Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-08
GROWING VOGUE OF CLASSIC DANCES
ny FREDERIC j. HAsKIN

Ne" YORK. August Tn various
newspaper pictorial supplements and
studio windows and other places whore
photographs are exhibited there rc
tchuF appeared charming picture OF
about half dozen young women ir
diaphanous chiffon draperies STANDING
on the deck OF motorboat speeding
past the Palisades OF the hudson.
Zen years ago that picture would
nave been hard 10 explain. unless
mere had been fire in one Of the
high-class young ladies' finishing
schools in that section, compelling the
inmates 10 take to the boat with n few
window curtains by way Of clothes.
To-day the explanation is easy. They
are CLASSIC dancers, on the way home
from country frolc. Classic dane
ing is all the go in New York, on and
off the stage. Its em:nently respect
able and even scholarly standing !s
shown by the fact that one Of tn,
leading womcn's colleges OF America
recently celebrated its commencement
by giving an outdoor pageant in which
inc classic Sarb and dance played a
says on Etruscan art and Greek anti
duties. the girl graduates took OF
their shoes and stockings and things
and got out on the lawn and gave
their own interpretation OF how the
ancIents looked and acted.
lsadora Duncan started the craze.
Her beautiful! barefoot damciu; cap
uvated New York ami inspired
thousands OF women with a desire 20
do likewise. Forthwith. as though b.
magic, studios OF Grecl; dancing sprane
up all over town. Society took il up
Schools and colleges added IL TO their
curricula. Municipal Fairgrounds and
Young Womcn's Christian Associations
employed teachers of 1t. 1t seemed as
though the young woman OF America
had just been waiting for n chance TO
romp in her bare feet.
There seems TO be no doubt but what
She has benefited immensely by tho
experience. For one thing. many fat
women have danced themselves thin,
Also, many sickly girls have danced
their way to health According TO the
opponents OF the new art, II Is the
normal and natural exercise Tor
women. Physical culture is too me
chanical, while athletics are too siren
nous FOR many. barefoot dancing NJ
rords an opportunity for spontaneous.
rhythrnical movement giving full play
TO grace and originality. without max
ing heavy demands upon the strength.
Supposed to De Greciun.
The Greek ancestry OF this barefoot
dancing is n little hard to trace. In
typical studio devoted to the new
art You will see a few prints and bas-
relicfs Of Greek dancers, introduced by
way of classical atmosphere The
.Athenian damsels seem TO be going
through a sort OF light and airy jig
pfn II, MI flan
In the same studio you will see
great many photographs OF the mod
ern Observation-Disclosures young Ia
dies in the characteristic slight cos
tune. racing down the country roads,
rompng In pastures, posing prccari-
ously on mountain tops With sunrise
for an Illuminating background, and
balancing daintily on one foot while
pointing at the back of the neck with
the other. In q word. the modern
stunt is Greek by name and very
American in its strenuosity and in
ventivenesS.
Helen Moller is typical and very
graceful teacher and practitioner of
this new art. She says that she has
looked up the Greek dances in the
public library and derived lot OF in
spiration from them. Personally, she
halls from Bird Island. NTinn.-popu-
lation, 4O0-and is OF Swedish and Ger
man parentage. Out in Bird Island
she went barcfooted until she was a
great big girl Also she did not have
many other children to play with. so
she got in the habit Of romping with
her fathers pointer dogs. Thus she
learned to run and leap in her bare
feet, and developed great strength and
agility.
When she was about twenty years
old, every one told her that she had
great dramatic talent and that she
ought to go to New York and train
herself for the stage. Accordingly, to
New York she came, and set herself to
study singing and the piano.
They put her i'm small stufy rooms
and made her practice scales There
was very little air to breathe or room
to move about. She missed the plains
around Bird Island. and the pointer
dogs. Furthermore, she realized that
1t was going TO be a long way TO fame
by the road she was then travelling.
Followed IsRdorn Duncan.
1t was about that time that Isadora
Duncan had made classic dancing "a
fad. Miss Moller saw her and knew ut
once what she wanted TO do. She also
observed that all the people i'm New
York who were doing things and maxi
ing money came from somewhere IN
the West or somewhere i'm the South.
and that their self-confidcnco and
hustle seemed To he their chief assets.
She had both OF these qualities in
large lunches. SO shc hired large
duplex" studio-hpartment overlooking