DANCING COMPETITION.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1922, Page 10

DANCING COMPETITION.

COMPETITORS ATTACKED.

The old-fashioned waltz and polka competitions, held recently in Sydney, caused much amusement, says a writer in the Australasian, and brought out many competitors, and it was noticed that numbers of grey, and even white, haired dancers entered the lists. The rapt expressions of the waltzers suggested the resurrection of old and perhaps bitter-sweet memories. The waltz of 20 or 30 years ago was certainly a revolutionary measure, with an incredible number of turns to the minute. But the scientific syncopatist musician, whose idea of expressing emotion sometimes consists in playing his instrument with his head between his knees, while his long hair streams over his face, is not perhaps quite able to catch the romantic cadences of other days. Mr. Leahy and Mr. Mullihan won the waltz prize. The polka competition was a delightful affair, and prought out a surprisingly large number of competitors. Lady Fuller (who is president of the committee of Furlough House) proved herself a graceful exponent of both these oldfashioned dances, and Mr. W. Layton ! was also a distinguished performer, j j There is somethig in the sprightly, prance of the polka that seems to shock i i the young jazz dancers of to-day, but , many elderly people openly rejoiced in , it, and one of the. pleasant features of I the evening was the irrepressible smiles that wreathed the faces of the gaily hopping crowd.