Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-19
MARGARET WILLIAMSON
On Folk and Esthetic Dancing for
Children

SnIluIeh
THE development of dancing Of various
kinds has been one of the most inter
esting features Of the work Of the pubic
Fairgrounds. according to Miss Margaret
Williamson, executive secretary of the Play
grounds Association. Esthetic dancing mas
become more and more popular withn IN"
last few years, except with the smaller chIl-
Gren
There has also been chang" in the age
AT which the children are being taught thls
dancing" said Miss Williamson. some
years ago it was not thought to be pra"i-
cable to teach esthetic dancing to children
under fifteen or sixteen years OF age put
now it is begun at about the age, OF elent
wears. and the results show that beginning
this early is fully justified.
Much Used In Pageants
"Esthetir dancing is much used IN pa
gcants and other demonstrations. and there
fore has Cses besides those of mere rhl"N
ment. The Younger children still stick |"
the folk dancing. which seems to hay" lost
little In popularity. but the esthetic dancing
has been largely taken UP by the older Chl-
dren, and it fits ad ably with their dra-
matte as well as with their casswo H.
THE younger children are taught the folk
dancing in the schools along with their gym
lar program. There is good bit OF esthct'r
dancing or tho school fairgrounds. but tn'
folk dancing is the outcome OF the children ;
physical cdncati"u. From this folk dancing
they ndvanc" t" csthetc dancing, Whlch
may be- considered As a step higher. ana
they are taught 10 interpret different stories
by means Of this form of dancing.
''The folk dancing ray be said be an
INTERPRETATION uf the customs and to som"
degree the manners Of different countrieS'
and an expression Of tleir ideals Su'h
countrie~ as England, France, tusSla'
Greece an. others always had dances "i % %sol''
Kind tn cyurr>, thoir feelings and emotions
IN uatinruI celebrations. or coNrsr' Trey
ure radically dilcrpNr in various 'ountri"S'
Thus in ,'o countries which ar" uniformly
cold the dances arc much more vigorous 'hhn
in III" warmer ulrS. Su"h ns 'thIN or SPh'''
whore the national dances nrc NOR" langnor'
Gus
America Isps Many Dances
"Iu America We hnd that there is inter
est in 'I,u"s, "ycry kind OF dance. especially
In the r>iLntir ones. Various names ar"
usod fur the cSthctic dances, some persons
sailing them 'matural dances because they
nrr ucrforuod h II perfectly naturai man
rrr and bccaus" til" tcrlngs aroused BY the
music are cXpr", ln the d"nr".
"'The pleasure which the dance gives ara
the uhvsfral houcf' to be derived from them
nrc the chief advantages OF the -uancrS a.
used In playground work. The children
themselves orc greatly interested IN ~"
dnnces and are Thoroughly alert ana eager
to learn The playground Instructors must
yatch carefully however. TO sec that the
dancing IL not carried 70 extremes by the
rhildrrn. especially whom III" Gan""s ar"
first taken up. ,
,,Thr folk dances which arc taught to the
smaller children and tho older ones. too, tor
,hat uattcg. nrr not N"rI strenuous, lhc
uhole matter i largely one If the right KIND
NJ supervision, nId the value Of the dances
Jcrord. to n l%rsr extent upon this Sun"r-
risiou and insirur'inn. In order to do this
unrk ,n the hc>t ndl lantage there must h"
,,n,,tv If instructors, md they must be thor
r"cI,iv trained in the work and In how to
Lnndl, the rhidrcn to tho best advantage
Great Cultural Value
,Ho,h the folk dancing and the csthc'lc
dancing have great cultural value. They arc
more essentially part of tho education Of
Girls than they arc of boys, because the boy s
w,l not always do rs they ar" asked IN
regard 10 the matter Of dancing.
''It cannot. y" denied thai the art q
Louriup gi"es both n grace and polish
,,hicb il is difficult 20 achieve otherwise.
,rhn next generation will certainly know
,unrc nbout rsthntiC dancing than the pres
'r, ono does for the interest in II il be
,n,niug greater and greater each year,
Tnn,,ing Of this kind gees hand in hand with
rn,sir. aud il invariably leads I" 10y" for
tho beertiGul. which is the very foundation
~ ali the cultural studies.
VI "pancing in n recreation center means
Inf not only because of the supervision. but
also on account OF the associations II is
am, ryIsed by trained teachers who have
n,ale special study ot maj Kind OF work
aod IL taught in aRcana way that the chill