ecome the living embodiment of the emotions and spirit
of the dancer. This is putting one's own personality into the dance,
and is one secret of every great artist's success, which we seek to
instill into the minds of all our students.

[Illustration: NW]

DANCING AND EASE OF MANNER

[Illustration]

Man is a gregarious animal, and eagerly seeks the company of his
fellows. In civilized society men and women gathered to dine, to
converse, to dance, to play games, to watch others indulging in
various sports or pastimes. Out of this intermingling at social
gatherings there has gradually developed an accepted code of conduct
termed "good manners," which are as stringently binding as any law
enacted by a legislature. And there are penalties for violation of
this code, that are surely imposed upon the luckless offender, ranging
all the way from a snub, a sound or gesture of disapproval, to social
ostracism.

"Manners maketh man" is an ancient aphorism that has a very wide
application. While the forms and standards of what constitute good
manners change with the times, their essential basis is always the
same--a deference to, and consideration for, those with whom one is
thrown in contact. Courtesy, politeness, helpfulness, and other
evidences of good breeding and careful training, are the outgrowth of
a desire for eliminating selfish instincts. The rude man or woman is
an egotist, seeking to assert his or her individuality without regard
for the sensibilities of others.

Aside from the willful violation of those unwritten laws that have
come to govern social intercourse, there are many who err because of
excessive self-consciousness, which makes it difficult or impossible
to put themselves at ease among those with whom they would like to
associate. They are painfully aware of their own surplus ego; they are
constrained and awkward; they feel that in some way they are
outsiders, that, as the slang phrase puts it, they do not belong. It
is probable that more social failures are due to this trait than to
any other cause.

Against this self-conscious attitude a thorough training in the dance
is a most effective remedy. The shy, constrained, awkward boys and
girls mingle with their companions on terms of ordered freedom and
equality. They are taught grace of movement; the spontaneous
expression of their individuality is modified by contact with their
associates; they acquire a graceful walk and carriage. To follow