Evening star., 1933-12-17
Dance Can Be Simple
BY EMILY POST.

~Y AND by, when the depression
shall have been smoothed out.
the private balls or dances on
the scale of those of yesterday
NAV again become the outStano-
no events of the social season. AT pres
Mt, however, typical balls are puolc
mes, organized for the purpose OF rals
no funds for the relief of distress, ana
he problem Of giving dance lor yo9us
people resolves itself into the question
If how simple it can be.
This article, then, is intended as a
composite answer to questions ABOUT
irving a successful dance at leaS! eA-
sense, which rather implies that II VIII
oe given at home, though 1t might, per-
naps. be given at golf CLUB, an Inn OF
a tea room. But let us say tnat py
taking all of the furniture out OF your
own living room. or the living room and
dining room combined, the space VIII
be large enough to dance in.
A few Christmas greens will supply
the decorations, and the menu for sup
per can be equally limited, since young
people seldom care, or even notice, what
they are given to eat. The one anu
only item of expense that must care
fully be considered before consent1ng
definitely to send out the invitations,
is that for good music. Invitations, by
the way, are written across the top OF
the visiting 9ard of the young girls
mother. or Aoever is hostess: Jan. 8.
9 pm. Small dance. Or possibly, II
only her own intimate friends are m
vited, across the young girls own caro-
But to return to the question of good
music. BY this is meant music that Is
gay and with perfect rhythm, ana not
necessarily many pieces. Heavy or Zee
bic music will guarantee a complete
failure, no matter what all other prep
arations may be- A perfect dance from
a Young girls point of view is wonder
full music and-lotS and lots OF part
ners! In fact. ought to have put
partners before the music, since the
best orchestra in the world, the pest
floor under a solid tent of roses, Will
count as nothing, If there are not plenty
of young men
Ideally there should be about six men
Cor boys) to every four girls. But
hand-picked collection OF young men
who dance with enthusiasm is infinitely
more helpful to the success of party
than twice the number-the majority
of whom spend the entire evening
propped against the walls. Just why
hostesses continue to invite the ndl-
Viduals who make up the fixed element
of the stag line is hard to understand,
since they contribute nothing to the
pleasure of any one!-not' even to their
own. =.
At a very small and young party it
Is not a difficult matter to make IT a
success, since il merely takes the same
initiative on the part of the hostess, or
a deputy hostess. that is necessary at
every party for children, Jonnny'
won't you please go and dancer or,
"Arthur. go and rescue Nancy Will
you?''
At a bigger and older dance, the best
plan for a successful party-meaning
that every girl shall have plenty OF
partners-is for the hostess to appoint
a sufficient number of young men as
ushers. Ushers either wear white bou-
tunnieres or other badges, so that they
nnay be easily recognized. An usher
H-ads no introduction to ask a girl to
dance. His principal duty Is to see that
every girl has a partner, and no part
ner for too long. The way an usher is
OF use is this: If girl or boy looks
hard at an usher, 1t means, I'VE should
like to change partners; or If a girl
has been dancing long enough with one
bov. she asks him to take her to an
usher. The usher then dances with
her until he signals to q stag. NO stag
NAV refuse the signal from an usher
There should be one usher for every
40 girls at every big dance.
One might ask why a young man Is
willing to be an usher? First because
there is a certain social honor IN beins
chosen as an usher, much as in being
p.her. at a wedding And there are aisS