The Perfect Dancer

Southland Times, Issue 20661, 17 April 1929, Page 13

The Perfect Dancer

THE CHARLESTON—IMPROVED VERSION.

Phyllis Monkman).

(By

There is a right way and a wrong way to Charleston, and most dancers seem to find the wrong way! Probably it is because in. its early days, it was a distinctly ungraceful dance, and the. subsequent transitory stages have been adopted in part by people who learnt the movements a year or two ago and have never "brushed up’’ their knowledge. It is one. thing to learn to dance, and quite another to keep absolutely up-to-date in "this season’s latest!’’ Innovations often become old-fashioned within twelve months!

In no dance is such change more evident than in the Charleston. The kicking Charleston is buried for good, and the “flat” Charleston has developed. It is, however, anything but “flat” in the slang sense of the term; it needs care if it is to be danced properly, and it can Iw a most interesting and pleasant measure because of its fascinating rhythm. The first thing to remember is that the toes are never lifted more than a couple of inches from the floor. It is quite a different dance from those of the waltz and foxtrot type, where graceful gliding is essential. The pleasure of this dance is that, on every arternate beat, the legs straighten smartly. Briefly the movements are these: There are four beats to a bar of Charleston music, the second and fourth being emphasized. On the first and third beats, the knees arc straightened with a jerk. Imagine a man commencing at the beginning of a bar. He would be standing with knees slightly bent, holding his partner in the usual way. On the first beat, he steps forward with hie right foot, simultaneously straightening his knees. On the second beat, he slightly bends his knees; on the third, he brings the left foot up to the right, simultaneously straightening sharply; on the fourth, he bends his knees again. Some dancers turn the toes in when bending the knees, but this is not essential, and most of "the best people” now do not bother about it. Probably this is because, last year, there were a number of casualties among older people who developer! a sort of “housemaid's knee” through twisting the ligaments by too much toe-turning.

The thing to remember is that the accent comes on the alternate beats when the knees are being bent. To omit the accent makes the dance slovenly. After completing the bar by the four movements described the same step is done backwards in the next four beats. To progress round the ballroom, the forward step of four beats is taken; then the next bar is used also for a forward movement, which begins with the other foot—i.e.. if the first step began with the right foot, the first beat of the next bar is a step forward with the left foot. These progressive steps must not

be taken straight forward, but as much to the right or left as is conveniently possible.

To make the turn, which is always carried out to the right, the ordinary forward movement is taken. During the end of beat one and the commencement of two, swing on the ball of the right foot, with knees straight, and bend for the remainder of beat two. Bring the left up to the right, on the third beat, and bend on “four.” Instead of stepping straight back with the left, turn the heel in the direction of the circle you are taking. This appears awkward, but is not really so, as one quickly comes back to the bend, closes and bends again. It will thus be seen that all the turning takes place on the .step forward with the right, and the step back with the left. Repeat this until you are in the line in which you wish to travel. It must be always remembered that the Charleston, which is very popular again this season, is essentially a dance of rhythm. Time, and the crisp, definite marking of beats is everything. In this dance, too. eccentric variations should be avoided like the plague. A few variations to relieve the monotony are allowed, and I will devote a special article to these next week.