The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-25
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
Blu REAU
THE SHIMMY SHUFFFLES OUT.
TAEDERIc ). HAszSlN. Dtrse'


New York. sept EZ.-@On with the
dance. but joy must be refined" Is
the slogan which is now being careful
ly observed turnout New York. The
shimmy is going, If not gone. and jazz
is permitted TO hold forth only during
good behavior. All the syncopatien
was removed from the waltz at the be-
ginning OF the season. and the old ia
milan Strauss airs are now in high
favor.
Yet. in spite OF all these reforms.
dancing is now more popular than it
has been since 1914. Propriety. in
stead of killing it. has strengthened its
position in society, and by making the
cabaret safe for the debutante. the
cabaret-owners have succeeded in re-
gaining a large percentage of what
they have lost on account of prohibi-
ton. Everybody is preparing for big
dancing season. The studios of the
dancing masters are crowded with
fluttering ladies and flustered men.
the New York hotels are remodeline
and charging their dance spaces. and
the tailors and retailers of evening
clothes are, as one admits himself. get
ting cranky because they have so
much business.
one of the largest hotels here an
nounces that, with only few exeeP-
tions, it has its dance rooms booked
for private and club dances for every
evening of the entire season. Part of
the house Is now in a state of up
heaval from which a new dance room
is TO emerge, for such is the demand
that the management has decided to
increase its dancing facilities.
Another large hotel has converted
its Louis XVI dining room into an
impromptu ball room by arranging
the tables so that, as soon as the din
ner hour is over, the center of the
room may be changed, the carpets
rolled back and a smooth, polished
floor placed at the. disposal Of dancing
guests. BY this means the hotel ex-
poets to increase it's capacity to $4,000
dancers.
Simultaneous with these reforms
and repairs is a new movement to
stimulate the wear of evening dress
among the dancing population. Dur
ing the past few years, according to
hotel man. there has been a regretta-
BILE tendency on the part of both men
and women to attend hotel dances in
business clothes, and this has had the
effect of cheapening the entertain
ment. While the war was In progress,
especially, men were inclined to make
it as an excuse for escaping a dress
suit so that they have now gotten out
Of the habit. While this Is to be de-
plored. in the opinion of the hotel
man, they are willing to concede this
point and permit the Tuxedo to grace
their floors.
Questioned as to the cause Of the
sudden new craze for dancing. the
hotel men were unable to give salts
factory answers. How did you know
there was going to be such a demand
for dancing space when you started
making your repairs in August?" one
man was asked. for instance. 1--WE
Just figured that another dance wave
was about due" was the only answer
he would make. Others. however,
said they thought dancing was the
inevitable reaction to the Soberness of
the war. To this the visitor facetious-
~ suggested that the country was
sOberer now than 1t had ever been
before. and 10 this the hotel men re-
piled that that. too, was a reason.
Dancing, they affirmed seriously. was
iment TO booze. One restaurant owner
whose place has become tremendously
popular since he had it remOdeled for
dancing. gives all the credit to the
Association of Dancing Masters which
recently met in New York.
This association has been holding
meetings regularly from time to time,
but this year is the first time that
it has made a distinct and endurable
impression. In fact, heretofore, most
of the public has been ignorant that
this association existed alt, o it Is very
large, having thousands of members
all over the country, some of whom
have been teaching dancing thirty to
forty years. 1t was this association
which declared that dancing must be
reformed or die an unpleasant death.
because everywhere municipalities
were taking steps to stop it and thou
sands of people had become alarmed
and did not know whether they should
dance or not. In proof of this, the
association produced letters from fifty
different cities asking for information
as to what was proper dancing and
what wasn't. The answer which the
association framed to this question
was so conservative that 1t felt that
it was justified in asking even Meth
| odists to lift their ban on dancing.
In it's closing sessions. the associa-
ton declared that it stood unitedly
for:
Dancing that is decent and beyond
any possible censure of church and
municipal authorities.
For the Improvement, where pos
sible. of the standards of our profess
efforts TO introduce Jazz or other
music that tends to DEGRADE or SEN
sualize dancing
! For the encoura ger1ent, Of dancing
as an art, as a social accomplishment.
and as a relaxation and exercise. We
consider dancing the poetry of mo-
ton and natural expression of the
delights Of music"
One dancing master who was found
teaching a little girl in his studio the
other day. stopped long enough to de-
| clare that dancing was is necessary to
a child's education as arithmetic You
will find" he said that all the great
things in the world are done by men
and women who possess a keen sense
OF rhythm. In some It Is born and can
not be suppressed. In others 1t is not.
and II must be cultivated. Look at
this pupil" He nodded toward the
| little girl. who was standing awkward
| " on one foot and clutching a fold of
her little white dress. she is stiff as
a poker, and I must labor over her
for hours TO make her learn three con-
secutire steps What II she grows up