The San Francisco call. [volume], August 21, 1910, Page 13, Image 13

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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The San Francisco , Sunday Call
Jessie Niles Burness
AEROPLAXE caprice, society
swing. Boston glide, la senora
and gayety — what would you
think to find these on your dance
ctrd? And you surely will, and speed
ily, because they were adopted at the
recent meeting of,, the International
Association of Masters of Dancing in
New York. But don't worry, you'll
learn them; and mastery of their mys
teries is delightful, judging from the ,
enthusiastic reception given the gayety
on its first presentation to a dancing
class of 150 pupils by Professor G. R.
Puckett, the Ban Francisco dancing
master. They demanded five encores
after he had first outlined for them and
then led trfem through the pretty figure.
It isn't figure dancing, though; and
Jt Isn't a waltz or a. glide or a gavotf
— oh. there's no end to the things it
Isn't, and nobody there could help me
name any "sort of family resemblance
to it of any known dance, yet the dano
lng master was half inclined to resent
its classification as a fancy dßnce. "I
teach nothing but plain, polite, ball
room dancing," h*» *=aid.
At any rate, it is danced to Harris'
music, "L<ove and Kisses," played delib
erately enough for grace but not for
languor, in four-four time, and at every
count of "four" the "foot is in an airy
position." First it is the left, follow
ing a forward run of three natural
steps, then it If four on the turn with
polka st*»p, th*>n four in the opposite
direction ending with the right In the
airy position, with another turn, which
brings you back to the place of be
ginning. Then you side step four to
the right and four to the left. then,
forward rSgh't and hop, left and hop,
right and hop. left and hop — two b*ats
to each step; goes slow, you see. Then
begin all over, and continue ad lib. The
couples Join hands in front, as for
skating, and with the many graceful
swayings and turnings it is wonder
fully pretty, not so very difficult, and
sure to become the success of the vea
son. The gayety dance was originated
by Mrs. F. B. \u25a0Wells of Milwaukee. • •_
La senora is by Prof. Louis Linden
berg of Green Bay, Wis. In waltz time,
the first part a sort of Spanish salute
left and then right, two bars each;
then a waltz part backward and.for
ward, and repeat, four bars; then waltz
to side, beginning left, then right. It
Is difficult to describe it,. but in execu
tion it Is as naturally graceful as a
way* of the surf. Next to the aero
plane caprice it is the most difficult of
the season's offerings. A foot note to
the publication slip announcing its
adoption says, "In part four while gen
tleman waltzes to side lady makes four
complete waltz, turns, under gentle
man's arm."
The Boston glide, by George E. Ruth
erford of Poughkeepsle, N. V., .also
goes to waltz time with a beautiful
swing and glide and dip, and then the
same in the other direction; then the
same with a little more enthusiasm, If
I may so express It; then reverse and
then make a complete turn. That de
scription gives no clear Idea of it. Yet
I can't better it except by saying it Is
the glide positive, comparative and
superlative. As Barnum's barkers use£
to say, "It must be seen to be appre
ciated."
The society swing and the caprice
are not readily described on paper.
These new dances will be introduced
into the dancing classes from time to
time, but not all of them at once. : Some
are quite intricate and 4ifflcult and
many would not take the' trouble to,
learn them, and besides that, to quote;.
Mr. Puckett, "they won't give up any^
of the old favorites. The waltz and the.
twostep, they're here, to stay,'- and then
there's the blue bell, that's one of my
own dances that the association adopted
three years ago. and the dancers don't
seem to tire of it; I have to teach that
right along; I suppose the Papyrus :
club and others of the clubs will re
quire me to give them the whole lot
and I am willing, but in'the very large
classes' one new one until 'they- tire 'of
it and then another is best." I often
have 150 couples in line learning at
once.". . \u25a0 -,
The work undertaken by the Interna
tional Association of Masters of Danc
ing is most Interesting and should ap
peal strongly to all those who advo
cate healthful, rational recreation. They
insist that dignity and grace of mind,
as well as of body, will follow natur
ally and inevitably when you "teach a
pupil to dance with his head as well as
with his feet." That dancing is one of
the natural expressions of joy . that
should be encouraged, and' should lie '
Jndulged in by all people at most all \u25a0
times is another of their tenets. , These <
annual meetings resemble the guilds. of <
the meistersingers, for the offerings '\u25a0 of '
various mejnbers are presented, and, if ]
favored by the committee, are "recom- 1
mended" / and published, ' and each mem- . '
ber of the association given full in- '
formation regarding each..
Mr.- PueketV built the Vfirst dancing 1
hall opened after, the great, fire, and ;•
he illustrated for us. 1 thG "quake,",' which J.',
he arranged, and the association recom- i
mended just after the disaster and ;'
which he discontinupd last- January, !
"not because they tired of it, 'but we'
didn't like -the- name,, so "we've quit -\u25a0
'\u25a0 : . ' :.r.: .r. ~'~ ' . ...t .'''.'..•:'.\u25a0'•
Have You Learned to
Dance the Gayety?
nea&ifes Which
Ball Room Lovers,
v\usflearri!oTrGgcl
Ate Described by;
rir.*Pucl^tt,
faster of Danciaq;
using it for a while, till we can think
of some other, name for. it" "It is very
graceful. The dancers clasp right hand
In right and face one another under
arched arms, as the shows.
There . Is something quite similar In
the society swing, but. the latter Is very
difficult, while the former is quite sim
ple and ends with a 16 bar waltz, al
ways a favorite. '
I Another of the "old timers" is the
i /'Ontario," his offering of nine years
ago and still popular with the classes.
That's quite . a long vogue; quite
possibly the mother of the tiny one
,who was taking a lesson when we en
tered was one of the first class to learn
the Ontario. . • .:-•\u25a0
A very popular thing of. the moment
in the east is folk dances. Those of
many different lands have been-adopt
ed, some of them very pretty, and some
very, very funny. Each is . supposed
to tPll some more or less simple story,
to : appropriate musical accompaniment.
The steps are pretty and -beyond
doubt the dances will ;become popular.
£ One matter arranged for by the as
.-'sociation wag the endowment of a cen
*tral training school for dancing:^mas
vters. After this parent school is in"
operation branches will fee established.
The. necessary funds will be contrib
uted by the various members, and a
diploma'-' •'\u25a0from .this school, will b«
made a requisite in securing a' license
to . teach, dancing." .Of course ;thls; x wlll
require - legislation, ;whichV may not'ibe
enacted : : until? the scheme is \u25a0 in active
operation, but the preliminaries are; all
arranged : and; work is (proceeding^'and
all - members > 1 and such \u25a0 laymen '; fas 5 may.
take an 'Interest in. the, matter are' kept
fully, informed as [to ,what is being done
in \u25a0.that; behalf g andl-all Mother matters
of. A general -interest,^through,; r the col
umns of the Two-Step, -published
monthly in : Buff a10..*- The remain "pur
pose is the absolute~ellmlnatlonvof ob
jectionable^'dances; andtthe. sponsors \u25a0 for
such" dancing,' -'/ or . the > members of -: the
association feel -this will secure .^to
them the , support of every. one inter
ested in -'harmless ; recreation. -They, are
supremely.'in ' ; ' earnest, I and faith
i n :. their causers such ' that '-the/achievem
ent" 1 of,: their^purposG *seems.fcertain.
: Maple hall.i-s exceedingly; pretty, and
attractive, v 'with its '\u25a0 clear V white i finish
and t urnishipgs. \u25a0"*] One * thing,' however,
appeared^ to me as : ; curious; "-. that was
the almost^ total;- absence r of i the .old
folks, i; For thati they; neglect ithelr, op
portunities f and the 4 pro
vision j made them, fas: chaperones,
I do r not;blanie?them,'.but.when' f l;found
them - absent , also v from the dancingr
floor it set me thinking-. We all know
It is the day of . the . youngster in the
business jworld, but surely this\ leaves
his elders with much idle time on hand.
o^^.3oo^ PROFITMADE
mtuhroocu ln e»ll»rt, •tablet. >h*d»,
CS 14 •'boxss, eta. Big M»rfc«t. Ufa «nd Womta
« c HgVmlta for b!|r lTlustrmted frw bonfclot mod le«m h«w.
£ =JBSl»t-Bu»m*Xul>r»<»aiC9..D«Ft3o,B«sUa,a*Mk
*nd h« Is sfclrkinar the responsibilities
he has voluntarily usumed if . h«
doesn't enoonrage and promote .whole
some and attractive diversion; there
fore I would respectfully suggest an
"Old Folks' • Assembly." I wouldn't
venture an opinion as to wfilch class
the Mr. Puckett belong* by right of
birthdays, hut he confesses to 17 years
at the business and his wife confesses
that he carries 190 pounds avoirdupois
— so it is quite fair to guess he isn't
far from th* age Osier has mad« odious,
yet hisr ease and poisa and, above all,
his enthusiasm, force th« conclusion
that if he is 40 it is 40 years young, and
a good example for a lot of us. Ha says
any one can learn th« grayety who
wants to, or any of the others. ' Tha
•tory is told of one who danced to an
age whan his bones rattled so it dis
turbed the music. * That was an ex
treme case. Nobody is urged to do
that; but without doubt Mr. Puckett's
Idea Is the right one— that dancing is
a natural expression of a happy state
of mind, to be Indulged in by all peo
ple and at almost all times.
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RUPTURE
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