Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1913)
1 he Omaha Sunday Bee y A Movement from an Ancient Greek "Owl Dance," from a Painting at Poaapeii. Note tlie Man and Woman Starmg ia Each Other's Eyes, as Modern (Dancers Do. NOT excepting tbo Tango, tho Turkey Trot, the GrfcalyBear and tho Bunny Hus, there Is nothing new under tha nun la the way of dancing. The Greeks ex hausted the subject three thousand years ago. For prool of which state ment see reproductions ol rare old decorative drawings on this page. The Joko is on the Isadora Dun cans and Lady Constance Richard sons. After all their studious ef forts, their demonstrations la publlo and the Herculean feats of their press agents to "revive the daaces of ancient Greece," they have left it to the unlettered Bias to emu late the fencing Gnwfcs la task really is try moments. White an axceedlatly small r eentaga ot tha yoeaiattsa ia fallow ing the eeremeateuely eiesele exam Ie st by th lke referred to,, everybeda's dolB' R that li, Tango, t cetera ecrMtee as they were doae by youthful Oraeks fklttf centuries ago ia -their elltsessms moods. Not only did1 these festive Ornlaas copy the move 5Beuu ot birds, fowls and fcsta ia thh popular dan ces at merrymaking, but they Statue in the Irilkh Mhhm f an Aeit Greek "Twkay Tretter" at Moment el & 3,000-year-aU "Crane Dance" feaMc iege&er la eeaples, a seen as wo ma 6. with evea less regard for tea tsetiegt efSa yrvdiaa of their day ef whlea there, were none, by the way 'ha Is exhibits y the feaoay-hasgiag- eouplee at aay Ceaey Isfaad deaee halt Tet the Tea, Us Tarkey Trot aed te ferta have sahtered vast eyeiariir vitheut tee sileatest a. mm r eUta far tfcss that they feeleatly iakerKe art of the "glory Mutt vac Gfseee." Appareatly their mew fer holes' vm iBharat la (has, eae ie aa eHila la aatare's jest as atatUar esasss et the JJWieat ffrseks ertefaftted. Watte prlsaariiy tae ae eC Oreeee was a torn, at warahiy aa4 loatrisniia fUu7, mud wit it How theyD way from re ligion into every-day lite, forming part o all merrymak ing. Dancing wan reduced almost Assyrian Hired to a science -by the Greeks, who classified their dances somewhat as follows: Kublstlc, lnctudingleaplng and aero batlo feats; Spcrlutlc, rhythmical movements accompanying ball-throwing; orchestic, or dancing propor, as we understand It A kind of warlike dance called gymnopaldla was perforated by two froups ot children, or youths, quits aee, staging hymns, aad tsareale, sk4efiia aad whirling. , gmstiatee there wr 'three chorowM, as anoac the Leceaaemoalaaa wstea verses ae eompBlA tha daacs. The eld mee tac: 'Mtfe.caae. were youa and fay .Mb Valiant? bole and acliva, too." The young me-a respeadee : eiS fft" aa"W A. . ' AmoHmit Walt VaJmfcf, Skewing "CaWet" Featur ef ' "Tt bow our turn, and you shall see Tee've ne'er esasmi it more thaa we.? The the boys chimed la: "The day shall csmo whsa va than abow Feats that surpass all yon eaa do." The great war dance was the Pyr rhic, and by the laws of Sparta ergry child overlive bad to leara It Hereto in its character, and cf coarse daaeed by men alone, it afterward degen erated into a mixed danee, each war rior having a female partner. Daeda lus is said to have invented this variation, teaching it to the Severn youths aad jaaideas saved from the Ittaotair by Theseus, The Homos was cae ot the great est ot Greek war daaces, the ea takiag- ell the aeroio posts of war riors, the maideas portraying mod esty and grace la every movement. Ia Sparta the girls danced with one kaee bare, la honor of Dlaaa. Svery one has observed how nearly that et feet is produced by the aew eostumes silt oa oae aide. Ia the dramatic danees of aneleat Greece are the germs of tae Roman aad Greek pantomime aad our mod era ballet There ware maay daaces too illustrative ot Joy and merriment, such ae the Aatfisma, a flower dance ehlefly suag by womsa ia private assemblies, with the refraia: 'Where's my lovely parsley, say? Hy violets, rosea, wfcera are they? My parsley, roses, violets fair, Where are y flowers? Tell me where." They daaced, tee. la taitattea of Tarieea aaimahj, aaejseplsd. the sap p4 ef birds wiega. They had the bear saaee, Jest as wa have the Grtaaly. It waa ia koaor et Artemis ay mm waaruue saxroa Ceprriant, 191, pr The Ancient Greeks Had Cabarets, too, and Ineiv How to Do the Turkey Trot Dancers, from an Old Greek Decoration. robes. They had an owl danco, a satirical danco, consisting in shading tho eyes with the hands or In turn lng tho head to and fro llko an owL danced in couples like tho Turkey' Trot But those classic dances took on a bow abandon and extreme sensuous ness under tha influence of tbo Ion! ans, who Introduced many volup tuous dance which they had brought trots' Syria. The Phrygians and Ly dlaas adopted all the new danees quickly aad Athens Mea mad over them. The musicians played -the luta aad eytkara, aad whea they ca tered a banquet hall, followed by the band ot young maidens, the entire company arose and Togan to dance. It was considered tho height of im pollteness for any guest to refuse tfo dance, aad every oae had to know how another Turkey Trot analogy The Symposium of the Greeks was undoubtedly tha original of our ban jiuela vullreaed by the introduction ot entertainers, and tha degeneration ot tho Symposia when the guests arose from the tables and Joined the dancers is very much like the modern MY SECRETS IAT X am going to write to day will sound very much llko a talk from a dtwtnr. But in my wide experience- all over the civilised world X have learned many things, and no one knows bet ter than I do that health and beauty cannot be purchased in Jars of cold cream and bottles of lotions. Tha rcaaous for a bad skin and a sallow complexion often lie deeper than We think. When a human being la out ot or der the trouble Is in the lntu5tlns more often than anywhere clso. This is especial! true of women who are so generally affected In this way that many think ot it as an unavoidable ahcrtcomlag, like being too short or too tall. The remedy for this universal cease of sickness, headaches and bad health lies sot in drugs, but In re moving the causf, which is wrong food. The business of the digestive or gaas was, and atlll Is, to pick out and. absorb the nutritive particles and pass on the waste. Food does not proceed oa its course from our mouth by gravity, Ilka a brick dropped lowa a well. Its course do- v ptede oa the aetioa ot a complex tb Btur Company. Great DrlUln nights Retenrea. nced theTando in Greece . . , Oisl Greek Festive Occasions. cabaret and "Trotterles," where tho frueets join tho entertainers upon tha floor and dance either among them selves or with the professionals. That the Greeks had steps like tho Tango and Turkey Trot is easy to see, for these are the primitive, easy dances that anyone can dance it ho or she has the least eense of rhythm. The Greeks knew every fosalble step, but sought grace in the use of tho OF BEAUTY By Mme. Una Cavalieri, The Most No. 230 Your Beauty Depends Largely on system ot muscles, which force it down the throat hy the familiar process of swallowing. In the stomach muscular force is necessary to drive th food through the pylorus or sentinel valve Into tha intestine. If it were not for a net work of muscles which move rhyth mically in the abdomen food would stay in the intestines until we die. These involuntary movements Of the Intestines are called "peristaltic ac tion." It Is In the Intestines that the value of fibrous matter, chaff, bran, eta, becomes apparent the nutrltlvo and the liquid parts ot the food are rapidly absorbed into the blood, leaving- only the non-dlgstlble parts. If the food is highly coaceetrated the remainder Is so small that the peristaltic movements ot the bowels hare little or no grip on it The food instead of moving aloag'at its proper pace, halts and becomes dryer and harder. Besides being too small In bulk to fit the calibre of the in tea tinea, con centrated food lacks the stimulating power oa the latestiaas which chaff and fibre have bran, for instance, ia tha Intestines tickles and exekea The 3,000-Years-Ago 'Tango,'' from a Ppsapeiaa Wall Paint ins;, Danced by a Man and a Woman, as To-day. arms and hands as much, or more than by the movements of the legs and swaying of tho body. It was In tho later development or rather de generacy of mannors and morals, that tho dancing was made more volup tuous, and the ancient forms of the Tango and Turkey Trot wero intro duced from the Ionian Islands, they having learned these dances from tha mainland to tho East . To the Greek the dance stood for an Idea, and he tried to make plain any Idea at all whether elevating or degrading, by the movements of tha dance. His war dances were more like marches, with posturing and all ot the action, of attacking, feinting and fleeing,, aad some of tbesa were even adapted to the use of war horses, so wo would hardly call them dances at alt The nearest to the Turkey Trot that the ancient Greeks came was probably In the Geranoa. or Crane Dance. This represents the intrica cies of the Cretan Labyrinth from which Theseus was rescued by Ari adne, This danco is 'pictured on an ancient vaao showing the hero hold-' tho lining of tho bowels, and the re sult is proper activity of their .muscles. Though nobody recommends tabloid meals any longor, food faddists stUl prescribe starvation diets on the mis taken Idea that Nature is economical in her digestive processes, Nature doesn't work that way. Our digestive tract demands a largo sup ply of mixed food. No matter how much or how little we cat, it will not digest it all.. To use a mining term, our processes can only handle "low grade ore." Concentrate' clog tha machinery. When the muscular action of the intestines is not enough to move tha residue along at' Its proper rate, the bowels have an emergency meth od. They move things by floating them along in an emergency fluid secreted by the walls of the intes tines. All the salts and other purgatives which fill the shelves ot the drug ntores act In tula way they are poi sonous, and by their irritation of tho mucus lining they cause this watery secretion. Combat with might and main any irregularity ia habit. If the laterar 3000 Years Ago! lng the famous, clue, or thread, fol lowing Ariadne, and the maidens danced In serpentine fashion after, him. This danco was introduced in the festival of Apollo at Delos, and those who dlstlnKulshed - themselves re ceived valuable tripods which they dedicated to the gods, the names of the victors being proclaimed by two heralds. This great Dellan festival was hold every five years In the Spring. Artemis was first worshipped and then Apollo. Tho maidens of Doloo, crowned with flowers and garbed in festal attire, danced to Joyful choruses round the altars ot tho two deities, and set forth in sacred ballets tho story'of the birth ot Apollo and Artemis. Nobody in ancient Greeco was too highly honored by the nation or per sonally too dignified to dance. Not even Socrates though "ho had In . Zantlppe a jealous virago for a wife. "Am I to be blamed for reducing An Ancient Greek Vase S tlte British Museum, with Decorative Design. Skewitig That Tkere Were Acrcfcatk Dancers Then ae Now. the corpulence of my body by a lit tie dancing?" was the famous utter ance of the greatest of Greek philoso phers, who at the age of sixty had boon taught the art ot dancing by the famous scholar, courtesan and wit ABpasla. So we know that tho Greeks wero groat dancers in their time, and even Homer describes certain dances in use during the Trojan War, 1,000 years B. C. The Phalakian dance, which Homer praises highly, was performed by youths dancing In a clrole around a singer. But this was more ot the heroic than tho sensuous, What You Eat organs7 are lazy and do not act regu larly this irregularity may become fixed with dire effects upon beauty and character. Tou will attain good results always by taking early each morning, while fas ting, one or two teaspoon fula of olive oil. This la ono o tho best cures for, lethargy of the Intestines. Oold infusions of wild pansy, hops, ash leaves or peppermint, and ma ceration of leaves ot senna yield good results. The Swedish movements, masaage and infusions of cold water generally aid in overcoming the trouble. Here are some special exercises which I can heartily recommend; 1, Place yourself on your back, lift' the legs slowly until they are perpen dicular t to the body, lower them slightly.1 Itepeat ten times. 2. Standing erect both hands on the hips, try to force the stomach forward as far as possible by breath ing deeply, and utlng the abdominal muscles. Bring it back quickly. Massage ot the stomach is not easy to do yourself, but can be done aa .1 follows: Place yourself on your back, your knees bent upward, feet flat on and it was in the sonsuous danoa that tho Greeks revelled. They has a repugnance to self-denial, and were not afraid of losing personal dignity; hy the liveliness of their dancing. The feelings for tho rhythmical, thb recurrence of regular, propor tional and measured beats, was high ly cultivated and enjoyed by tho Greeks. The order and proportion observed in movement is rhythm; In -relation to ,Bound it is called har mony, and lnGreoco tho connection of rhythm with harmony is expressed by tho -word "orchesls," for which wa have no English equivalent as 16 means both tha danco and tho muslo the "married pair," as Luclan calls them. This union was first mado by tho voice for what could bo more nat ural than to add rhythmical move ments to a song or poem? Every accentuation ot verso was accompa nied, by a Btop in the orchestic repre sentations. Step and gesture wero Interwoven with poetry, and to dance in rhythm to tho verso was the Bamo thing as to road it out in true measure. Gestures of arms and hands were at first considered more Important than tbo movements ' ot the' feet Dancers iu Greece were called "Cheirosophi," skilled with tho hands, and number and cadence throbbed lg every one ot their exercises. The Athenians wero especially fond ot dancing, and they were not onljl eloquent In speech, but also in gest ures, mostly of tho-hands and arms. The poets taught chelronomla, the arc of gesture, as part of tho study, of the classic dance. , was said ot Telestes, a dancer in the theatre "of Aeschylus, that ho was so skilled in the Chelronomla that he represented in tho danco tho "Seven Before The bes." Sostratus is said to have re fused to give (the danco "Liberty" be fore tho conquerors ot his native town because it was no longer froo. Dancing was inoxtricably inter woven with tho religion of tho Greeks and no festival or entertainment was complete without tho appropriate dancing. In tho early ages It was kept up to a high standard, and Ho mer calls sleep, love, muslo and dancing tho sweetest and the most perfect ot all human enjoyments, but he dignifies tho last only by the epithet "blameless." In his tlmo this was doubtless true, but as the times changed tha dances became a reflection of the degenerate morals, and they, too, be came degenerate. Athenaeus saya that dancing was brought to such perfection in Imitating the passions that tho most eminent sculptors of tea took their models and designs from the attitudes ot tho public dancers, and thus produced that great beauty and grace of form and figure which have Dover been surpassed In tbo history of the world. Those marvel lous figures and postures have come to bo the models and studies of the dancers of all succeeding ages. Probably it Is because the old Greek sculptors wero so heroic in their Ideals that the popular dances of that day tho Grecian Tango and Turkey Trot figure in so few o their works. I Famous Living Beauty L "Moisten the right hand wttH vaseline, oil or cold cream, and with the points of tho three longer fingers describe circles about the centre of the stomach. Do this very slowly. 2. Hub from left to right passing over the stomach, in this way follow ing tho course of the colon. To do this well, place the fingers ot the right hand on the left Bide, and the left hand on tho knuckles ot the right Rub ia this way, rubbing from lets" to right, mounting up to the centre at each circling. Aa the fingers pass downward increase the pressure, but decrease it as you come back to the centre. 3. Place the right hand flat on tha stomach, the left on top of it Hub1 vigorously upward. Go downward with little pressure, end then to the right. 4. Complete the massage by knead ing tho stomach with both hands, tak ing hold of the skin and flesh rather deeply. Drink no red wines, but acid or sugared drinks or sparkling wines. Use milk, sour milk. lemonade with carbonic water. Eat fatty meats and fish. Farinaceous foods and green vegetables, giving preference to car rots, green peas asparagus and greea , beans. All fruits, especially figs, ra