The New York herald., 1922-08-23
DANCING MISTRESS
SHAKES BAD Thumb
Doesn't Press Shoulder, but
Wiggles 1t in Hug
gers Eye.
PAINFUL, BUT POTENT
Miss WalZ at Convention of
Teachers Uses Reporter
to Illustrate.
DIVIDES BLAME EVENLY
Declares Flapper and Flipper
Equally Responsible for Ball
room Indecorum.
DIVIDES BLAME EVENLY

The most graceful reporter grasped
Marguerite Walz of Philadelphia to
his chest yesterday in the Hotel Com
modore and learned from her the
proper use Of the thumbs in dancing.
Miss Walz, to begin with. is o teacher
OF dancing. Furthermore she Is a
policewoman in the town where she
teaches the ballet. the trots and the
waltzes. The town is Philadelphia, and
it is to be congratulated.
Miss Walz is attending the annual
convention Of the International Asso-
citation OF Masters of Dancing. which
is holding forth,in a ballroom opposite
that occupied for the same purposes
by the American National Association
of Masters Of Dancing.
On Monday Major Ned Gaynor, who
is so years old and dean Of the latter
organization, made two statements
that Miss Walz fails to agee with.
First of all the Major. who teaches
dancing to the lads Of Culver Military
Academy. said that $50 per cent OF the
fault of bad position In dancing Is
chargeable to the girl" Miss Walz
very nearly disintegrated the Major
for saying that. but 1t was another
thing that the Major said that seems
to be OF more immediate Importance,
inasmuch as It will be interesting to
see how many Of the girls take ad-
vantage Of it.
She Says It's BO-bO.
The Major said that the approved po-
sition In dancing for the lady was when
the latter has her left thumb against
the right shoulder. II the gentleman
takes to hugging the outraged lady can.
in such position. press him back to a
circumspect PERPENDICULAR with her
thumb.
II went out among your New York
cafes and cabarets last night" said
Miss walz. "and saw the Chicago. the
Washington Johnny. the cheek to jowl
the shimmy the camel and all the rest OF
the ingrown graphing that has been in
corporated under the much abused term
dancing.
First. let me dispose OF this 1920
division of responsibility the Major
speaks Of. The dear Major Is wrong.
It's a $3.50 proposition. No man could
hold a girl as the flippers do the flap
pcrs unless the flappers permit 1t, and
incidentally let me tell you as a police
woman that almost invariably when you
hear OF a girl gone wrong you may put
|. down as a $3.50 proposition. No girl
goes wrong without her own assistance.
but that brings me TO the more i'm
portant part Of the controversy. Now I
shall ask you newspaper persons to sit
there on the table while / look you over.
Now you (and here. we regret to re-
port she indicated THE New YORK
HERALD reporter) 'are too awkward to
consider. 1t hate to have to tell you
that your feet seem to be minated.
But you' (and here she singled out
a reporter who was on the verge OF
sleep) "arc exceedingly graceful al
though a triflc dull looking. There
should be grace in every endeavor. Even
newspaper reporting should be done
gracefully. The way the pencil Is held.
the neatness with which the note book
or paper is folded, the poise of the head
as a question Is asked. the modulation
of the voice in interrogating the subject
OF the interview and the bow OF leave
taking all should be studied by that
newspaper person who aspires to the
pinnacle of journalism.