White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-22
THE TANGO IS NOT.
A WILD DANCE
IGNORANT CRITICS CONFUSE
POPULAR STEPS OF ANCIENT
ORIGIN WITH MODERN MOVE
MENTS OF QUESTIONABLE
CASTE.

Oh, joy, We dance. All of us
dance. Time was when only a few
mental feather-weights "tripped the
light fantastic" Now everybody dips
and glides. And especially every
body tangoes. And this dancing
mania of modern times is a good
thing. 1t draws out "our lean and
hungry friend who thinks too much
and it has even hypnotized the bridge
fend, says a writer in the Philadel-
phia Record.
Former bridgettes now flock to
the tango tea and evening parties
where the modish dances are to be
INDUCED in. Writers are busy figur-
uring out tago beginnings. One
gives it a South American origin, as
the tango Argentine. Another de-
clares it a product of old Spain, the
word coming from the Spanish tan
gonette'-a form of castanet used in
dancing. Humorists insist that it is
derived from the Latin tango" a
verb which young students love be-
cause of its delightful irregular con-
jugation (tango. tangere, tetegi,
tactum.)
But why go to the Latin when
there's a nice Spanish verb ready to
cofun tonoir which nnanc RI touch
tango, | touch. This would seem
to do very well, referring to the
proximity of the partners as they go
through the various evolutions.
There is a general impression in
some quarters that the tango is a
wild dance. 1t is not. 1t is tame
and slow and must not be confused
with the turkey trot. nor the bunny
hug. This impression has led many
to denounce it. Bishops and other
authoritieshave rallied at it and some
people who perhaps know have risen
to remark that the tango of the ca
baret is very different from that of
good society. These wise mes do not
tell the location of the cabarets to
which they so mysteriously refer else
the uninitiated might inform them
selves.
Assyriologists inform us that the
tango was danced in Assyria in 1900
b. c., some $500 years ago, and thai
they can prove it by frescoes. The
frescoes may prove that the dance
was the same, but they also prove
that the costuming was different.
One pair considered that a quaint
bandeau in the hair, huge rings in
the ears. and a necklace and a girdle
were sufficient. These articles GER
tainly did not impede their move
ments. Many of the tomb decora-
tons of ancient Egypt likewise show
called a tango as anything else. The
women logged themselves out in
anklets, bracelets, armlets, jeweled
eirdles, deep necklaces and tremen-
dous headdresses, while the men
(courteously mindful of the inspira-
ton which would be needed by MS
5000 or 5000 years later wore the
tango tunic, a queer spreading little
affair.
Those who prefer Grecian inspira-
ton find any amount of it. Not a
few statues represent a sublimated
tango, and, save for the costumes. or
lack of them, these statues of thirty
centuries ago show steps now being
enjoyed as most modern of the
modern.
Dress for the Tango.
Let you know about tango dress?
Ever so glad to-. Naturally tango
dress is like every other dress. That
is there is the afternoon dress in
which one attends the 1.-The Tango"
and there's the evening dress in
which one dances this much-discussed
dance in the evening. However, |
must admit that out of n hundred
women the other evening ninety at
least looked undressed. No skirts to
speak of below the knees, but just a
suspicion of skinny drapery; no
corsage above the high belt, except a