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SUNDAY. JULY 31. 1921 THE SOUTH BEND NEYS-T1MES 19 . win mi y i r; Pi Pi ' ' ' ' : ' ! s . This Position Reveals the Secret of Successful Pivoting. Always Keep Your Riht Foot in Front and the Left Foot Far Behind and You Can Do with Ease the Most Difficult Step of the Ballroom. "Deligfktfully Easy r n 1 Restful' Declares Arthur Murray in Explaining the New Steps Which Are Supplanting Jazz and the immie as a Diversion for Society. 5f?ALf, rr "tnrfdU" rr rot? A social club of yoitvg people v'ho iranied to be fashir.nnble but who ucrr nhr anxiovs to remain vithin the cor.fine3 of good taste, tent a committee to ask Atthir Mitrtay, the famous dancing master, this question. "Our members ," the spokesman de clared, "(,rrm 'o u ant to 'todlU but u e are not quite sure whether or not it is perfectly all right" "r"rior'allj," spoke up another member of the committer, "I think the 'Toddle is a rure eipn that u arc getting back to second childhood. 1 dorCt know anything about tht ncio dance or whether the darcrrs are doing it riyht or not, but from the looks of it, some act as though they have become quite intim at p. with (he seven-day itch. Others act ait if they thought St. Vitua's dance was really mtunt for ballroom use. The majority, however, shake themselves up and down a though they did not have good sense. What 6 the ideal What is On fiis ra7 ioJaj Mr. Murray has undertaken to answer that question and also to explain hon- the "Toddle" should be danced. The photographs wire posed by Mr. Murray and Miss Faith Dorsey of Georgia, By ARTHUR MURRAY TO begin with, the "Toddle" was misnamed. Some dancing teacher in New York orig inated a dance called the "Toddle" in 1917, but it died youn?. The name, however, remained for others to make fun of whenever they wanted to ridicule the foolish dances we have lived through. When people started doing the present new dsr.ee, h? name "Toddle" somehow came back to life a?: v.r.. I am sure that the word "toddle" was r.ot bright back to usage because it aptly de scribes th-" .7Tr.ce. The dictionary says: "To toddle t") walk with short and unsteady steps, like a child." If Mr. Webster is riht, then we are not "toddling," because, while the steps are unsteady enough, they are not short. On the contrary, the dancers have to bo extremely long-legged to bo nrst-ciass "toddlers." There is a common impression that the "Toddle" is a jiggling walk and that in order to be in style you simply walk around the room and jiiTirie up and down as you exercise your partner. Fortunately, this is not so! It Smacks of the Jazz What is knawn as the "Toddle" today, is sim ply an outgrowth of the Jazz. It has a sugges tion of the "shimmie," minus the vicious shaking of the shoulder?. Those who can dance the "Toddle know that it is lots of fun. The new dance ha3 the delight ful abandon so characteristic of everything Amer ican, and that is one of th? reasons it is so popu lar. It has the swing, or rather the rhythm, of the Ja:2, and this adds the zest to what might ctherwie bo an extremely foolish way of spend- tag the evening. The "Toddle" we will call it that IHcö all ether innovations, arrived in a very crude state. Naturally, until the rough edges were knocked o:T, it was subjected to considerable criticism. Until it emerged from under the polishing process, It was condemned by the dancing teachers and by &11 others who have the bvst interests of dancing at heart. Personally, I refused to teach it until a short time ago. But the ' Toddle,' when properly danced, is nothing to be ashamed of. Those who can dance it will tell you that it is more fun than any dance we have had in a number of years. It requires rery little exertion and it is so easy to do that it fives one an opportunity to talk while dancing, a feat not always possible when doing other dances. Asido from the many interesting variations which came with the "Toddle," perhaps the princi pal reason for the unusual dance craze caused by this innovation s due to the fact that the "Tod e'e" is o delightfully easy and restful. When we stop to consider that our dancing, weil as our ocial life, is always regulated by cur business conditions, it is not surprising that at tbi. t;me the "Toddle" should meet with such un.trs.l favor. Today our business people must work harder thas ever to cop with industrial ow '.:'.: i - V'-'v- 7X t - . , . J ) the 'Toddle any nay f problems. The man who makes a success today is not the one who simply goes to his work and takes thing's easy. He must work as never be fore! The worker of today, whether employer, clerk or farm hind, must throw his entire energy into his task. The result is a desire for recTea- tion in which a minimum amount of exercis will be expended. All things being: equal, the dance which re quires the lca3t effort will be the most popular. This is probably the reason why the One-Step, a dance which was most in favor a few years ago, is hardly ever played today. In the ultra-modern ballrooms the One-Step is very rarely danced be cause it is tiresome and very strenuous compared with the "Toddle.' The waltz, too, has lost favor for the same reason. Because of a certain kind of laziness on the part of the dancers, we may not have many new dances this year. This also means that the general tone of the dancing will be much better and that dancing will reach a higher plane. If we do not hava many new dance variations there will probably be less criticism. For the hammer does not pound on es tablished dances, but rather on inno vations when they come to us In a crude form. Like wine, a dance Im proves with agew Time will polish eve. the endest of dances. But getting back to the original question: "Shall we 'toddle' or not?" That depends upon the individual. The "Toddle" can be made u re- .v?: -,V-T-;T; r V : ' ' V . - , w r- ' .-s:;. ... . . -x .- : : rt imemmsimamSi T&i Si to Ujl tV? j 'J : - v - r-7"i ;;A;7Ati-'" v -i-v?v4vV' -,-7" . ..: '.7.1 ' 7 7v . - 70V,V7-7-7 1 Vv-7;. - .- i7:i 7.4 f7 -; "'äj fhj Toddle Is Responsible for the Many C : : , -WTa-Vi Krr.TifrV, A limit Via f Renewed Interest in Dancing. Fancy Steps May Be More or Less Conspicuous, but They Made Us Forget to Cheek. This Position Illustrates an Extreme Way of Whirling. fined as the Minuet, or by poor dancers It can be degraded to rank with the Bunny-hug. The manner of walking distinguishes the 'Toddle" from the ordinary Fox Trot. The walk is a resilient movement, very much akin to a bouncing step. In "toddling," you take the regu lar Fox Trot step, then rise up and come down Lt the finish of each step. The bouncing move ment comes after the step is taken. Besides the "toddling" walk, there are a num ber of steps in this new dance. They ere all done in this "boppy" way. It is the buoyant, i, - : Ar:;..::.( Thc( ThcOidRulc of 'Keep lour Feet on the Floor" Is Now Passe. In theToddle the Girl Is Permitted to Raise Her Foot High Off the Floor if SheCanDoIt Gracefully. This Pose Shows the Position of the Feet in the Rocking Step. ft . 1 r ; c- : 4 1 11 ! 4 V ! ft': v y4- '-I'-Hi 'yf V -: v -7 . - " . .. ... . - . ! 1 V , . v , ..,". "; ;v - V.; v..v7 . .".- ' - v " ' " (,V. , .... . . , J 7;--,- 7r 1 caro-fre manner, a nonchalant air of abandon, which makes the "Toddle" popular. Here is how to do it: The Rocking Step First part, for man: Be ginning with the left foot, walk four slow, bounc ing steps forward, springing slightly on each step, 1, 2, 3, 4. Two-step diagonally forward, to left, 1 and 2. Rock backard by throwing weight back to right foot, then rock forward by shifting weight forward to left foot Second part: Begin with right foot, " walk forward four slow steps. Two-step diagonally for ward to right with right feet, 1 and 2. Rock back to left foot, then -V. c 7 . A 77 - W.7f 7f: IV.; V .. w- -.-.v.'"'.- v-xv '.T',-. -v.' vc.'-;- KT"' -1 v'v, ,r tj f 5 -... vv vJ , :. - IT'" ' ' - - 4 . : , fvV:- " i -"-rf - - If- 1U': ..... Ik f:.- '- -.. v.;-. i w v. A -'t-lx vi-i'V '- 1 f " - f . vvi 'v.j . ft - r . The Open-Step Positions Show That Dancing Is Becoming: Better, Not Worse. This Pose Shows the First Step Before the Dancers Separate and Cross Their Feet in Front of Ono Another. thift tha weight forward to tho right foot. The lady's part is just the opposite. She be gins with her right foot, walks backward four steps. Then a two-step diagonally backwards to right; rocks forward to her left foot, then rocks back to her right foot. For the second part, sha begins with left foot and walks backward four fcteps, takes a two-step to left, rocks forward to right, then rocks backward to left foot. On the floor, draw a circle about five feet hi diameter, place the right foot la the centre and let the left foot remain oa the outside of the drei. The right foot acta as the hub of the whel while the left fot acta as tha outer rim. The right foot never leaves the centre and the left foot remains far behind the right foot. With your feet in this position, the turn is made. The lady's part is exactly the same as the man's. The man begins with h s left foot and after tak ing three slow . walking steps, places his right foot forward and turns on that foot to his right, caking & quarter tart:, i- He then 6h.ift3.the Tliis Is the Position of the Feet on tho First Step of the Turn. Take the Feet Only Slishtlv 0f the Floor. - .v7;r5v--7Z7;-V :7'::'pv weight back to his left foot, 5. Swim? again U the right on the right foot, fi. Shift the weight back to the left, 7, swinff (tum) to tho right oa the right foot, 8. Note that the right foot remains tn the centre while the left foot in swung around. The pivot ing is done on tho right foot, which h forward, and remains in tho same spot daring the turning. Keep the left foot far behind the right foot. To make tha left "Toddle" turn, keep the left foot in the centre and pivot to the left on the left foot. The right foot then remains behind and is swung around like the rim of the wheel. The Shutfle Step This step consists of three eliding steps forward, and ono alow walking step forward, but the manneT in which it ts done, th bouncing movement and the heel -to-toe step, makes it appear diilercnt from tb ordinary Fox Trot variations. The man takes thrw long slidei directly for ward, starting with his left fooL When taking the slide with the left foot, the man! left hal first touches the floor and tha weight is thea quickly shifted to the toes of the- left foot. The Dancing Master: Instructions The count ia: Slide left foot forward, 1; draw right foot up to left, count "and"; slide left foot forward, 2; draw right foot to left, count "and"j slide left foot forward, 3. After completing the three slides with left foot, take one slow walklnsr- rtep forward with right foot, count 4. The complete covin t is: Slide, 1 and 2 and S, walk, 4. Note again that the "Toddhf is characterised by a bouncing movement. Yon take a step, then rise up and down on the an foot before the next step ia taken. The action, ia rising", must be in the ball of tho foot and not ta the uppr part of the body. The lady should also learn the above step as this will be her part in the following step. It ia advisable for the lady to learn the man's steps la all the dances. It gives her a better appreciation of what is expected of htx when fol lowing: in these steps. lie Backward ShufHo In this etep the man goes backward and ad vances in tho line of direction. (Whether you go forward or back ward, always advance around tha room in the same direction.) Begin with the left foot and take one slow walking step backward, L. With right foot, take three long, slow, sliding ateps directly back ward. The completo count is: Walk back with left foot, 1, then three slide Eteps backward counting, 2 and 3 and 4 (1 and 2 and 3 and 4). Note The dances of today a not done in any definite sequence. The steps described above ir.ay ba done at any place in the Fox Trot. Tho ,4Todd!eM Pivot This varit. ticn is one of the most popular turuj and is most effective if repeated two or three times in succession. It consists of a two-step and one slow pivot. Begin with the left foot and take a two-step directy to the left (count 1 and 2). The two-step, &a you know; consists of two slides. On the iecond slide (on left foot) turn a quarter to the right. Then place the right foot down (close to left foot) end with weight (on right foot) i v' - ts " "U TV ' J ' turn to right, making a half turn. The count is: One-and-tum-turn. Or, you may fay, ftcp-draw-pivot-pivot (to right). Remember that, when doing the above step, ycu must turn to right on the second slide of th two-step, then finish up by turning to the right cn the right foot- This variation may be dcr.e two or thrte times in succession before changing to another step. To change- to another movement, simply stars walking with the left foot. This rule arpÜes ta all other steps in the One-Step and Fox Trot. If the above directions are carefully followed and each step mastered, the result will be a f erics of movements that, while- free and eary, so to ipeak, will in no way shock those keepers of the public morals who raise their hands aloft at al most every innovation in the terpsichorean art. The "Toddle" is quite innocent and particularly picturesqur, and it has proved popular in many t-ecticns of the country where the devotees of tha car.ee executed the steps properly. It is typically American, responsive to the demand of 'overs cf the smooth floor and ecstatic music, and it3 universal approval wiU be enly a matter of time. I believe that it has come to stay long after ether dance3 have gene the way of those crazes which hold the public fjr a tims and then fad a. 1 dill? M o ri