The Art of Stage Dancing Part 6

The Vincent Club Musical Comedy, "Fez," in Boston (April, 1925).

"The Chatterbox Revue" in Rochester (April, 1925).

The Ma.s.sachusetts "Tech" Show, "The d.u.c.h.ess of Broadway" (1925),--and a great many other society, charity, masonic and church entertainments.

It is out of this amazingly wide and varied experience that Ned Wayburn evolved the courses in stage dancing, stage-craft and showmans.h.i.+p which are being taught with such great success today at the Ned Wayburn Studios.

Ned Wayburn is known to thousands as the genius who staged the very best editions of "The Follies" and "Midnight Frolics" at the New Amsterdam Theatre, N.Y. But in the world of the theatre--among those who _know_--he is recognized as America's foremost creator, producer and director of musical comedies, revues, headline vaudeville productions, motion picture presentations, fetes and every other form of entertainment that features beautiful, original or spectacular dancing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DOLLY SISTERS]

His versatility knows almost no limit. His wealth of theatrical experience runs the gamut from his own first appearance as an amateur actor and coach to a succession of triumphs as producing director of the most gorgeous theatrical presentations both here and abroad.

Added to his practical stage-craft there is the vital flame of imaginative genius, a creative faculty that clearly stamps all his work. It is this, as well as his extraordinary executive ability and his all-embracing knowledge of stage technique, that makes him the most sought-after of all directors. It also explains the distinct advantage which pupils of the Ned Wayburn Studios have over all others, in that they are being constantly sought for desirable engagements because of the thorough way in which they are trained, both physically and mentally, in dancing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NW]

THE NED WAYBURN METHOD OF TRAINING

[Ill.u.s.tration]

There are five basic types of stage dancing that I teach, covering the modern field in full, and supplying the pupil with a complete knowledge of all the steps needed for a successful stage career.

These five types consist of:

Musical Comedy Dancing, Tap and Step Dancing (Clogging), Acrobatic Dancing, Exhibition Dancing (Ball-room), Modern Americanized Ballet Dancing.

The last named includes all the best variety of ballet dances, such as toe, cla.s.sical, character, interpretive, oriental, folk, national, covering Spanish, Russian, Greek, Javanese, etc.

Instruction is given in any or all of the above to beginners, advanced amateurs, professionals and teachers, and is preceded in every case by the Ned Wayburn Foundation Technique, which includes my limbering and stretching process, and is one of the most important courses ever devised for the student of dancing in that it saves years of study.

This original technique is described in a succeeding chapter.

In addition to the types of dancing mentioned above, we also give instruction in the art of making up for the stage.

Accompanying the technical instruction, each cla.s.s and pupil receives without cost the benefit of the valuable stage-craft, managerial and producer's knowledge that I have acquired during my years of activity in the theatrical world. This is given in occasional lectures or inspirational talks before the cla.s.s. Students also, when duly fitted, will be informed as to where and how to obtain engagements, correct forms of contract to be entered into, and other valuable business information concerning the practical side of selling their services to the best advantage, saving them much time and possible embarra.s.sment and loss.

In all probability, if you love dancing and aspire to make it a career, you possess an innate sense of rhythm. You feel the swing of music and love to move your body to the strains of a lilting melody.

The first great possessions of the successful stage dancer are a love of harmonious sounds and a sense of rhythmic motion. If you haven't these, you might better abandon the idea of studying with me as far as any hope is concerned of my developing you into a stage artist. While you would find much to enjoy and to benefit your health and appearance in taking my dancing exercises, if you are minus the very first dancing essentials you could not expect us to advance you beyond your own limitations.

Another important qualification for the stage dancer, which if not possessed at its fullest may be acquired under our instruction, is a sense of direction. This sense of direction is of maximum importance in stage dancing, because, as you can readily understand, since you have your audience in front of you and to your left and your right, you must do your dances so that they will appeal to all sections of your audience. And there are certain stage directions which you must know in order to grasp my method of instruction.

That you may get absolute precision in direction, let us proceed as follows: Imagine that you are standing on a stage, in a circle the diameter of your own feet; we will call that circle "your place."

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Your Place_]

Divide the stage into eight different directions. You are now facing the "front." Face the "left," the "back," the "right," and then "front" again. That makes four directions--front, left, back and right. Face half-way to the left--that is called "left oblique." Face half-way to the back--that is called "left oblique back." Now face back. Face half-way to the right--that is called "right oblique back."

Now face half-way to the front. That is called "right oblique." That makes eight different directions, very easy to memorize and never forgotten after once learned, and you will employ them in your stage work every day. That they may become familiar with the necessary directions, students are given brief instructions at their first lesson, as I stand before them and take the turns with them and announce the name of each direction as I take it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Eight Different Directions_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Left Turn_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Right Turn_]

In making the turn from wall to wall, when you turn to the left around, you should turn on the right heel, which thus acts as a pivot and keeps you in "your place"; like this--left oblique, left, left oblique back, back, right oblique back, right, right oblique, and front. In going around to the right turn on the left heel. Fix these directions firmly in your mind. You will need them when you get into stage dancing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Turning the Head_]

The eight different directions are in eight counts. The first direction to the left is left oblique. That is counted "one." Left is "two." Left oblique back, "three." Back, "four." Right oblique back, "five." Right, "six." Right oblique, "seven." Front is "eight."

All of our steps are taught in counts of eight. We begin to count from one and go as far as eight, then repeat. We count, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or we count "1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and, 5-and, 6-and, 7-and, 8-and," as may be required. After the steps have been taught by counts and learned properly, through much patient practice, they are fitted to music.

Without turning the rest of the body, turn the head sharply to the left wall, so that your face is square to the wall. You are now looking left. Look front. Look to the right (square around). Look front. Look left oblique. Front. Right oblique. Front. Now throw the head back and look up (without straining the muscles of the neck)--hold the head at an angle of about 45 degrees. Your head should not be tilted to one side, but straight back. Now look "front"

again--now "down," now "front." There is a difference between _turning_ it to the left or right and _inclining_ to left or right.

Incline your head to the left shoulder--hold your face up a little and keep it square to the front--chin high--now incline your head to the right shoulder--up straight--now turn it to the left (around as far as you can)--turn it front--turn it to the "right"--turn it "front"--throw it "back"--look up, now "front"--drop "down" and now "front."

[Ill.u.s.tration: ONE OF OVER TWENTY DAILY DANCING CLa.s.sES AT THE NED WAYBURN STUDIOS.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Inclining the Head_]

THE LESSON TO A CLa.s.s IS AS FOLLOWS

Now, be careful to keep your lines straight up and down, directly behind one another. Let those in the first line _across_ raise the right hand. Second line across raise hands up; third line across, and fourth line across. This is called across stage (indicating left to right). This is called up and down stage (indicating front to back), and going down this way (to the footlights) is moving down-stage.

Going toward the back wall is moving up-stage or back-stage.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Diagram of Modern Theatre Stage_]

CONCERNING ENTRANCES AND EXITS

If you come in sight of the audience from that side (indicating left) you are making an entrance from the left. If you leave in that direction, you are making an exit to the left. It is an artistic feat to make a good exit. It requires not only specialized training, but also practical experience in front of an audience. It may be a vocal exit, a dramatic or spoken exit, or a dancing exit, and one must reach a decided climax at the exit. If the dance consists of eight steps, properly s.p.a.ced, the most effective steps are put in where they will provoke applause. The last or finish step must get the most applause or the dancer fails. So we put a climactic "trick" step in for a finish, and then we top that with the exit, and the exit must be a _surprise_. Otherwise, the dance has not built up from the time the dancer makes an entrance and gets the attention of the audience. So making an effective exit is really a difficult thing to do. You are taught in the advanced instruction how to enter and exit properly.

One draws the applause on the eighth step by a.s.suming a certain att.i.tude or by "striking a picture" which asks the audience for the applause, and on the exit another round of applause can be earned, and in this way the dance "gets over," or is "sold" to the audience, as we say in the show business.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Correct Standing Position_]

Now face the right, please. If you make an exit on that side you are making an exit to the right. If you come on from that side (meaning if you come in sight of the audience from that side) you are making an entrance from the right.

The proper way to stand to learn my kind of stage dancing is with the left toe pointed left oblique, and the right toe right oblique. Have your knees together, heels together, with the weight equally distributed between the feet, hands down at the side, arms relaxed, heads up and direct your gaze straight ahead on a line with your eyes.

Never recognize anyone over the footlights. Always look straight front on a line with the eyes. Never look at the floor when dancing unless specifically so instructed. To look at the floor while dancing gives an audience the impression that you have no confidence in yourself and that you are laboring to perform your dance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Movements of Eyes Only_]