South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-02-27
DANCING INTEREST
IS QU|CkENED
Leading Masters Say America
is Dancing Off Depression
Caused by War.

CHICAGO, Feb. 27.-America' :
interest in dancing has quickened
since hostiHties ended. according TO
leading dancing masters, who de
clare that the public young and old.
are literally dancing off the depres-
sion of war.
Since early December. record
crowds have flled public and pri-
vate halls. clubs. cafes and other
places where dancing is permitted.
Similar conditions obtain in other
cities, the masters say, dancing
classes, in many cases including
father, mother and children of one
family, have increased to six times
the number they contained during
the war months.
There are no new dances to which
the increased interest may be at
tributed. Indeed, the experts pre-
dict that the pre-war dances-the
one step. waltz and fox trot-will
continue TO be the standard for the
next ten years, for they have per-
feet rythm, and only dances with
perfect rythm can survive.
OF course. tempernental America,
ever craving variety, must have its
freak steps, twists, turns. dips and
slides, but these are merely passing
fancies. the masters explain. They
add that these steps. silly as they
seem. take thought and there can
not be dancing rythm W here thought
Is required.
Even now. the masters explain,
the daring dancers are fading into
the background, and body positions
are becoming more and more digni-
fed. The twinkle toe. the chicken
hop. the jelly wobble. and the slip
up. for a time popular. are but a
flash in the pan. and already have
been discarded in first class dancing
institutions.
Fancy the lady partner bending
the leg straight hSck from the knee
and then taking two quick hops for
ward on the other foot" said one
teacher. ct isn't rythm: there is no
art; the chicken hop and its kin
dred dances soon Will be relegated
10 the burlesque show"
But" explained John Chalmers.
for twenty eight years q master in
New York, Canada and Chicago, the
one step. fox trot and waltz will re-
main. just as the two-step and waltz
were standards for years.
Dances are governed largely by
the music of the day. For instance.
Sousa's marches OF twenty-seven
years ago resulted in the re-intro-
duction of the two step. This dance
was easy for the muscles TO memoir
ize There can be but three posi-
tons of the feet If there is 70 be
perfect ease in dancing. The mus
cles cannot memorize the freak
steps. That is the reason the waltz
and two-step lived right down 70 the
time OF the tango.
"And here let me say that the
tango was only diversion: so was
the maxine: so was the hesitation.
and so were the other similar dances.
They had their day. but were soon
tossed aside by the public. The
hesitation was pretty. but il was also
difficult. One can't rest on one foot
ar. dance on the other without
growing weary.
THE fox trot has been kept alive
by pretty music. This step was not
originated by dancing masters. In
fact. the public, and not the dancing
ma sters. are the originators Of new
dances. The fox trot was the out
growth OF an attempt by eastern col
/ lege boys to liven up the one step.
When the dance became popular
composers were quick 20 get on the
market with music that blended pro-
perly with the steps.
"win the dancing craze increase
after JULY I? Dancing masters think
so But theatrical men also pre-
dict Increased interest So do al
amusement men. IL is largely a
guess what prohibition will do for
/ the various amusements.
"But right now America is dane
! inR like she never danced before.