THE TURKEY TROT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1849, 8 September 1913, Page 2

THE TURKEY TROT.

ITS ORIGIN AND FEATURES. . Interest throughout the English-spik-ing world for sonio time has been turned towards tlio direction in which modern dancing has gone during the past ten years, and, while the "classic" dancers have enjoyed a considerable amount of popularity and have established themselves, there is still raging in Britain a controversy concerning such departures as the Turkey Trot, tho Bunny-Hug, and other forms of dancing which have animal or' alliterative names. That ballroom dancing lias decided to lcavo grace behind in the striving for novelty is pretty generally admitted, but the trouble at present is seething around the craze dances, and of these the "Turkey Trot" is tho most notorious. In the first place, it is well to consider the origin of these dances, and, as tho Turkey Trot has become tho most noticeable, it is the best peg on which to hang a discussion of this kind. Tliero is in San Francisco a section of the town that is expressively yclept tho Barbary Coast. It grew up during tho gold rush years ago, and, as it became tho haunt of weird characters from all parts of the world, it quickly acquired for itself an atmosphere. Robberies and assaults wero frequent, and among seafaring men tho district was named after tho Moroccan coast. Modern police methods have rendered tho district rather safer than it was half a century ago, but it is still considered advisablo to have an escort when inspecting tho place, and to-day the coast is infested by dance-halls, where professional dancers arc employed to keep up a lively measure in the dance-room while tho patrons linger about the bars. It was with these dancer's in these places of tho Barbary Coast that the Turkey Trot, now adopted by some society people and exploited on tlio stage, originated. From these places, too, came the Grizzly Bear and Texas Tommy. The Turkey Trot is not a new dance. It was familiar to tho barbarians of tho Barbary Coast for a number of years, and more than one theatrical manager admitted that tho danco had stage possibilities, but none cared to take the risk of introducing it into tho leading theatre of New York until a comparatively recent date. In the spring of 1911 the venturesome move was made, and at once there was a race to see who could put pn the Turkey Trot- first, and tho Grizzly .Bear was given prominence, and, latfer, a variation known as tho Dallas Dip. All these came from the Barbary Coast halls. At once New York was captured, and the Turkey Trot and its companions figured everywhere, until some of' them fell under tho ban of the leaders of society.