Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Pag
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A Woman Educator s Interesting
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By Mrs. Hawthorn Morgan
(Head of the Department of Physi
cal Education of the Summer
8choola of Berkeley. Cal., and
Supervleor of Physical Education
of the Manual Arte High School of
lot Angelea).
DANCING Is practical. At least,
the right kind of dancing may
be made to lend Itself to the
moat practical uses of life. We ought
to dance with a purpose. These
dancei of, mine are dances with a
purpose.
It Is a mistake to classify dancing
as one of the merely ornamental
arta. It is essentially a thing of
beauty, but it may becom a tulnar,
also, of utility. It may be made not
a mere aimless form of amusement.
The dancing of my "Morgan girls"
that I bave brought East fromLos
Acgeles to do drawing-room lanclug,
girls who come from homes of refine
ment, who are paying their .first visit
to the East, Is of the kind that in
creases efficiency ia every depart
ment of life to which they may be
called. They are, literally, dances
with a purpose.
"When, at tu Bartilt Moments
Muslcala at the Waldorf-Astoria ap
plause greeted my group of six girls
whom I had been training for four
years cries of "Bravo!" changed to
tourmurlngs of "What ethereal
beauty." Yet I, with xny Russian
ballet master, Louis II. Challf, who
composed the ballets in which they
appeared, knew that it would have
been quite as true had these kind
spectators said: "Of what infinite
purpose in the practicalities of life."
For tangoing and fox trotting ln
. artistically and in heated rooms I
offer no excube. Of the classic danc
ing that goes back to Hellenic ideals
of pleasure, health and beauty I am
an ardent advocate. The classic
dances require no partner. Tbey may
be danced alone. They should be
danced barefoot And they can be
a part of a woman's daily programme
in the privecy of her own apartments.
Which proves their practicability.
Likewise, from a moral standpoint,
their greater safety.
By their results we may read their
purpose. First let me state the
significant fact that each of this sex
tetts of dancers was able to carry
flvs solid studies in high school,
whereas their companions, not
trained in dancing and the accom
panying athletics, could at best
master but four. That indicates, you
will observe, an Increase of 'JO per
.cent In efficiency. If every person
'engaged in any occupation. could In
crease his or her efficiency 20 per
cent, ortne-fifth, consider the beneflt
to that person In salary or income
Theory of Corsetless, Barefoot,
Par tnerless Poses, That Develop
Resourcefulness, Character
and Independence
Mist Josephine McLean in one
of the leaps that stimulate
the heart action.
and to the world in the value of tho
output of work.
Another practical result that I con
sider of exceeding value Is that each
girl is taught to., dance in her own
way. Unison in variety is our motto.
It can readily be understood that
this self-expression develops self
reliance. A girl thus trained depends not
upon others, but herself. She draws
strength from within, not without.
She becomes a human upright, not a
human lean-to. Girl who have ac
quired the habit of independent
thought will succeed lu any lot in
which they may be cast, be it wife
hood, motherhood or one of the arts
or profusions or even In business.
"Of what use Is classic dancing in
business?"' you may ask. I answer:
"Classic dnnclng develops the power
of concentration." That power Is
necessary to all success. ( Whatsis
more necesttary in business, especially
In executive departments, than con
centration? We are apt to tblnk of
dancing, when performed by one ae-.
customed to It, ns something me
chanical which can be done with the
mind on something thousands of'
miles distant. This may be true of
one of the easy, slovenly dances of
the day. But it Is untrue of classic
dancing. The steps that have come
down to us from the Greeks, In their
statues and friezes, are complex, and
to execute a complex dance strict at-
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teutlon is necessary In fact, abso- j ,: , ' ' ' - . J ' . I
lute concentration. - r it .;-f II
The classic dancing, by which I , , ., 4
mean a,s regards my teaching the " ;
best from the Russian and tha jf
Oriental as well ns the Greek f, . 4 , , . , .
standavls, develoi absolute jolse of t. j'
body and of .spirit. That poise of t .as as n r i
spirit stands for perhaps the greatest Y ! Mu My..B?U Dniel. in
American needs! sound nerves and " til final posture of a dance
even temper. I 0 u
Nervousness is caused by lack of purpose, this being
coordination of tha parts and funo I n development of neck
tlons of the body. There is no I '
nervousness when there is co-ordlna- and chesL
tlon, which means poise. Nervous-, .
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ness is indicated by dwelling on the
ugly side of life and thinking upon
its imperfect ions. The classic dancer's
mind is fixed upon beauty. TVs look
like what we think. If we think
of beautiful things we become beauti
ful. When I took this class of girls
four years ago no on spoke of their
being beautiful. Now every one who ,
aees ,tbem says: "What beautiful
girls!" ; '
Their dance training has made
them free, free of mind and body.
Such freedom makes for heulht as
well as grace. Corset need never be
worn by the girl with the figure de.
vcloped by proper dancing. Her Arm
muscles form a natural snd sufficient
corset.
Nor will her feet be cramped by
shoes that are too tight or that
otherwise distort them. Barefoot'
dancing forms the straight line on
the Inside of the foot from 'heel to
toe. A perfect foot la very rare.
You bave only to use your eyes at'
any bathing beach or in any swim
ming tank to convlnco you of this.
The right kind of dancing develops
the Instep, forms the right arch of
the sole, preventing flatfoot. The
classic dancer gravitates naturally
to the sandal as a foot covering when
it is Impracticable to go barefoot.
Butevery one would be healthier
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Miss Dulce Moore in one of
the bending postures that
" once strengthens the
pine and render it flexible.
and happier If she would dance for
twenty minutes or more every day.
The right kind of dancing deepens
and widens the chest Every well
trained dancer has better chest
than the average person.
1 Dancers' necks are fuller. Holding
the head backward during the full
time of a long chord develops the
throat smaelngly. and banishes a
train of throat attUcttona.
Fart of the dancing of my so
called system, wulcb is surely the
host of many wchools in which I have
Htudled, ; requires luaps from tht
ground. In these leaps the body is
naturally in the air, unsupported by
the floor or ground, for a time. A
whort time, but when counted In the
aggregate of these leaps the dally
isum is considerable. TUls Increases
the heart action. It stimulates the
circulation, bringing color to the
ohoeks and brightness to the eyes, so
becoming nu unquestioned bcautifier.
A practical essential of proper
dancing is good posture. I'osturo it
most important, not only to the
health, but to success. Assume that
any one is looking for a position.
.The way he enters the room, th
way he "holds himself," denotes bis
capability and character. If he
slouches In, if his shoulders droop.
If he stands with the weight on on
wide, he will not get the position, for
h has not made a good impression.
Or if the first impression 1s made la
a social way, the woman who eaters
a drawing-room with ber chest up,
head well poised and shoulders erect,
will score against the woman who
slinks in with bead down, shoulders
' drooping and chin Inclining chest
ward. v '
Right dancing is the meat practical
of tha fine arts.
A group 'of "Morgan
Dancers" in the cli
max of an Hellenic
Fete at tbe Creek
Theatre of Berke
ley, Cal.