Evening star., 1936-02-16
Royce Dance
Team Makes
TheOldNew
Modern Castles Just
Drifted Into
Spotlight.
By F. Jay Carmody.

By F. Jay Carm0dy.
It Is not necessary to do something
strikingly new in the way OF aero
battles to become dance sensation.
An equally effective procedure Is to
take something old and half-forgot-
ten and do it with superlative grace.
Do the latter and you can sit back
and listen to the applause of the null
titude, hear the pleasant crackle OF
q large weekly pay check, and be
rated at the top of the heap.
1t is being done right now by Sey-
mour and Eleanor Royce, youthful,
intelligent and charming young Eng
lish couple, headlining the program
at the Shoreham Hotel.
Ball room dancing with the accent
on grace is the speciality of the Royces.
It is a speciality that won huge &C
claim in Paris and London, then New
York and now Washington. 1t is
different, not from anything that
ever has been done before, but from
ANYTHING that has been done in a
long, long time. Succinctly, 1t is just
old enough to be new.
Remember Vernon and Irene Castle!
The Royces were children when the
Castles danced their way into the
hearts of two continents and into ev-
cry magazine and newspaper in the
United States. They don't remember
the Castles very well, but they've
heard themselves compared with that
famous prewar pair so often in recent
months they have begun to feel ike
direct descendants. Nice heritage, the
Royces think, to have thrust upon
them. That is the kind Of people they
are: that rare thing, professionals
with the amateur spirit.
It was an odd series OF events tina,
landed the Royces in profeSslonaI
dancing and in Washington. When
YOU hear Seymour Royce tell the story
YOU doubt that such thing as non
sequitur is possible.
Was London Bank Clerk.
He was employed as bank clerk ir
London in 1880, young Englishmar
of good family connections and not
so-good reaction to the doleful routine
of finance. He asked for and was
given a years leave of absence. His
first stop on the route away from his
desk in the bank was the South Sea
Islands.
The environment turned out to bt
tust what he needed, the answer tc
the yearning for something" which
he always felt when sitting at his deSE
telling customers why they could no,
have the loans they sought.
An enchantment settled upon him
and when he returned to England l.
months later he had lost faith in the
prosaic routine of finance. Reversing
the proverb, he concluded that worI
without faith was dead. There wa!
nothing to do but leave the bank to it!
own devices, so he never went back II
his Job. Both of them, Mr.. Royce
points out, survived the separation.
But even for person who believed
that life was gift to enjoy, there was
the necessity to be active after the
physical languor of the island journey
had been dissolved.
A journey to Paris settled just what
form the activity would take. 1t was
one Of those things, Mr.. Royce says,
that happens when you get out OF
destiny's way and let it just happen
to you. There he met Eleanor West
moreland. They danced, figuratively
speaking, first to the altar, then
through London society.
For a long time they remained ex-
tremely clever amateurs. Finally, as
is the way with the English, rated as
the worlds best ball room dancers,
other couples started surrendering the
whole floor to the Royces. They do
that in London, you know; stop dane
ing to watch some one else do 1t
better.
The Royces found themselves with
speciality. They were asked to put it
on at private clubs and large parties
ON a professional basis.
Success Was Immediate.
After London came Paris, both with
O success that was sensational. New
York followed with an even more
happy reception. Six weeks the
Royces danced there, with the big
town enormously pleased. They are
in Washington now, for three weeks
maybe longer. Things work out that
way and the Royces let things happen.
Sometimes they are a bit surprised
as by their whirlwind success as
professional dancers, but always pleas
antly so.
The Royces are interesting to talk
to; never more so than about dancing.
We were curious to know whether
dancing so expertly with each other
disqualified them for enjoying dane
ing with others. It does not, Mrs.
Royce less so than her husband. There
are couple of reservations to this
statement.
One of them is that the amateur,
dancing with the professional, must
forget there is any distinction. If he
develops stage fright the experience
is likely to be pretty awful for every
one concerned.
The other reservation concerns the
professional in any such combination.
I'VE don't glide. you know" says
Seymour Royce. "Of course. we seem
to do so, but that's the special art of
the thing. Actually, we step, lift our
feet from the floor even though we
appear not to do so. Unless I re-
member not to do this when dancing
with an amateur, we can get pretty
badly mixed up"
He doesn't always remember either,
he admits.
That attitude Is part of the Royces'
amateur spirit. They both have it,
the husband, who Is an Englishman,
and the wife, who was born in New
Orleans of an American mother and
IN English father.
Darius Tricky.
In 52l BIC. the Persians selected
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