Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-26
EXIT SKINNY,
DANCING MUST
Be IMPROVED
PrOpriety, Instead of killing the
Art, Has Strengthened Position
With Society.


now being carefully observed
throughout New York. The SHIN,
my is going, if not gone, and jazz
is permitted to hold forth only
during good behavior. All the syn
copation was removed from the
waltz at the beginning of the sea-
son, and the old familiar 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,
instead of killing it, has strength
ened its position in society, and by
making the cabaret safe for the de-
butante, the cabaret owners have
succeeded in regaining a large per-
centage OF what they have lost on
account of prohibition. Everybody
q preparing for a big dancing
Season. The studios of the dane
ing masters are crowded with flut-
tering ladies and flustered men,
the New York hotels are remodel
ing and enlarging their dance
spaces, and the tailors and retail
ers of evening clothes are, as one
admits himself, getting cranky be
cause they have so much business.
One of the largest hotels an
nounces that, with only a few ex-
ceptions, it has its dance rooms
booked for private club dances for
every evening of the entire sea-
son. Part of the house is now in a
state of upheaval from which a
new dance room is to emerge, for
such is the demand that the man
agement has decided to increase its
dancing facilities.
Another large hotel has convert
ed its Louis XVI dining room into
i an impromptu ball room by ar
SRnging the tables so that, as soon
as the dinner hour is over, the
center of the room may be cleared,
the carpets rolled back and a
smooth, polished floor placed at
the disposal of dancing guests. By
this means the hotel expects to in
crease its capacity to $4,000 dane
ers.
Simultaneous with these reforms
and repairs is a new movement to
stimulate the wear of evening
dress among the dancing popula-
ton. During the past few years,
according to a hotel man, there
has been regrettable tendency on
the part of both men and women to
attend hotel dances in business
clothes, and this has had the eff
feet of cheapening the entertain
ment. While the war was in pro-
gress, especially, men were inclin-
ed 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 deplored, in the
opinion of the hotel men, they are
willing to concede this point and
permit the Tuxedo to grace their
floors.
Is a Substitute.
Questioned as to the cause Of the
sudden new craze for dancing, the
hotel men were unable to give sat
isfactory answers. How did you
know there was going to be such
a demand for dancing space when
sd started making your repairs
IN August?' one man was asked,
for instance. I'VE just figured that
another dance wave was about
due" was the only answer he
would make. Others, however. |
said they thought dancing was the !
1uCNlIdDiC TG&CL1Ou " liz SObSl |
ness of the war. To this the Visi- |
tor facetiously suggested that the +
country was Soberer now than 1t I
had ever been before, and to this
the hotel man replied that that, !
too, was a reason. Dancing, they .
affirmed seriously, was a substi- /
tute rather than an accompanl- .
ment to booze. One restaurant /
owners 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 hold
ing 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, although it is very large,
saving thousands of members all
over the country, some of whom
have been teaching dancing 80 to-
40 years. 1t was this association
which declared that dancing must
be reformed or die an unpleasant
death, because everywhere munich
palities were taking steps to stop
it and thousands Of people had be-
come alarmed and did not know
whether they should dance or not
In proof of this, the association
produced letters from 81 different
cities asking for information as to
what was proper dancing and what
wasn't The answer which the as
socia1on framed to this question
was so conservative that it felt
that it was justified in asking even
Methodists to lift their ban on
dancing.
In it's closing sessions, the asso-
aitoion declared that it stood unit
eddy for:
Dancing that is decent and be
yond any possible censure of
church and municipal authorities.
For Improvement, where posi-
Bile, of the standards OF our profess
sion. For the encouragement of
all efforts to introduce jazz or 9TH
er music that tends to degrade or
sensualize dancing.
"For the encouragement Of dane
ing as an art, as a social accom-
nIishment, and as a relaxation and