Evening star., 1933-12-17

N NEW YORK Sunday night Is dedicated
to dancing Midwestern moralists who con-
slider Manhattan and Bronx the logical
successors to the old firm Of Sodom 81
Gomorrah may add this item to their
list Of reasons why they wouldn't live here
If gave them the place
No doubt they picture us winding up each
Sabbath with Q burst. of revelry that would
make Cecil de Miles best efforts look ike
chess tournament. They do not appreciate the
distinction between mere dancing and dane
ing with q capital D. We may go to a dance
during the week, just for the fun Of 1t But
ON Sunday we 60 TO the dance-for II Is then
that Thespis. bowling to an ancient blue law
tiptoes on to Atlantic City for brief rest,
and Terpsichore has the whole stage to herself.
A dance recital. though it takes place tn the
theaser, is not regarded by the statute makers
rs theatrical entertainment Or by me. either,
for that matter.
As a hance and later a husband have at
tended . good many Sunday night dance re-
eitals-suficient, at least, to be able to detect
. trend. Ten years ago the costume of the
professional dancer was standardized as to
be practically q uniform. 1t was flowing
gown that looked like the ghost of mother
hubbard. In repose it draped itself over the
figure In statuesque folds, and in action 1t bill
leg there-just enough to suggest the ancient
Greeks but not enough to interest the modern
Greeks
A IL the dances dealt with such distractions
n rs Hope Fear, Ecstacy and the Weather.
In those days o dancer was never so happy as
When engaged in meteorological maneuvers. BY
tottering along on her toes and twiddling her
fingers she could impersonate the patter OF
raindrops-or by tossing up handfuls OF con-
fetti, blizzard. Swooping dashes to and fro
Of course, implied light northeast winds, and
q series of dervishlike pirouettes meant Moth
ing less than hurricanes in areas OF low baro-
metric pressure.
Also, it was easy to distinguish the nationality
of the performers When they squatted on their
heels and shouted "Yip!" they Russian;
when they stamped their feet for no apparent
reason, they were Spanish: when they EXTENDED
their hands, palm up, if expecting rain, they
were Egyptian; when they toddred with short,
mincing steps while the orchestra made a noise
like dropping the bread box, they were mdubi-
tably Chinese.
Lately, however, the Sunday night dancers
have forsaken the eternal verities. Instead OF
generalizing in cheese cloth, they are getting
down to particulars, and their costumes are
reminiscent of a rainy day in the attic. In
stead of confning themselves tor the expression
of Joy, sorrow and similar primitive emotions,
they undertake to interpret politics, architec-
ture, history, chemistry and double-entry book
keeping-an by means Of rhythmic movements.
Conflict has always been an important fea-
ture Of dance recitals. 1t is intended to create,
suspense and keep the spectators all keyed up.
wondering which side will win-or, at least, which
side Is which. But where we used to see the
conflict between the Autumn beaves and that
old meanie. the North Wind. we now see the
conflict of Man the Machine Pacifism
Patriotism Proteins Carbohydrates.
The contending forces zigzag back and forth,
but they do not move with the easy, graceful
glide of the cheese cloth classicists. They leap
and lunge like characters in an ancient cinema
nlm, until you have feeling that the keystone
cops are just around the corner.
COR sheer epileptic ebullience. no one can
beat the German boys. They shave their
heads, cover themselves with aluminium rada-
tor paint and then interpret machinery by
means Of exaggerated settipg-up exercises. And
their idea Of a machine Is anything shiny that