The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-10

"ROY AND MARGARET WEST
KINNEY, who made their rcpu-
i tation in Chicago. are now liv-
ing in New York. The Kinneys
as illustrators have an enviablc fame.
being artists. they have been attracted
6y the decorative aspect of dancing
(which now popular art they have studied
for a number OF years and in many
countries. The result of this study is a
book entitled "The Dance" ,Stokes).
which they have not only written hut
Illustrated. There are a frontispiece in
color and 176 line drawings and dia-
grams and 1874 illustrations in bla.k
and white from photographs. II you
can get a more illustrated book than
that l should like to know it,
The kinneys take up every aspect Of
dancing as an art and they have studied
II as artists and lovers of the beautiful
There Is no other book that l know Of
that covers the subject so completely
because there is no other book so up
to date. 1t is a valuable and interesting
performance. In their preface the Kin
neys say:
american love OF animated beauty
and delight in skill predestne us to he
a race of ardent enthusiasts over the
dance. Among us. however, there are
many VINO nave never dtttDttu IL as GIL
art worthy of serious attention. As a
gentle answer to that point of view n
historical resume Is included VIII, elm
statesmen. philosophers and monarchs
show the high respect in which the art
has been held, save in occasional lapses,
In all periods Of civilized history
The Kinneys begin with the dancing
Of ancient Egypt and rsecc and come
down to the modern social dancing of
to-day. They have travelled all over
Europe to study the dancing of all coun-
tries under the best conditions-the
dances of the people in their own sur
koundings. not after they are imported
10 this country.
That dancing Is not a new art can be
proved by Egyptian carvings OF six
thousand years ago. Then the dance
was a religious rite and abundant evil
Gence attests the Importance in which IT
was held at all times through the period
of Egypts power.
All through the Bible we see illusions
90 dancing but in those days the dance
was a stately and graceful performance;
there was no tangoing or turkey trot-
ting. The dance of the seven wells be-
fore Herod was. If We may judge by
the way it was danced in Massenets
Oper as beautiful a thing as could pos
sibly be imagined. All through the
Bible also We find illusions showing that
dancing was held in high respect not
only by ordinary people but by thinkers
and philosophers. praise the Lord
49, praise Him with timbrel and the
dance" was a command.
The golden age of dancing was when
Louis XIV. was King of France. In the
early part of the past century there
were wonderful and famous dancers.
such as Fannie Ellsler and Taglioni, the
latter the greatest dancer of her day.
She was "a being of spirit. innocent Of
mortal experience. free from ties OF the
earth. Her training was strictly within
Hhe bounds of the classic ballet: during
her career she greatly amplifed its
range. yet she always kept within its
premise.
Though born in Stockholm her father
was an Italian ballet master, and two of
her aunts We're dancers of reputation.
Her achievements represented tri-
umph of photographic inheritance and
training over an i'll formed body; in
childhood she is said to have been a
hunchback With training her figure
became normal In strength and attained
q quality of form in keeping with her
selected roles. But overstrong features
deprived her Of the dancers adventurous
aid of facial beauty.
"Vienna she conquered at the age of
90 in 1922, the year of her debut
Paris was not so readily moved. but
success in that capital was prac-
teal necessity to a great career. and
Taglioni never rested until she secured
its approval expressed In terms that
penetrated Europe.
Business generalship was not the
least Of the attributes of the TagIioni
father and daughter-they recognized
the propitious hour for an engagement
in London. The contract included pen
sioning number of their family and
100 a performance. Results more than
justified the terms-tickct sales for Tag
Iioni's nights usually were of the nature
Of riots"
Fannie F,llsler, it will be remembered,
came TO this country, Preachers
preached against her and editors wrote
against her because she was IA dancer
and we were too puritanioal in those
days to admit that We cared for the
dancers art. It Is told however, that
Horace Greeley and Margaret Fuller
went together to see Ellslcr dance and
that they were both impressed with the
grace and beauty of her art. The Kin
neys name Taglioni AS the greater artist
OF the two, but they were apparently
equally popular with the public, for
Elser had n riotous triumph in Lon
don as did Taglloni.
The Kidneys give u chapter To Span
ish dancing. which they saw on its
native heath
1.-THE dancing Of Spain divides into two
schools he purely Iberian, exempt frsn
gypsy influence, which is known AS
the classic. and the work Of gypsy origin
and character which Is gcnericaly
known as the flamenco. The two over
lap to the extent Of a few dances that