MONEY IN SKATING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20520, 22 March 1930, Page 3 (Supplement)

MONEY IN SKATING.

PROFESSIONAL PARTNERS. DRIFT FROM DANCE HALLS. Gigolos—personable young men who make a living by dancing attendance on partnerless women—are complaining of hard times as the result of the ice rink craze in London, and many of them are being driven to learn skating in the hope that they can carry on their trade in the rinks. In one of the largest London ice palaces were found a number of members who were frankly gigolos, and several of them confessed that they had left the dance halls in despair and had spent much money in intensive courses of skating. They found that the art of balancing acquired on the dance floor stood them in good stead, and for the rest their stock in trade was the same. Although they are not so numerous as they were in the dance halls, there are plenty of wealthy women on the ice rinks who are willing to>pay for the attentions of well-dressed and handsome young men. A former professional dancing partner, who stated that he used to make £lO or £l2 a week at a palais-de-danse establishment, although the management only paid him 2s 6d a yeek, admitted that there was not much money in the icegigolo business as yet. " But it will come," he added, and then we who got in on the ground floor of the new stunt-will reap the harvest-. That is why I was prepared to sacrifice a pound or two a week when I left the dance halls and came here." Another professional dancing partner, who this time last year was making £.»5 a week partnering women guests at a prominent Wert End hotel, said: - There is. nothing to be made at our business lately., I saw the slump coming and got a io'b.at a film studio. "" B u t a. friend of mine who was considered one of the best-looking and most 'successful gigolos is in a bad way. He has always spent up to the hilt and had nothing to fall back upon. He has sold his car and his gold cigarette case, and is now pawning his clothes to buy food. " Once he had as many as 30 beautiful suits and was making £2OOO a year; now he considers. himself lucky if he makes a pound a week." ;