Part 42

The activities in our Saturday classes for little tots do all of this. They are called dancing classes, and they become that, but the gradation from romping play into systematic dancing instruction is accomplished practically without consciousness on their part, and thus they learn the rudiments of stage routine almost without knowing it.

I don't know of any bunch of children anywhere that have a happier time than do our littlest pupils in their dainty lessons in the studios. They love every bit of the "work." In the first place, it is adapted to their years, and their instructors are both competent and kindly; and while it is quite a problem to handle a roomful of little folks bent on mischief, and direct their playing along systematized lines, we do it, and before they know it the little feet are stepping in unison to bright music, and gradually there is awakened a pride in perfect performance, and the little playmates become little dancers, each trying his best to equal or excel his or her fellows.

I go on record as saying that the age of eight years is the most favorable for the beginning of a dancing career, for then the young pupil has a mind sufficiently developed to easily comprehend instruction, and a body readily responsive to training. Yet we take children from four to seven years of age for specialized training which prepares them properly in the fundamentals and technique that is so necessary. Occasionally some five-year-old dancing marvel is discovered. Young years are learning years the world over, and right training in foundation work for the future great dancer, as taught in our studios, is so attractive in itself and so suggestive of real "fun" to the little learner, that both child and parents give it their hearty approval.

Dancing teachers in other cities send promising children to New York to study for professional careers; mothers bring the little dancers to New York, anxious to put them on the stage at once. But that is not possible, as a state law prohibits any child under sixteen from appearing before a paid audience to sing or dance, while permitting them to go on for dialogue parts only, if they are past ten years. Producers demand birth certificates and live up to the law. There is in New York City a Gerry Society, which controls the situation and is sharply on the alert.

Here in New York City there is a professional school for stage children, which many attend.

The great majority of the children who come to our studios for dancing instruction are from families who do not want the children to take up stage careers, but wish them to be properly and thoroughly trained in every type of dancing, which incidentally brings out all the natural grace in the body, develops health, poise, charm of manner, personality and symmetrical bodies. Parents naturally desire to see their little ones graceful, accomplished, pleasing in deportment, and able to exhibit a few clever steps in home or amateur entertainments--a parent's proper pride. Others, especially professional stage people, active or retired, enter their young folks in my courses with a view to their ultimately becoming professional stage dancers. They know the emoluments. They know that one daughter on the dancing stage is worth ten in the parlor--financially. They know, too, that old adage "as the twig is bent," and the rest of it, so they start their twigs straight and in fertile soil with faith that in this way their child's future is well and happily provided for. A knowledge of stage dancing is a life insurance policy that pays big dividends during one's lifetime. The dancer is her own--and perhaps her parents'--beneficiary.

We have tots here in the studio at our Saturday classes as young as four. Usually, however, they are five, six, or over. In their primary work we give them all sorts of jolly exercises--walking, running, galloping, and for the tiniest we have "skipping special," "baby work," body building and dancing games.

Our Junior class for children (ages four, five, six and seven) devotes half an hour to very mild physical training and limbering and stretching work on the heavy felt pads, and then there is half an hour of dancing games. The hour thus passes all too quickly with our interested little pupils. As they show proficiency in this work we give them the actual dancing steps which are arranged in effective routines. All of the technique is necessary and beautiful and they love to go through it before the big wall mirrors and see themselves in graceful poses.

Those whose little bodies are especially adapted to it are allowed to take up so-called acrobatic dancing, and it is not surprising that the heels-over-head idea appeals as it does to the juvenile mind. It is action such as they crave, doing "cartwheels," "splits," "back-bends" and many showy "tricks," and they just love it. They are never forced in this work, but really accomplish it themselves under painstaking instructions. Children eight, nine, ten and eleven years of age are assigned to the intermediate classes, beginners or advanced, according to the proficiency or talent that they show me. Those twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen years of age are placed in the Children's Senior Classes, either beginners or advanced. I, personally, grade them and supervise all of their instruction. When they reach the age of sixteen, the girls are put in the adult girls' classes and the boys at sixteen are given private lessons from then on. There are no mixed adult classes.

One thing we are very careful and considerate about is, putting a child on her toes in the ballet work. We find cases where teachers elsewhere have forced this too soon, before the child's feet and ankles were prepared for it. Mothers are sometimes to blame for that, for they are eager to see their little daughters do this pretty work; but we insist upon proper foundation work first, developing the child gradually, and then, when the strength is there, we know we should be able to do the rest not only without danger of permanent injury but with assurance of pleasing and perfect success.

Children thus gradually get instruction in five basic types of dancing, i.e., musical comedy, tap and step, acrobatic, ballet, including classical, character, toe, interpretive, and exhibition dancing. They may develop best along one of these types, and choose to follow that one out to a real professional quality, or they may acquire a good working knowledge of all and thus have a diversity of accomplishments. Then when they reach the age limit of sixteen that permits them legally to enter upon the profit-taking period, they are ready to respond.

I watch the little folks with their instructors every Saturday. They are graduated according to their ages at first, and then graded according to ability, usually at the end of each term (every twelfth or thirteenth week). The youngest group gets one hour's work, all their little bodies can stand, while those between eight and fifteen inclusive get two hours instruction each Saturday. Their mothers, guardians or governesses are in a spacious waiting room.

We are making a lot of children happy, and at the same time laying a foundation for their health and beauty, and perhaps for their financial prosperity. The future great dancers of the next two decades are somewhere in this lot of little ones; which ones it will be is unknown to them or to us, but all are given an equal opportunity, and many will make good.

DANCING HANDS

It is not only the rhythmic movements of the feet and legs that constitute a dancer. Every stage dancer employs as well her face, hands and arms in giving expression to grace, beauty, and the many interpretations of her pantomimic art. Watch the next dancer or group of dancers you see at a show, and it may surprise you to discover how much the hands and arms have to do in adding to the effectiveness of the presentation. It is a compliment to the dancer's artistry that you have been absorbedly pleased by the complete effect, with no thought on your part of analyzing the structure in detail.

But let her put her hands and arms out of the picture and note the disastrous result. You then realize emphatically how much the motions of the entire person, of the limbs and the torso and head, are interdependent to create the grace and rhythm that complete the perfect dance.

The various functions of the hand as detailed are:

1, to define or indicate; 2, to affirm or deny; 3, to mold or detect; 4, to conceal or reveal; 5, to surrender or hold; 6, to accept or reject; 7, to inquire or acquire; 8, to support or protect; 9, to caress or assail.

How these several functions are naturally evolved from the various movements of the hand will be readily understood when one reads the definitions:

1. (a) To define: first finger prominent; hand moves up and down, side to earth; (b) to indicate: first finger prominent; hand points to object to be indicated.

2. (a) To affirm: hand, palm down, makes movement of affirmation up and down; (b) to deny: hand, palm down, makes movement of negation from side to side.

3. (a) To mold: hand makes a movement as if molding a soft substance, as clay; (b) to detect: rub the thumb across the fingers as if feeling a texture held between them. (A movement often made when following a train of thought.)

4. (a) To conceal: bring the palm of the hand toward you, the fingers at the same time gently closing on palm; (b) to reveal: reverse the above movement, exposing palm.

5. (a) To surrender: closed hand opens, palm down, action as if dropping something on the ground; (b) to hold: the hand closes as if to retain something.

6. (a) To accept: fingers close on upturned palm as if receiving something; (b) to reject: fingers unclose from down-turned palm as if throwing something away.

7. (a) To inquire: a tremulous movement of the outstretched fingers as in the blind; palm down; (b) to acquire; hand drawn toward you, fingers curved toward down-turned palm.

8. (a) To support: palm up, making a flat surface as if supporting a weight; (b) to protect: palm down; a movement of fingers as if covering what you protect.

9. (a) To caress: a movement of stroking up and down, or sideways. If sideways, one caresses the animal nature; (b) to assail: palm down; the fingers make a convulsive movement of clutching.