The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-11-13
THE DANCES OF TODAY

I'm sec luanO flrSt
During the last decade dancing has
undergone a decided evolution The
old dances our parents enjoyed have
been supplantcd by the newer styles
IN the same manner as the changes
OF vogue III dress. The stately minute
and hilarious Virginia Reel were
gradually displaced by the waltz and
tWo-stcp, which i'll turn, hesitation
waltz, and maXiXe.
The dances of today are a decided
innovation. 50 greatly have they APP
pealed to the public that they have
been almost unanimously adopted by
the general dancing public. In New
\ ork, where these dances were first
shown, the people have literally gone
dancing mad. AZ first the style OF the
dances was exceedingly Vulgar. The
turkey trot, bunny hug, etc, called
forth very just criticism from the pull
pit, press and some of the leading
citizens throughout the country But
these dances did not last long, and
now they are seldom, ii ever, seen.
Then there sprang up wide diver
slty Of styles caused by different
teachers advocating their respective
methods. This promised to create
quite confusion for a time, until in
April of this year the Colony Club Of
New York City undertook to facilitate
matters. This they accomplished very
successfully in this manner All the
leading teachers Of New York were
invited to demonstrate their rcspec-
tive styles Of dancing before this club,
which is composed OF many OF the
leading club and society women. A
| Il ,.,l
ever style they thought was the sim
plest and most attractive Tor ball
room use.
The dancing artists very graciously
responded to the invitation. The most
prominent opponents were MIR, and
Mrs. Vernon Castle, who conduct the
Castle House in New York City. Their
Interpretation of the one -tep was un-
animously adopted which includes the
! Castle walk, a creation of their own.
The hesitation waltz adopted was de-
monstrated by Miss Joan Sawyer,
which Includes several steps suitable
for ballroom dancing. The maXiXc.
the very latest craze, was taken from
combination Of steps shown by the
Castles and A. Baldwin Sloan. The
tango, everyone conceded as belong
| lllB 10 AdIlOS pSDdSllllC anu HIS WI -
sion of that peculiar dance was re-
| commended.
After the committee had picked out
these different steps, the entire club
was convened-the steps again shown,
and moving pictures were taken OF
those adopted (some Of which were
shown in Boise this summer) with the
approval of the Colony Club stamp
| a., he I'd Cta
| for ballroom use Now, with some
slight variations in the method of
| teaching, these steps are completely
standardized and one learning the
! dances as taught in New York need
/ than some one else. Much of the Gre
dit for the movement and ultimate re-
suit is due to Miss Elizabeth Mar
bury, prominent member of the club
who arranged the meeting of the tea
cheers and supervised the exhibition.
Some realization of the grip the
dances have upon the New York peo-
pie may be derived from the fact that
at least a dozen legitimate theatre have
discontinued, some turning the down
stairs into moving picture shows and
the roof gardens into dancing gar
dens. The Aerial Garden at the AM
sterdam theatre is probably the larg-
est dancing garden and will accomo-
date over $50 couples at once. The
Jardine de Danse, on the roof OF the
New York theatre, will accommodate
1900 diners and $50 couples dancing.
The Palais de Dance and Joan Saw
yer's Persian Gardens are both i'm
mense creations, to accommodate the
dancing public. Then there are hun
dreds of smaller dance halls or trot-
teries as they are called, located IN
the heart of the city. Admission
ranges from one dollar down and
| tables must be engaged days in adj
vance, when the season is at its height
/ Alternating with the exhibition dances
of salaried artists the people dance,
afternoon and evening. 1t takes re-
/ lays of musicians to meet the continu-
Gus strain of playing-these are usu-
ally composed of colored players, with
liberal use of kettle drums, tom
toms and banjos.
4 The dances themselves, when pro-
/ perly executed, are the pcrsontcatton
l of grace and beauty. The one-steI
as now danced eliminates all con
tortions OF the body and tlouncing Of
the arms and elbows. The hesitation
waltz is a measured and stately glide
mingled with a graceful and refined
variations-exceedingly beautiful t.
watch and pleasing to dance. Tht
maxixe is a development of the mos
attractive kind OF folk dancing, Sc
to two-step time. 1t is by far thu
most popular of all the new dances
The tango, being more difficult ant
also keeping the dancers too long il
one place, will never become popula
in the ballroom
There is no doubt that the coming