East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-11-08
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CLASSIC DANCING BENEFITS
How This Art of Poetic Motion
Brings Grace of Carriage and
Health to the User.

and at the same time appear graceful.
Just what sort OF attire you will Sc
lect for the dance is a matter that ia
best decided by your own taste. If
gym" boomers. a MILDLY blouse and
soft shoes do not in your estimation,
detract from The beauty Of appear
ance that usually accompanies beauty
Of pose. why. well and good. On the
other hand, If clothes affect your
moods and what woman doesn't feel
better" in becoming clothes?-a and
you would feel more like a sprite in
the curtalled costume seen in classic
mural decorations, then wear A dress
like the one pictured. Its simplicity Of
design and material places 1t readily
within the capabilities of deft fingers.
Now that the all-importsnt clothes
question has been settled. let us con-
slider the when. where and low OF the
poetry of motion" for amateurs.
When? Just whenever you are so in
clined The inclination is best taken
advantage of in the early morning.
Physical or mental fatigue is not con-
duciye TO any form of exercise, you
know. Where? Preferably on a
smooth broad surface. Carpet is no
objection. And how?
Begin by letting the whole body
from head to toes relax utterly. Let
the head droop slowly until it falls
quite limp on the chest. Let the arms
hang Imply at your sides. Then re-
lax the whole body. waist. hips, legs.
feet and all until you fall all in
heap. Repeat this preliminary exer-
else for several days. or until you are
quite supple. Then you might begin
limbering up your arms and wrists.
Swing the arms backward and for
ward and from side to side. letting the
wrists take care OF themselves. If they
show any signs of stubbornness, then
they require individual attention. This
attention is best administered by
wringing the hands. Rigid wrists can
not remain thus after such vigorous
treatment Now you are ready for
the actual dance poses.
In "Bacchanale" the waist is slightly
bent the weight of the body rests
on the forward foot, the head is
thrown back and the arms complete
a circle above the head You will no.
tice that the wrists are quite limp.
Practice the pose as often as you care
to; of course, not to the point OF ex-
haustion.
Almost a curtsy." excepting the po-
sition OF the arms, is really nothing
more than a curtsy. The bend comes
directly from the waist. and the bal
ance is on the backward foot.
"Coquette" demands a slightly curry
cd torso, a coquettishly poised head
and the uplifted leg at right angles to
the body.
Breath of Spring is best interpret
ed by stretching of the whole body
from head 10 toe The weight is car
ried by either the right or the left foot.
The other leg is raised from the hip,
bending at the knee. with the calf
swinging quite limp.
You will note that Butterfly" is
composed of curves. From the uplift-
ed arm to the spondingly uplifted
leg is described half circle. From
the slightly bent head to the support
ing foot there is just the suggestion of
a curve. sufficient TO establish balance
and harmony.
Practice the poses in the order in
which ! have described them. Your
mirror is perhaps the best critic. At
the beginning you will doubtless have
difficulty in rounding out the angles"
Despite the wholly ungraceful aspect
that you present, the muscular activ-
ity will do you an untold amount of
good Practice each pose several
times, relax and go to the next
But last word of caution: II you
would benefit mentally as well as
physically by the esthetic dance, make
play of it, So many of us are in need
of diversion from our everyday activ-
tiles. Yet when we play. we do ii with
so vigorous a will and way that it
really isn't playing at all. Remember.
if you would acquire grace. that grace
of mind accompanies grace of body A
squared jaw and an l'm-b -bound-lll-set-
it-right expression cannot be condu-
Give to timber joints, responsive mus
cles and true grace.
Play more.