THE modern social dance is of distinctly recent growth. It is as yet in an embryonic state. Eventually it will yield to one or the other of the two forces that have molded and controlled all dancing from Adam’s time, first the effect on the dancer and second the effect on the audience.

As a general thing the more civilized the nation the more important in its dancing becomes the second of these factors and the less important the first. Among primitive nations the dance served mainly to arouse and work upon the feelings and passions of those dancing, while among the more civilized nations the opinion of the onlooker became more influential and the emotions of the dancer more controlled. For example, contrast the war dance of our American Indian with the Court Minuet of the 16th and 17th century and you have well exemplified the two extremes. Take also the nature dance, the folk dance, the aesthetic dance. All these are designedly picturesque — appeal to the taste and respond to the criticism of the audience.

When the modern round dance came into being, it at first partook largely of that quality of picturesqueness, poise, and dignity that had existed in such marked degree in the square dances that immediately preceded it — the quadrille, the minuet, and the lancers. But there was even then cropping up a desire on the part of the dancer to express his or her individual exuberance of feeling, which while it had not developed into anything grotesque or eccentric, was seeking outlet. In other words, the two schools of dancing were coming together; the primitive school of individual expression and the polished cadencies of the school of artistic dancing — and each was exerting an Influence upon the modern dance. For a time the artistic held sway, and the emotional was kept strictly subordinated.

All beautiful dancing is based on a three-four rhythm, in which rhythm the dancers of necessity complete a poem of steps first with one foot leading, then the other. The best example of this is the waltz step, which in some form or other is the basis of all artistic dancing.

But this type of dance takes time and training to acquire. Our modern civilization was much too hurried and hectic in its pleasures — as well as in its work — to afford the money and time necessary to learn such dancing. What people wanted, without really knowing it, was something they could take up at a moment’s notice and, after an hour or two of instruction, dance without the uncomfortable feeling that they were appearing clumsy or ill trained.

Social Dancing continued here

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 16th, 2006 at 2:33 am and is filed under 1920's, Dance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comments and pings are closed.

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