The Washington times., 1915-04-27
Rhythmic Dance An ExE O 5ition
of A Fast Advancing Civilization
Offers An Opportunity to
Develop Individual Char
acteristics, c ON m IN IS
Alice Irene Blair, Exponent
and Teacher.
By FLORENCE E. YODER.
Why Is rhythmic dancing?

why is rhythmic dancing?
In an earnest attempt to solve that
question. and to find out from
whence has sprung the desire OF not
only Washington, but all society. to
indulge in the art of dancing. to
music clad in more or less gauze,
and with ones toes quite exposed to
the breezes, Miss Alice Irene Blair.
a self-confessed exponent of the
rhythmic dance In this city was
sought out.
or course, Miss Blair made a sci
entifc answer based on fact. In
- stead of a hit or miss answer based
on rumor, so 1t Is easy to under
stand.
"khythmic dancing" she said in
most kindly way. rs an evolution.
is social dancing, is dancing for
every one instead of tho few. Its
individual appeal to the intellect plus
the freedom of physical expression
sounds the note Of the century-in-
dividualism.
Rhythmic dancing. or interpreta-
something out from the inner soul.
Is a medium by which an advancing
civilization can be adequately eX-
pressed. This the old forms of the
dance could not do: by old forms /
mean the false forms which grew up
which was forced and stilted."
In other words, according to Miss
Blair. we are turning to rhythmic
dancing because we just simply cant
help It! So the folks who are one by
one being lured into the ranks Of
dancers. who leave the fox-trot and
the half-and-half for the cool and
airy gambol in the open. are not fol-
lowing a fad, or will-o'-the- wisp.
but are actually following the
promptings Of an all guild nG and in
sistent evolution.
The Story Dance.
Miss Blair recently allowed her
pupils to appear in "story-dance.
which is typical of the rhythmic
training. The story of Endymion
was interpreted by means or music
and dancing. so timed and correlated
as to give a perfect and sequential
tale.
Thus the dance is coming on.
Instead Of merely doing something
in time to music. Of merely Being
able to do one thing and have that
one thing rhythm marked by move
mcnts OF the hands and feet. stiff,
standardized movements, We have
progressed to the point where we
can do several things at once. We
can dance to the music with our
feet. and then act out story CT
an Interpretation of the music itself
with our whole bodies, =
This merely in way OF explanation
of the dance, and now for the more
dignified statements Of Miss Blair.
AT first" she said. there was
the art of dancing as interpreted
by the Greeks. 1t stood for a per-
fccted civilization and time OF
mental and physical perfection such
as had never been known before
But In a long period which followed
when Europe was finding itself this
art was submerged and the types
of dancing expressive of the vary.
ing evolution resulted. At last So
ciety reached point where the
dance as interpreted By Gcnee
reached Its height Then the for.
NAL dance. the personification OF a
standardized rhythm. was made,
with Gcnee the ballet reached its
height, and the body was made a per-
feet machine. physically capable Of
responding to all OF the demands OF
rule and routine. There was little OF
no creative or original intelligence
necessary. But. dissatisfied with
purely mechanical perfection and In
the hope of putting more than mere
bodily prescribed movement In the
dance. Anna Pavlowa came forward
She was a product Of the ballet
school. but she also infused some OF
dance with intelligence. She began
her interpretative dancing. Now
when In her dances formal ballets are