Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-23
FEATURE Rcz
JIM BISHOP:
REPORTER
An UpIift in Knowing How to Dance

l can't dance. It's comic statement, know. But
sa And the p
Once. studied piano and is still my favorte instrument
out Dixeand sit entranced When Louis Prma dusts of
that old Marie my feet tap When Eddie Condor talks jazz
I try to listen
There is simple box step can do But after the Sec
ond box the girl takes her head from my shoulder and be-
She no longer asks me to dance don't really care-much
because she has tendency to lead She will dance when
she is asked by dancer But Of the smaller
she must bear that she married with two left feet
Once at Mocambo in Hollywood, Cesar Romero
glide BY small blonde was pastered against his white
kept telling myself that this big with the antlers
in his mouth can do it, SO can l.
An Attempt at Reform
When got back to New York enrolled at Arthur MUIR
rays School of LIE Dams My daughters gggled and said
"oh, Daddy" But Mrs Bishop thought that it good
Look at it this way" she said Whatever is wrong
with those feet Arthur Murray can't hurt it, My mother
who danced with only at weddings only
the teachers"
The Murray Studio at II East 4Srd street is pretty
enrolled at desk and got card good for Is hours of in
struction The place with ladies and gentle
men en- route to small rooms where feet trained.
My teacher dark girl named Jean. She radiated
confidence She had file folder full Of questions and
went on to small mrrored In it loud speaker
with several buttons BY pressing them she could jazz
rhumha music waltz rock n roll tango and forth Pick
button.
Quest for Aptitude
We were Joined by another young lady named Helen.
81,
chart knee. and analysed while I fractured every
metatarsa Jean had The idea me- and then
tell me natural aptitudeS told the girls that what
wanted to learn the fox trot and rhumba Nothing
else had to be discarded let it be the rot The
rhumba looked nice and slow to
The rhumba turned out to be my old box step broken
into three beats with little side-sadde wigge The girls
were heroic They weren't discouraged when my
remained glued to the floor and body began to follow
Jean. we tried saInba tsame step with back bends and
forward bends. Then the waltz This followed by
something CHASTITY called jitterbue.
When got home the calves Of my legs ached The next
day. was back learned and learned and learned One
must always dance counercockwse floor If caught
IN corner there is rocking step that will you OUT one
tells the girl direction by shoulder PRESSURE never hold
girls hand higher than her chn weight of the body
can abide by these rules without thinking them
Completing the Cycle
The girls enthused when I did anything right They
cucked their tongues sympathetcay when did something
wrong. It didn't help morale to that when the
studio closed at night both girls met their ances
out dancing. Real dancing
Every fifth hour interrupted by supervisor who
danced with to find out whether learning anything
or just fritterng time, flirting with the girls was decided
that was learning. My balance poor I had no
variety and no confidence according the chart was
real hot character at jitterbuggng didn't matter that
DO not care for erbugging-even to watch 1.-THE chart
showed that was slightly less than sublime rhythmic
wrestling.
was pretty good dancer when left Arthur Murrays
Three months later. my wife asked to dance went
back to the box STEP
Copyright Features Syndicate Incl
Monday: The story Of the Btmse jcy-o mother
treated fof mental illness.