Dancing~ for Young Ladies~~~!

"Young Lady's Book", ~1829

a review of the book, " Exercises for Ladies; Calculated to Preserve and Improve Beauty", by Donald Walker, 1836

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A CHARMING little book, to help ladies to walk upright in their ways. We are perfectly certain that without this book there is not a woman in the country who knows how either to stand, sit, walk, lie, or get up: and how they have managed to perform these operations for so many years, is to us unaccountable ;— no wonder so many false steps have been made; no wonder some have had a fall, and others slipped away, and others lost their equilibrium. Nature teaches nothing but to turn in your toes, and stare with your mouth wide open; and to keep your hands in your pockets. Most people are conceited enough to think they can stand. Presumptuous and absurd! The thing is utterly impossible, without Mr. Walker's assistance. Certainly, they may have the distant appearance of something like standing; or rather, they may not be sitting, or lying, or kneeling: but, really and absolutely to stand is a work many excellent persons have attempted, hut not one in a hundred succeeded in accomplishing. The fool says in his heart, 'to stand, is to be on my legs;' but the wise man thus interprets that noble and difficult action:

 "The equal squareness of the shoulders and body, to the front, is the first and great principle of position. The. heels must be in a line and olosed; the knees straight; the toes turned out, with the feet forming an angle of sixty degrees. [There, you blockhead! did you know that ?] The arms hanging close to the body; the elbows turned in, and close to the sides; the hands open to the front, with the view of preserving the elbow in the position above directed. The little fingers lightly touching the clothing of the limbs, with the thumb close to the forefingers. The stomach rather drawn in, and the breast advanced, but without constraint; the body upright, but inclining forward, so that the weight of it may principally bear on the fore-part of the feet; the head erect, and the eyes straight to the front. The whole figure must be in such a position, that the ear, shoulder, haunch, knee, and ankle are all in a line.  If females find this standing position very fatiguing, it may be modified."

"History of Dancing"' ~ 1848

Were we to follow the guidance of our own feelings, we should transcribe great part of this work, which has been introduced into our publisher's family with great success. But we have made ourselves so far masters of it, that the moment we go into a room, we can tell whether the young ladies of the family are Mr. Walker's pupils or not; just as a celebrated oculist of the present day can tell in an instant, in the most crowded assembly, an eye that he has brushed, from its extraordinary brilliancy. Lest any ladies in the country should not be able to avail themselves immediately of this work, we shall, for their sakes, transcribe a few short leading hints, which may, perhaps, prevent them exposing themselves: 

~Ladies should not lift the feet high from the ground, or stamp noisily, or toss their feet; hut if their busts are long, they may lift their feet a little higher.

~ Short ladies may hold their arms a little higher than tall ones. 

~Ladies, of course, hold their dresses with the tips of their fingers. 

~For those ladies who are round-shouldered, it is advised to walk every day for an hour with a square book on their heads: this will make them like the Women on the Nile. 

"Analysis of Country Dancing"' ~ 1822

~In dancing, the face must be occasionally turned to the right and left, both for convenience and because much elegance and grace may be produced by its judicious direction; the look should be on the partner, without appearing scrupulously to follow him. 

~The countenance should be animated, and expressive of cheerfulness or gaiety, and an agreeable smile should ever play about the mouth.

~ Ladies must dance in a style different from gentlemen: they must delight by pretty terre-a-terre steps, and by a moderate and gentle abandon.

~ If the features of a lady breathe gaiety; if her shape be pretty ; her dancing may be more animated, and she need not be afraid of using a style almost brilliant—sissones, battues, pas d'ete &c. 

~With the last piece of advice we cordially agree: 'That every lady should desist from dancing as soon as she feels over-heated. For perspiration renders the most beautiful dancer an object of ridicule or pity !'—We must also caution those 'angels of the earth' not to indulge too much in the waltz; for it causes vertigo, syncope, spasm, and other accidents, in ladies of an irritable constitution.

~We now feel we have done our duty to the fair sex; but, in conclusion, we must remark, that, beautiful as are the positions of a well-educated body, they are still defective unless accompanied or guided by a naturally benevolent and graceful mind. We shall therefore borrow Mr. Walker's words on this subject; and we must say that at the last Ipswich Ball (a ball unrivalled for its display of beauty and rank), we perceived many beautiful pupils of this gentleman, putting his lessons into practice.

"History of Dancing"' ~ 1848

"If a lady is merely invited to a ball, her duties are less peremptory, and less numerous, but not on that account less indispensable. She is bound to receive, with a smiling and modest mien, all partners, whatever their age or rank. She addresses a few words with politeness to her neighbours, even though unknown to her ? If they dance much, she compliments them on their success; and if, on the contrary, they are left alone, she does not seem to perceive it; and especially if she has been more fortunate, she is careful not to speak of the fatigue, or to evince an insulting compassion. And, if she can, she contributes to procure them partners, without their in any way suspecting her of the performance of such an office."

After perusing these and other monitory dicta of the same kind, we feel that Mr. Walker has a right to say of himself,

Vixi puellis nuper idoneus.

translation~ recently I led a life congenial to girls

article source: The Gentleman's Magazine, 1837

"Young Lady's Book"' ~ 1829