DANCE MANIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 307, 27 December 1924, Page 14

DANCE MANIA.

NEW YORK'S HUGE BILL. CABAKKT SECRETS D.ISC'IX)SED. Danoing t'Oi-ts Xcw Yorkers somethin" like 5.00i>,000 dollars a year. Some of tllP officials of the Advisory Dance. Hall Committee have boon working out Statistics, and they make interesting reading. They show that, taking tlic TSCi dance halls in New York City as a basis, the total annual attendance is slightly more liliin li,OOO,(KX), l'"t the actual number of liieu and women dancers is about infl.iHHi, which means that each dancer pays about one vHt a week to a dance hail. TllP total coM to the dancer? includes about one ami a-half million dollars for coat checking, refreshments and payments to "ho.-tcsscs - ' as dancing partners. Partners on Commission. Tn a. pcnrral report on dancing, the committee makes an interesting survey of the dance hulls. It is explained that there is an in-ti-riitiun known as the < loscd dance hall, where the commercialisation of the. dance has been carried to the extreme. In these places girls are hired on a commission to dance with tlie men patrons. -\> a general rule, no other women aro admitted: in any ease they are not welcome. Patrons speml from two to three dollars for a reasonable, number of dances, and in some cases as much as five, six, or more dollars an evening. Tim dance hall itself pays the g'ds. four cents a dance, and to make a fair living—say, about -Jl) dollars a week— the pirl must dance 400 times a week? or about 70 times each evening. Of enurse. they receive liberal tips from the men patrons, which considerably Cabaret Clientele. The report, in referring to cabaret dances, makes the following comments: "They draw a clientele from a larpe social radius. These places are primarily ones in which youn; people can let down the bars which restrict them in the environments in which they usually move: here they can make indiscriminate love, can smoke, cigarettes and ab.-orb bootleg. They can collect, fraternity pins and telephone numbers. They dote on giving wrong numbers -when asked. "The pirls include school frirls, college jrirls, stenographers, secretaries, models, store clerks, aud so on. Among the men are college boys, prep, school boys, service men, Annapolis boys, and West Pointers, 'artists, , "pugs,* and others of that ilk. One occasionally sees what look to be church deacons from upstate in town "on business.. More Difficult Dances Urged. In analysing the dance itself, the committee tinds that "slow jazz ,, is the cause of most of the sensual and freakish dancing. Jt urges that the more complicated dances like the tango should be promoted and featured hy prize contests. It points out that the public Tcquire.s constant education to restore artistic dancing. The one-step and fox trot as danced at present represent the line of least resistance, and it is urged that steps should be taken to teach more, difficult dances and raise the standard of dance halls generally. The report s-tates that so far the police have not been able to obtain a. single conviction of the persons arrested on charges of "immoral dancing" or "indecent exhibition."'