Can You Dance the "Big Apple"?

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22991, 19 March 1938, Page 11 (Supplement)

Can You Dance the "Big Apple"?

YOUNG men—and your lady friends—have ready ideas of your own this winter if you w ant to be pointed out* as a couple worth watching in ballrooms. •This sums up the replies from a group of America's leading dancing teachers during a search to find out just what 193§'s crop of really good dancers will have to know. It isn't going to bo enough just to saunter nonchalantly into the ballroom start following your foot around ® 8 > ou ve been doing for seasons now. _ You've got to bo different. Apart rom tlio "ttig Apple," tlio steps will (! almost the same, but they'll be perorrnod differently. You'll have to know .° w t° "(lip." and you must "swing" *t- A third change is the "stop waltz," Probably bett'-r known as the "hesitas l °n. ' This of the waltz, well |ino;vn to old-timers, is definitely back 111 favour again

"Relax Your Legs" i e °ther two changes are a Jittlo a rcl to explain on a typewriter. They mbodv just those principles you'd exfrom the names. While holding jf®-- Partner you "dip," gracefully j-'nding her hack or toward you' as '8 mood strikes you. "Swing" just cans to rcla\ your legs and swing J em around more than you have in past. erhaps these don't sound like radi- ' changes, but wait until you try. "e did. Wo visited foremost dance Utllos in A u-i-rica, watched pupils and even took a lesson our-

Wn '! Costa told us the trend "tu *° "°.P pn " dancing. nori ' t be any more of this otnng your partner tightly and get-

ting stuck with her all evening," smiles Mr. Da Costa. "The Big Apple, Shag, Lindy Hop, etc., are changing that. They probably won't remain in vogue, after this season, that is, but they will induce dancers to cultivate their own steps and become individualists, 'llireo years from now every couplo will bo dancing differently on the same floor, each to his own little sphere—the music being the only thing in common." Learn to Walk First We sat and watched four or five of his bettor pupils give vn exhibition of the "shag" and "Big Applo." Then said: "Do you mean to say everybody will be doing that this season ?" "Sure," ho grinned. "They're doing it everywhere now." Wo made Durham H. Bertram's studio our next port of call. "But before you learn how to dance, you must Icarn how to walk," said Mr. Bertram. Then, noticing the look on our face, he hastened to add, "No, no, not only you—that's tho first thing we teach everybody." So he proceeded to walk up and down tho littlo sidewalk in his studio that's used to teach pupils graceful carriage. We didn't realise what a difficult job this walking was. Then ho said: "Now come out here and I'll show you a couplo of stops. . . One-and, two-and, three-and, four, and-one, and-two, nnd-tbree, and-foiir . . . now dip . . . now swing . . dip, swing." And his voice droned on. "Now, I'll show you," he said, and grasping his dark, lissome partner, b<>gan whirling around tho floor, to tho strains of "Stop, You're Breaking My Heart," as we watched open-mouthed.

It isn't a new dance. It's a combination of old steps—or if you don't know any, uso your imagination. Indeed, it's such a reversion to old-time dance* that it's called a "round squaredance." It was originated by coloured people. A group of them converted an old church into a night club, cnlled the club the "Big Apple," began doing thin dance, and there you are. We've been "Big Apple-ing" ever since. In a Circle The name, "round square-dance" is due to the fact that all the davccru get around in a circle with a "eullex" in the centre. Then the "caller" starts shouting, "All right, swing high, ooohh. oooohh . . . swing low, oooohh, oooohhf" And everyone in the circle starts swinging high, then low, . with the "caller" demonstrating in the centre. Then he'll stop abruptly and start chanting, "Truck, c'mon you puhsons, start truckin', oooohh, oooohh." And after you've "trucked" for a while, he starts again, "The Susie'Q., get hot, out there, the Susie Q., oooohh, oooohh!" All the time he's shouting he's performing the figures in the centre himself. If you're in the circle j'ou'ro trying hard to follow Sometimes he'll stop, point out one or more couples and shout, "C'mon out and shine. C'mon you puhsons, shine!" This is the cue for the unfortunate—or fortunate, it all depends how much self-confidence you have—to dash madl.v into the centre, and throw their fret, around in the mood of the moment —no holds barred. Those in the circle still breathing keep lifting one leg and stamping the floor with it, all tho while clapping hands in monotonous cadence. That's the "Big Apple'" However, things may not be as bad as all that this winter. You may be one of those lucky people who won't have to go through all this. But it will quite probably be quite tho rage at house parties, collegiate dances and tho like. It's quite unlikely, however, according to those who should know, that it will ever gain favour with tho older crowd. "Dancing runs in a 21-year cycle," Mr. Mosher told us. "A dance is seven years coming in, seven years in, and seven more going out ,| Faster Era | "This year, I think, a more or less fast era will prevail, stressing exhibitionism and individualism. Then I think we'll revert to slower, smoother dancing." Tho night we dropped in to seo him, ho had just finished with a class of about 20 couples. We watched them for a few minutes, grimly intent on pushing their partners around tho floor, all senses strained to their task. In these classes the majority of those daiu'ing together had never even seen each other before. When tlie.v join, they leave their name and when an equal number of men and women have joined up the class is closed to now members. Aw_ number of romances have started* bloomed and finally culmin-

Then Mr. Bertram shattered our reverie with the words, "Hero, now you try it." (Turning to charming Miss So-and-so), "You'll look after him, won't you.?" The phonograph was turned on again, this time playing "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling." A warm, crimson flush began creeping up our neck, wo stumbled over to our partner, awkwardly put ono arm around her waist, grasped her hand in our perspiring palm, and started shuffling away in our own inimitable stylo. liut we'll spare the details. Our partner was charmingly polite, wo were oafishly awkward and the phonograph record was agonisingly long. It finally ran down, a little behind our spirits, and it was over. But just what does ono actually have to knew to feel at home on the. dance floor this winter? Who learns, who teaches—and just what is this dancing business all about, anyhow? " Big Apple " Not New "What's this new danco craze in the United States all about?" we a.';ked H. A. Mosher. Yes, go to the head of the class, we're talking about the "Big Applo." It seems the "Big Applo" is with us and is going to stay with us until winter passes—when it will probably never bo heard of again. If you're going to a swanky ball or perhaps a Saturday evening supper danco, you may not havo to worry about it, but look out if you've been invited to a private party by a host with a sense ?iti- because you'll bo doing th« Big Apple ' before the avening's over. I

To be Up-to-date This Winter Those who "T rip the

Will Have to To "Dip" an

By FRED GARVEY—(Copyright)

ated in marriage at these schools. The same system of enrolment prevailing in all the studios we visited, each teacher told us that even now he was teaching children of couples who had met in his class and since become married. "It's by no means a glorified marriage bureau." chuckles S. Titchener Smith, another teacher, as he showed us around his studio, "but it's surprising how manv romances aro started here." Three Generations Titchener Smith has three generations of tho same family coming to him now for instruction, the grandfather his daughter and her husband and their two children. "And the odd part," continues Mr. Smith, 'is that the old grandfather is the spryest of the lot. He draws little diagrams of all tho things I teach and is always helping the others." "Amusing experiences?" he ruminated. "Yes, wo have plenty of them. I remember tho wife and* husband 1 taught. Neither wanted tho other to know, and 1 had sometimes to smuggle one out the side door as the other came in the front. It couldn't last forever, however. One night they went to a dance. After a while they began looking at each other with puzzled expressions on their facics, each of them wondering the other knew the same steps. A slight controversy arose over one of them and the husband vehemently explained that that wasn't the way ho was taught. They both looked at each other, then burst out laughing. After that they came to my class together." Bosses Disappear There was one particular dancing class —Titchener Smith tells about it—which had several secretaries around town worried about their jobs for a whilo. Comparing notes, they found that at the same time certain days each week their bosses disappeared, leaving onlv a mysterious telephone number. For days the girls wondered what it was all about, what all these secret conferences meant, then they finally plucked up enough courage to call the number and find out that it was tho number of Mr. Smith's studios. The bosses had formed a group, sort of 'safety in numbers" idea, and wore taking dancing lessons.' Ago is no drawback in learning to dance. We were told of one man who came to a dance Btudio the other day and said, "Mr.—, exactly 23 years ago to-day I took my first dancing lesson from you. I'm 65 now and I think it's about time I took some more." It developed that he was going to marry again and wanted to be sure he was up on all tho latest steps. His future wife was considerably younger than himself. The same teacher who told us this I story has another family group of thre»> j generations coming to him for instrun- ' tion, the grandmother also acting as j convener for a group of ladies all hover- i ing around her own age. I