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fHE CAKE WALK IN VIENNA.-T .. . ' -I \ . f •,*. i , \ IIts Figures and History Amusingly- Described by the Paris Correspondent of Die Zeit.• I V . %« •If the prognostication of the Paris correspondent, of Die Zeit of Vienna comes true, the emphatic steps and nimble strutting;-- of the “ cane walk ” will soon absorb the attention of the Austrian capital. According to Die Zeit’s correspondent, it is to M. Houdique of Paris that the honor is due of introducing “ the great American dance to Europeans. M. Houdique hasforced the “ cake walk ’’ within the limita-%tions of a regular dance, which may be taught by figures. Its history and description imparted bv the French dancing master to the representative of Die Zeit are as follows;“ The ‘ cake walk ’ was invented by the negroes, and w-as originally ‘ a walk.’ For many years a planter gave a feast, to wrhich he invited a wealthy negro and his wife, w-ho lived in New- York. This couple were so overdressed and so conceited and insolent that they were met everywhere with derision. They furthermore caused attention on account of their ridiculous« ; •-twalk.“When the pair left the plantation, the host told his slaves that the next week he .would give another party, and would present a cake to the couple who copied best the walk and grotesque bearing of his guests. After this, at every gathering, the ‘ cake walk ’ was danced! and the white people began to learn it. Elk s (a Paris dancer) father was a whisky manufacturer who kept hundreds of negroes. The boy. after learning the dance thoroughly, came to .the idea to regulate the dance to figures. to obtain music for it, and to become a professional ‘ cake walker.’ The dance is always performed in pairs, and the couple who introduce the most fanciful figures receive the prize, w-hich is always a cake. The principal rules are: 1„ apronounced bending back of the trunk; J, to keep both arms outstretched horizontally; to lift the legs very high at eachstep.t^D^T’D 17* r
Newspaper Details
New York Times
New York, New York, US
Sun, Feb 01, 1903
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Wayne D.
NA, 30 Jul 2021
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