Show JUVENILE DANCING THE CLASS WIT TEACHER AND WITH CHAPERONE 1 Little Tots of Three and Four Learn the TwoStei nu < l Society Airs But Fancy Dauces lire Not Taught i The juvenile portion of New Yorks I 400 are only now settling down to the I commonplaces of life after the holiday I festivities I All the younger set the beaux and I belles not yet formally out are skill iI i I iI I I I L1J ° r1 i t7i L Vi ATTENTIONI ful dancers and will come full fledged in the mysteries of the cotillion for they have been trained and drilled in the movements and figures since infancy in-fancy The fashionable dancing schools claim the children at 3 or 4 years The little limbs are put through a variety va-riety of exercises and steps until dancing danc-ing becomes a second nature with them They never know the awkwardness awkward-ness which is part and parcel of the half developed natures and muscles of the undrilled boys and girls of 16 and 18 On the ball room floor the jeu nesse doree who is in his freshman year at college is as graceful and as I nJW S tm vi I i 1 4 I jiy 1 IJJ 11 V 1 BELLES OP THE CLASS much at ease as the old cotillion leader of 40 years Everybody dances the twostep now The ladies and gentlemen as well as the young ones It is a sort of polka to waltz time I learned that a Dancing Class spelled with capital capi-tal letters is different from a simple dancing class that is a club or small social function which is under the chaperonage and name of some leader of fashion assisted by a number num-ber of professional patronesses The Classes are of different sets and ages Just so soon as the little tots have got through the drudgery of learning the steps and figures their names are enrolled as members of a Dancing Class in their own set White is much worn this winter and t J 3 I I I 4 Ii c THE TURN STEP many of the debutantes and still I younger girls look like youthful brides in their white raiment of satin and tulle Debutantes wear the necks of their bodices cut low but young girls have their frocks made high in the neck or cut out slightly round DANCING FROCKS The t little belles of 4 and 5 years have their dancing cfvlu niso and t b I quite swell and costly are these small ball costumes I inquired at the childrens outfitters outfit-ters in Twentythird street for ball dresses for girls of 6 years and was shown some exquisite little frocks of soft satin silk with numerous shoulder frills of lace and a lace bertha hanging hang-ing down in front It was lownecked and shortsleeved and to be worn over I the finest of batiste or silk muslin I guimpes or yokes The price of this I frock was 527 and I could readiliy haVe made it more costly by addition of different lace We can duplicate this in fine cashmere for about 151 the young lady attendant told me and children wear thin India silks a great deal also Many ladies will not put silk frocks on their little girls but prefer white batiste trimmed with narrow lace worn over colored silk slips with wide sashes A pretty dancing frock for a child is of cream white Shanghai silk trimmed with rows of Valencienne insertion in-sertion run with an ean da ril baby ribbon The tiny bodice is empire shape fastened with rosettes of ribbon rib-bon and balloon sleeves are trimmed with lace and ribbon Childrens fashions have not changed greatly since last autumn The skirts fall a few inches below the knee and their bodices are elaborated in as close an imitation of their mothers as is possible on such asmall scale Velvet revers and falls of lace broad yoke like flounces of velvet or round capes decorated with quilled ribbons adorn the shoulders and the sleeves consist of puffs and frills of all kinds A decidedly pretty little frock of a pinky shade of silk and wool goods called Fayette is made with an accor deon pleated skirt and short waist The sleeves consist of two accordeon oleated frills to the elbows A deep fall of tinted yellow lace hangs from the low neck almost to the bottom of the little waist There are shoulder knots of satin ribbon and under the bodice is the fine white guimpe with full sleeves to the waist More elaborate dancing frocks for little maids of 7 and 8 years are made i > f fine ladies cloth in delicate shades Df rose blue or pale green with large puffs of dark velvet and handsome trimming of heavy Venetian lace Daintier dresses are made of white China silk covered with a gown of white point desprit The skirt is trimmed with three rows of white satin ribbon and the silk sleeves are caught in several puffs with a wide bertha of fine lace which falls from the low neck to the waist and over the sleeves A simple dancing frock is of light I blue taffeta spotted with little rosebuds rose-buds made with a full gathered skirt I on which are several narrow ruffles edged with narrow white lace The low neck has several rows of narrow I lace edged ruffles forming a bertha and continuing on the arms as sleeves I to the elbow t F An exquisite frock to be worn over aping a-ping or blue silk slip is of fine dotted swiss ruffled in the same way as the I preceding dress Silk stockings and satin slippers i match the frock or black stockings and slippers Delicately tinted gloves are worn on the smallest hands BALL COSTUMES FOR BOYS f The small beau who makes his bow in the dancing room at the afternoon parties wears an equally picturesque costume At the tender age of 3 or 4 the masculine form is not required to be attired so conventionally as later on and one little swell may wear a j dainty blouse of white batiste or lawn I with lace trimmed ruffles and a sailor collar and deep cuffs edged with wide lace which falls over the short square jacket of blak or dark blue velvet The kilted skirt is of white corded silk and the stockings are black silk and the dancing shoes are of patent leather Colonial suits of the velveteen with i tight breeches to the knees and a coat of eighteenth century style prettily braided is worn with a waistcoat and lace cravat This winter the little lads are wear tr s a + a much younger age than usual Severn tots have ap peared in knee breeches at the early age of two years These breeches are very short reaching an inch above the knee Black and blue velveteen are much t worn Wide collars are very handsome and heavy Venetian guipure are considered I consid-ered the thing with silk muslin or I lawn shirts Fancy styles are favored fof the little chaps such as braided jackets I gilt buttons and silver buckles on the shoes which are not considered de rigueur a few years later when all the severity of a mans attire is expected I in the dress of a boy and for a lad of 10 or 12 the conventional evening suit lIS copied exactly button hole bouquet included At afternoon dances the cutaway I cut-away suit is worn by older boys I A DANCING MASTERS LECTURE I In the dancing schools where the children really go to learn to dance I all the attention is directed to the lesson I les-son and very little to the costumes I They are tod to wear their flat heeled shoes Take off those high I heeled slippers insisted Mr MacGre I gor dancing master at the Mendelssohn Mendel-ssohn club school If you come here I again with such silly shoes Ill cut I the heels off myself How do you j suppose he continued you can practice I prac-tice so long in such tight shoes The muscles wont stand it No wonder you fall over your feet and your ankles ank-les turn Dont you know it is hard work to learn to dance right It strains all yourmuscles at first and you cannot can-not learn properly in high heels These remarks were adressed to a young miss of 12 whose shapely limbs and feet were encased in handsome I black silk stockings and high heeled French slippers much to her own satisfaction sat-isfaction HOW CHILDREN REALLY LEARN DANCING There were a dozen or two of the children of all ages learning the first steps blundering and slipping out of j time and line but all trying very hard to follow the light graceful movements of the professor who patiently drilled them over and over I Each one held a rod across the back to keep them erect and they hopped t and jumped over the slippery floor like a lot of awkward young chickens Each < child made her little courtesy arid bow as she entered th e ball room and the manners of the lads and their bows were as elegant as possible The punctilious etiquette of the ballroom ball-room is preserved at these lessons The child is taught from the first day that dancing room manners are different from any others All the little formalities for-malities are observed The gravity of the occasion is insisted upon There is no swaying about or careless carriage car-riage The children are taught to walk across the floor without selfcon sciousness to slide to hop to rtu all with ease but with the slight restraint re-straint and blace bearing that is considered consid-ered the height of aristocratic breeding No familiarity and no laughter or hilarity hi-larity It is all business here the pleasure comes afterward at the organized organ-ized classes The piano is pounded in perfect time and the one two three rum turn ti of the waltz time commences and the little feet get hopelessly tangled up apd the professor hurries to the rescue res-cue Simple little frocks are worn to these r lessons the brave finery previously described is reserved for the days when the little wearer can go through a quadrille or a waltz with almost as much accuracy as the younger set themselves The mothers and friends sit around the wall of the handsome pall room in which the lesson is given and laugh a little slyly at the comic efforts of their offspring to acquire grace and dignity of bearing STYLE AND MANNER MORE IMPORTANT IM-PORTANT THAN FANCY STEPS Do you teacfi the children fancy dances I inquired of the professor No that is all out of fashion They used to learn the Highland Fling and the Cachnea and Varsorlenne and all the rest of them but unless a child is going into a special fete where she is to perform before people we never teach them It Is enough now to learn the fashionable steps and the way to act and look There is a certain style and manner which we try to teach that is more important than fancy dances Fancy dances belong to the ballet school Social dancing is another thingWhat What steps do you teach for the Cotillion I asked Oh the twostep chiefly They will dance it to everything We cannot stop it Then the modified glide waltz as I call it is much danced It is different dif-ferent from the old glide waltz and is danced more on the ball of the foot Then they do the polka and the York In England you know he continued con-tinued they never reverse in the waltz but they dance in a regular way around the outer edge of the room American dancers go anywhere and il every way it pleases themcrazy waltzers the English call us and we have to reverse to make the way How are the Cotillion figures originated origi-nated I asked thinking of the many new ones that are always springing up as the latest fads Usually in the leaders brain he answered They take any old game Copenhagen for instance with the kissing part left out or Clap in and Clap Out or mild Blind Mans Buff and dance it to time with a lot of pretty trinkets and flowers to give ones partners We teach the children in the same way by taking a childish game which they know and dancing It to music The Cinderella dance is the name of the small and early dancing parties par-ties now in vogue They begin at an early hour and close promptly at midnight mid-night The after dinner dance is considered con-sidered the most attractive of all the winters entertainment and on the occasion oc-casion of this function dinner parties I are given by many of the guests as i well as the hostess own dinner and i later all the merry throng adjourn to the residences appointed for the cotillion cotil-lion These gay parties are often taken by their host in the large theatre wagons which hold ten people like a I stage The same comfortable kind of carryall i carry-all often conveys the Infantile aristocrats aristo-crats in groups to their afternoon dances where they are carefully escorted escort-ed and cared for by their parents and maids who see that no point of etiquette eti-quette or propriety Is overlooked JEANNETTE HALE |