no means the city which
bis bigoted. =Washingtou is a.city OF. many
types of thought: No better place In this
country could be selected for the dissenD
| matt Of the new thought in dancing"
New thought"
"This is more than mere dance. It
lis a moving expression Of a. philosophy
which we have lost in the many, many
years, when men and women sought the
material"
Don't you think-just for argument, OF
course-that a young lady without her
~hoes is just about as material as Wneh
,he has them on?"
For the first time during the interview
Miss Baker showed slight symptoms OF
impatience and you really couldn't blame
her.
"You don't realize" she said, that
pwhen I dance I am not Miss Baker. l
am an Individual expression of a certain
emotion. When dance the dance OF the
wind I only want my audience to feel,
to know, the wind Is blowing. / want
the people to forget there Is an indivio-
ual I want them to become attuned to
the spirit of the emotion. That Is the
purpose of the dance. When expression
has reached perfection The minds OF
audience and dancers will be attuned as
one"
Probably the face of the interviewer In