The New York herald., 1922-08-22
rs
long SKIRTS HAILED
BY DANCE MASTERS
! But Professors Meeting
Here Want Ankle to
! Be Limit.
! MERGER is CONSIDERED
Rival Association Meeting
in One Hotel May Join
Against Vulgarity.
DEFENSE FOR FLAPPERS
Parents Blamed for Bad Pos.
ture-Two Teachers Over
20 Years Old.

Long skirts are welcomed back be-
cause they discourage kicking and
siding with the hips. Dancing is an
art, not a joke. If man lightly holds
woman against his chest, all right,
but if he does mere the woman is so
per cent to blame.
The ango and the fox trot have been
mated and we now have the tango fox
rtrot The plain waltz is restored to
favor, and the hesitation Is reviving.
The fapper and the fipper are hygienic
monstrosities. Ninety-five per cent.
yof ballroom naughtiness Is due TO igno-
rance. per cent. to vulgarity. Dancing
Is an art. The tension should be in the
diaphragm and the leg that supports
the weight of the body. The trend is
toward smoother dancing. Hops, jumps,
slips dips, bends and toddles are out.
Dancing teachers ought to be licensed
by the State, like doctors and lawyers
Degenerate dancing came along with
degenerate music and both are skid
ding. Any monkey can toddle. Nice
people are recalling that they're not
monkeys. Dancing is an art.
Those are random news items picked
up yesterday between the east and
west bathrooms of the Commodore
Hotel. Both rooms are full of teachers
Of dancing. The American National
,Association of Masters of Dancing has
the west room, the International AS
sociation of Masters of Dancing the
east. Both are having their annual
conventions, lasting all week. They
rare rival associations, but there is talk
of amalgamation and of one great
deadly smash at all that is pernicious
and pernickety.
Grand Old Men so and TT.
\ The American Nationals two grand
old men are on hand. They are Major
Ned Gaynor of Culver Military Acadtrny
80 years old. and Louis Kretlow of Chi.
cago. ~ years old. who in day or two
will slip into his silk knee breeches and,
with his long yellow beard waving be-
nignantly, will demonstrate the steps Of
spring. At the other end of the hotel
Marguerite Walz, ballroom dancing,
grace culture and poise. also Philadel-
phia's only policewoman will expose this
morning "the cause and cure Of yul-
garity In the modern dances"
A year ago Miss Walz was disposed
to despair of the adolescent princesscs
of the ballroom. She now gees that they
are pitiable more than blameworthy
AS children they are not taught what is
unhealthful and vulgar in posture They
slouched flat chested because they knew
no better. mo chest, all abdomen,
Miss Walz says of the flapper "Ig.
norant OF balance, poise and rhythm, the
fundamentals which when learned by
child can never be abandoned III
Philadelphia / am supervising the dane.
ing of $4,000 young persons In the streets
and parks. and I wish you could see
tfem straighten up as soon as they fin6
out how human being ought to dance
gsDrdinary calisthenics does not teaci
@grace. Calisthenics without grace Il
terrible. Grace ought 10 be taught II
s-fiie public schools by means of motion
pictures and every other means. Wherr
there is grace there cannot be vul
garity"
Miss walz is one who would require
teachers of dancing to be licensed.
Three WaItxes In Might.
Fenton Bott of Dayton. Ohio. ant
Thomas McDougall of Pittsburgh, tn.
former a past president of the American
National Association, were happy to re.
port that the waltz was returning. They
had the evidence OF their own eyes II
the better dancing places Of New York
they said, and testimony from musi,
publishers. In many bathrooms every
third number is a waltz a year ago ono
waltz did for a whole evening and thai
was Home Sweet Home" Longer skirt.
inluce Smoother dancing" Messrs. Bot
and McDougall agreed. and In every way
conform to arts eternal principles as
exemplified on the dance floor. Th,
tango that Is to be with us this winter
Is simplifled the old one was too diff
cult for untutored legs. The tango fos
trot is done in "a time. like the foa
trot. but the accent is different, ane
there is more turning and less sideslip
ping. Mrs Edward Rother Passapae ex
iiibited her version Of the tango foy
trot yesterday morning.
Prof Kretlow, surveying the land
scape from the standpoint OF a teacher
since he was seven years old. told re-
porters sloppiness was passing and thl,
seasons dancing would be "prettier thar
II has been for five or six years" II,
laid most OF the evils he complained o
at the door OF jazz, and said jazz was de
parting and sanity returning.
''Skirts should be worn 10 the ankle.
the Professor added. II don't like then
any lower. though"
Nor either" said the Major
The Major, though dancing
teacher, says he Is a member OF this
Methodist church. He says the Meth
odists are driving young people away
with the ban on dancing and the Con
rregationalists Christian Scientists anc
others are getting them. II was tn,
Major who gave his belief that eighty
per cent. OF the fault of bad position ir
dancing lis chargeable to the girl" HI
seized a handy young woman and Illus
tratcd what he meant The gist OF y
was that In the approved position tbs
girl has her left thumb against hei
partners right shoulder. II the partner
comes too close she can press him back
wi.h her thumb So If he hugs her It's
tor fault. X any ones, provided they
are dancing IN the correct position. The
Major conceded with q sigh that the
land Is soodsl with socallcd dancing
masters. who don't teach the correct
position. and many a girl never learns
how 10 use hcr thumb. even II she
wantA 70.