The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-09-07
DANCING MASTERS ARE DETERMINED
 ID REFORM DANCES
Contentious and Sensual Jazz Music Tabooed and Dancing Must be Made
 Safe for Society

Unsightly syncopations, shimmy con- tortions an sensual jazz music must go Dancing, both public and private, is to be made safe for society, and the glide waltz is to come back into it's own, ac- i cording to c. H. Miles who has just returned from five weeks spent in New York where he was made a member of the executive committee of the national association of dancing masters. Three hundred terpischorean experts representing every large city in the United States and Canada, unanimously pledged themselves to the reforma- ton of dancing when the annual con- vention of the American National Asso- citation of the Masters of Dancing for mally closed.
 Letters from every ssection of the country poured into the convention. which was in session for a week at the Hotel Astor, demanding that the in- struetors themselves destroy those things that have made the dance hall an excuse for public vulgarity. They intend to do this:
 1.-By establishing an information bureau where welfare workers, private individuals or public ficials may ob-
 tain, free of all charge. informa ton regarding proper dancing and how dance halls should be conducted. By actively cooperating with the police in abolishing the things that have made immodesty in the ball rooms popular pestime.
 The information bureau will be in charge of Col George F Walters, secre-
 tary of the association. and will be established at Waltham, Mass. It will distribute pamphlets, describing the the proper way for a gentleman to hold his partner and number of rules for governing dance halls Any person de-
 siring such information and photo- graphs, Illustrating the various sub Jects, may obtain them by writing to Mir Walters
 Ball roms and dance floors as they are conducted today are merely places where vulgarity may be indulged in publicly. said Benton Bott, of Dayton Ohio, president of the American Nation al Association of the Masters of Danc- ing We shall use every means in our power to stop this popular abuse of art. It is degrading dancing
 One of the first things we shall at tempt to reform is music. Music or rather that medley of ear-spltting noises called jazz is largely respon- sible for the present tendency of fthe people to adopt every step that appears the least bit suggestive. It is impos- sible to really dance to jazz music; one can only wiggle, twist and squirm. We shall even request the manufacturers of phonograph records to replace their immodest jazz numbers with more in- teresting tempos.
 Next we shall urge the authorities of every city in the United States to adopt an ordinance which we intend to draw up. This ordinance will prohibit shimmy dances. half steps and ques- tionable body movements. Persons should dance from the hips down; not from the hips up. as they do nowa- days It will also prescribe the proper way for man to hold his partner her hand resting upon his shoulder and his fingers touching the middle of her spine. their bodies remaining separated by comfortable and natural distance.
 we intend to inaugurate other re- forms which special committee is
 The movement among welfare work CTS to abolish immortality in dance halls is more wide spread than most people would imagine according to Nose of Portland. Oregon, chairman of the committee for the re- vision and reformation of dances. The teachers. he asserted. welcome this op- Dortunity to cooperate.
 One letter, from Mrs. James I Shee- ran. president of the National Federa- ion of Catholic Alliance. appealed to VT, Bot for hts ideas for cleansing 'ancing Gan you send me printed rules for governing dances" asked Mrs. W. W Vaughn, secretary of the Hous-- ton. (Texas). board of lcensors John Schnell, director of the St Louis health department, fears the dancing performed in some of our public dance halls is neither conductive to public morals nor elevating" Miss Clara A. Ahlgren. of the Womens Executive Bu- reau, of Memphis. Tenn. wanted to know if the dancing masters would not furnish her with a sample ordinance regulating dancing. Scores of similar requests will be answered in the near future.