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37-484: Vals is the word for waltz in many European languages. Vals or VALS may also refer to: Waltz There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance, including volte , that would evolve into the waltz that date from 16th-century Europe, including the representations of the printmaker Hans Sebald Beham . The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne wrote of a dance he saw in 1580 in Augsburg , where

74-555: A fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance. After serving with distinction as a pilot in the British Royal Flying Corps during World War I, Vernon died in a plane crash on a flight training base near Fort Worth, Texas, in 1918. Irene continued to perform solo in Broadway, vaudeville and motion picture productions over

111-425: A feature film called The Whirl of Life (1915), which was well received by critics and public alike. As the couple's celebrity increased in the mid-1910s, Irene Castle became a major fashion trendsetter, initiating the vogue for shorter, fuller skirts and loose, elasticized corsets. She is also credited with introducing American women in 1913 or 1914 to the bob – the short, boyish hairstyle favored by flappers in

148-539: A harmoniously married couple further promoted the Progressive Era ideals of a wholesome domestic relationship that was achievable through social dance. The Castles' performances, often set to ragtime and jazz rhythms, also popularized African-American music among well-heeled whites. The Castles appeared in a newsreel called Social and Theatrical Dancing in 1914 and wrote a bestselling instructional book, Modern Dancing , later that year. The pair also starred in

185-568: A production in which he was a featured player. The two then traveled together to Paris to perform in a dance revue. The show closed quickly, but the couple was then hired as a dance act by the Café de Paris. They performed the latest American ragtime dances, such as the Turkey Trot and the Grizzly Bear . The Castles were soon the rage of Parisian society; their success was widely reported in

222-494: A rich client was too demanding, Vernon would quote a fee of a thousand dollars an hour for lessons and often get it. As America's premier dance team, the Castles were trendsetters in a number of arenas. Their enthusiasm for dance encouraged admirers to try new forms of social dance. Considered paragons of respectability and class, the Castles specifically helped remove the stigma of vulgarity from close dancing. The pair's image as

259-466: A sequence of steps. "Valse a Trois Temps" was the "earliest" waltz step, and the Rye Waltz was preferred as a couple dance. Vernon and Irene Castle Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing . Castle

296-541: A waltz is called for, declaring "No, no, I don't allow that! Come, it's time to be going home." The waltz, especially its closed position, became the example for the creation of many other ballroom dances. Subsequently, new types of waltz have developed, including many folk and several ballroom dances. In the 19th and early 20th century, numerous different waltz forms existed, including versions performed in 4 , 8 or 8 (sauteuse), and 4 time ( 4 waltz, half and half). In

333-675: Is a waltz in the second act finale of the 1786 opera Una Cosa Rara by Martin y Soler . Soler's waltz was marked andante con moto , or "at a walking pace with motion", but the flow of the dance was sped-up in Vienna leading to the Geschwindwalzer , and the Galloppwalzer . In the 19th century, the word primarily indicated that the dance was a turning one; one would "waltz" in the polka to indicate rotating rather than going straight forward without turning. Shocking many when it

370-538: Is mostly progressive, moving counter clock wise around the dance floor. Both the posture and frame are relaxed, with posture bordering on a slouch. The exaggerated hand and arm gestures of some ballroom styles are not part of this style. Couples may frequently dance in the promenade position , depending on local preferences. Within Country Western waltz, there is the Spanish Waltz and the more modern (for

407-850: The Hippodrome Theatre in New York in January 1916, accompanied by John Philip Sousa and his band. Vernon sailed for England to enlist as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I . Flying over the Western Front , he completed 300 combat missions, shot down two aircraft and was awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1917. Posted to Canada to train new pilots at Camp Mohawk in Ontario, he took part in concerts in

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444-666: The Regency period , having been made respectable by the endorsement of Dorothea Lieven , wife of the Russian ambassador. Diarist Thomas Raikes later recounted that "No event ever produced so great a sensation in English society as the introduction of the waltz in 1813." In the same year, a sardonic tribute to the dance by Lord Byron was anonymously published (written the previous autumn). Influential dance master and author of instruction manuals, Thomas Wilson published A Description of

481-628: The 1910s, a form called the Hesitation Waltz was introduced by Vernon and Irene Castle . It incorporated "hesitations" and was danced to fast music. A hesitation is basically a halt on the standing foot during the full waltz bar, with the moving foot suspended in the air or slowly dragged. Similar figures ( Hesitation Change , Drag Hesitation , and Cross Hesitation ) are incorporated in the International Standard Waltz Syllabus. The Country Western Waltz

518-605: The 1920s. The elegant, yet simple, flowing gowns Irene wore on stage and screen were regularly featured in Vogue , Harper's Bazaar and other fashion magazines. These were often supplied by the famous couturier Lucile , but Irene also designed some of her clothes herself. The slender, elegant Castles were pioneers in other ways: they traveled with a black orchestra, James Reese Europe 's Society Orchestra, and had an openly lesbian manager, Elisabeth Marbury . The Castles endorsed Victor Records and Victrolas , issuing records by

555-796: The Blackhawks Hockey Club. She had two children with McLaughlin, Barbara McLaughlin Kreutz (1925–2003), who was Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Bryn Mawr College , and William Foote McLaughlin (1929–2012). Mostly retired from dancing after William's birth in 1929, Castle concentrated on animal rights activism. Around 1930, "the best-dressed woman in America" presented serialized, quarter-hour radio dramatizations of her European travels with her husband, bulldog Zowie, and Walter ("father's coloured servant") around

592-750: The Bronx , New York. The grieving memorial figure kneeling on the grave was created by Irene's friend, the American sculptor Sally James Farnham . On 3 May 1919, Irene married Robert E. Treman, the scion of a prominent Ithaca, New York family. They resided in Ithaca's newly cut Cayuga Heights subdivision, north of Cornell University . Irene starred solo in about a dozen silent films between 1917 and 1924, including Patria (1917), and appeared in several more stage productions before retiring from show business. Treman reportedly invested Castle's money and lost it in

629-643: The Castle House Orchestra, led by James Reese Europe , a pioneering figure in African-American music. They also lent their names to advertising for other products, from cigars and cosmetics to shoes and hats. In 1915, Vernon decided to fight in World War I and began flight school in the U.S., leaving the touring cast of Watch Your Step . He received his pilot's certificate in early 1916. The Castles gave two farewell performances at

666-870: The Castles. In this extravaganza, the couple refined and popularized the Foxtrot . After its New York run, Watch Your Step toured through 1916. In 1914, the couple opened a dancing school in New York called "Castle House", a nightclub called "Castles by the Sea" on the Boardwalk in Long Beach, New York , and a restaurant, "Sans Souci". At Castle House, they taught New York society the latest dance steps by day and greeted guests and performed at their club and cafe at night. They also were in demand for private lessons and appearances at fashionable parties. Despite their fame, they often found themselves treated as hired menials ; if

703-608: The Correct Method of Waltzing in 1816. Almack's , the most exclusive club in London, permitted the waltz, though the entry in the Oxford English Dictionary shows that it was considered "riotous and indecent" as late as 1825. In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall , by Anne Brontë , in a scene set in 1827, the local vicar Reverend Milward tolerates quadrilles and country dances but intervenes decisively when

740-728: The United States, preparing their way for a triumphant return to New York in 1912. When they returned to the U.S., their success was repeated on a far wider scale. Making their New York debut in 1912 at a branch of the Cafe de Paris operated by Louis Martin, who had given them their start in Paris, the duo were soon in demand on stage, in vaudeville and in motion pictures. They also became staples of Broadway . Among their shows were The Sunshine Girl (1913) and Watch Your Step (1914), which boasted Irving Berlin 's first score, written for

777-825: The balls of their servants. In the 1771 German novel Geschichte des Fräuleins von Sternheim by Sophie von La Roche , a high-minded character complains about the newly introduced waltz among aristocrats thus: "But when he put his arm around her, pressed her to his breast, cavorted with her in the shameless, indecent whirling-dance of the Germans and engaged in a familiarity that broke all the bounds of good breeding—then my silent misery turned into burning rage." Describing life in Vienna (dated at either 1776 or 1786 ), Don Curzio wrote, "The people were dancing mad ... The ladies of Vienna are particularly celebrated for their grace and movements of waltzing of which they never tire." There

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814-402: The capitals of Europe in "The Life of Irene Castle". Only one episode (episode #4) is known to exist. In 1939, the Castles' lives were turned into a movie, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle , produced by RKO and starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers . Edna May Oliver played their agent, and Lew Fields was his 33 years younger self. Irene Castle served as a technical advisor on

851-524: The crash, aged 30. Vernon was the only casualty. According to the monument at the crash site, "Neither the other pilot, his student cadet, nor Vernon's pet monkey, Jeffrey, were seriously injured." Irene paid tribute to Vernon in her memoir My Husband , 1919. There is a street in Benbrook, Texas , named in his honor, with a monument dedicated to him. Vernon was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in

888-414: The dancers held each other so closely that their faces touched. Kunz Haas (of approximately the same period) wrote, "Now they are dancing the godless Weller or Spinner ." "The vigorous peasant dancer, following an instinctive knowledge of the weight of fall, uses his surplus energy to press all his strength into the proper beat of the bar, thus intensifying his personal enjoyment in dancing." Around 1750,

925-606: The daughter of a physician. She studied dancing and performed in several amateur theatricals before meeting Vernon Castle at the New Rochelle Rowing Club in 1910. With his help, she was hired for her first professional job, a small dancing part in "The Summer Widowers". On 28 May 1911, the two were married in Irene's hometown, New Rochelle. After their wedding, Irene joined Vernon in The Hen-Pecks (1911),

962-484: The evenings. He was promoted to captain, and then transferred with the rest of his unit to the U.S. for winter training at Camp Taliaferro . Late in 1917, while he was away, Irene appeared in a star-studded revue, Miss 1917 . Although she was singled out for praise by reviewers, she was unhappy performing on stage alone: "I found myself hopelessly lost as a solo number. I had no training for dancing alone and I should never have tried it." Though successful with critics,

999-406: The film, but clashed with Rogers, who refused to wear Castle's trademark short bob or darken her hair. She objected to Rogers' inauthentic wardrobe demands, although a number of Castle's original Lucile gowns were copied for the movie. Castle also protested the hiring of white actor Walter Brennan to play their faithful friend and manservant Walter, who was black. For the rest of her life, Castle

1036-454: The late 1930s- early 1950s) Pursuit Waltz. At one time it was considered ill treatment for a man to make the woman walk backwards in some locations. In California, the waltz was banned by Mission priests until 1834 because of the "closed" dance position. Thereafter a Spanish Waltz was danced. This Spanish Waltz was a combination of dancing around the room in closed position, and a "formation" dance of two couples facing each other and performing

1073-581: The lower classes in the regions of Bavaria , Tyrol , and Styria began dancing a couples dance called Walzer . The Ländler , also known as the Schleifer , a country dance in 4 time, was popular in Bohemia , Austria , and Bavaria, and spread from the countryside to the suburbs of the city. While the eighteenth-century upper classes continued to dance the minuets (such as those by Mozart , Haydn and Handel ), bored noblemen slipped away to

1110-568: The next decade. She remarried three times, had children and became an animal-rights activist. In 1939, her life with Vernon was dramatized in The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle . Vernon, the son of a pub owner, was born on 2 May 1887 and raised in Norwich , Norfolk. Initially training to become a civil engineer, he moved to New York in 1906 with his sister, Coralie Blythe , and her husband Lawrence Grossmith , both established actors. There he

1147-415: The production company was bankrupt. For the rest of 1917, she made well-received appearances on behalf of war charities. On 15 February 1918, over Benbrook Field , a training field near Fort Worth, Texas , Vernon took emergency action shortly after takeoff to avoid a collision with another aircraft. His plane stalled, and he was unable to recover control before the plane hit the ground. He died soon after

Vals - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-416: The revue failed to attract an audience; at least not enough of one to pay for the lavish production. Castle's specialty song was challenged on copyright grounds, and management cut it. In addition, her act in the show was scheduled for late in the evening, which conflicted with her early morning film work. As the show failed, she and others were let go by the producers. She later sued successfully, but by then

1221-485: The stock market. They divorced in 1923. She married two more times; the same year, she married Frederic McLaughlin (a man 16 years her elder), and two years after he died in 1944, she married George Enzinger (died 1959), an advertising executive from Chicago. During her marriage to "Major" McLaughlin, who was the founding owner of the Chicago Blackhawks , she is credited with designing the original sweater for

1258-579: Was a stage name: Vernon (2 May 1887 – 15 February 1918) was born William Vernon Blyth in England. Irene (7 April 1893 – 25 January 1969) was born Irene Foote in the United States. The couple reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin 's first Broadway show, Watch Your Step (1914), in which they refined and popularized the Foxtrot . They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and African-American music for dance. Irene became

1295-693: Was a staunch animal-rights activist, ultimately founding the Riverwoods , Illinois, animal shelter "Orphans of the Storm" in 1928, which is still active as of 2023. In 1958, she appeared as a guest challenger on the TV panel show To Tell the Truth . Castle and her fourth husband moved to Destiny Farm in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in 1954. Irene died at her Arkansas farm on 25 January 1969, aged 75. She

1332-573: Was first introduced, the waltz became fashionable in Vienna around the 1780s, spreading to many other countries in the years to follow. According to contemporary singer Michael Kelly, it reached England in 1791. During the Napoleonic Wars , infantry soldiers of the King's German Legion introduced the dance to the people of Bexhill, Sussex, from 1804. It became fashionable in Britain during

1369-461: Was given a small part on stage by Lew Fields , which led to further acting work, and he became established as a comic actor, singer, dancer and conjuror, under the stage name Vernon Castle. As a dancer in comedic roles, his specialty was playing a gentleman drunk, who elegantly fell about the stage while trying to hide his condition. Irene was born on 7 April 1893 in New Rochelle , New York,

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