Historical SourcePublic Domain
The Yale Blues — Description by Cecil H. Taylor (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, demonstrated London 24-25 July 1927)
Publisher: Cecil H. Taylor, President of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Dance invented by Taylor; demonstrated in London on 24th July 1927; re-demonstrated at the Park Lane Hotel, London, on Monday 25th July 1927 after selection for public performance. Sheet-music-bound pamphlet imprint paired with 'THE YALE BLUES — FOX-TROT SONG' (lyrics by Collie Knox, music by Vivian Ellis; published with an optional ukulele arrangement note). From the Richard Powers collection (1927_Yale_Blues.txt, ~36 lines OCR). Four-four time, tempo 34 bars per minute, slow-quick-quick rhythm notation using S (two beats) / Q (one beat) / QQ (two quick beats together). Technical notes: walking steps should be dragged; side movements performed with slight sway from knees. Contents: Forward Step (opening figure: R walk + L walk + open chasse right QQ + L close + brush); 1st Side Step (chasse + L-step with knee-bend + R-knee-bend-regain); 2nd Side Step (Side Walks L/R S-S + LR QQ + L-step with knee-bend + R-knee-bend-regain); Outside Tilt (L/R outside-partner walks S-S + swing L-forward-slight-rise Q + L-pass-behind-R Q + R-side Q + brush S); Reverse Cross Turn (compound Q-Q-S-Q-Q-S-S-S-S-Q-Q-S 12-beat reverse-turn + rocking-step + close sequence). HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Taylor's pamphlet is the INVENTOR'S original description of the Yale Blues, published in 1927 and predating Casani's 1927 Self-Tutor codification (CASANI-27 Ch.6). The dance was 'backed by 400 teachers' (per Casani's later retrospective summary) to avoid the Tango-era naming-confusion that had plagued the early-1920s English ballroom scene. Taylor's choreographic enumeration (5 named compound figures) differs substantially from Casani's 6-fundamental + variation codification — Taylor's 'Forward Step' is a 5-step compound combination rather than a simple walk; Taylor's '1st/2nd Side Step' pair expands Casani's single 'Side Chassée'; Taylor's 'Outside Tilt' has no direct parallel in Casani; Taylor's 'Reverse Cross Turn' is a more elaborate 12-beat sequence than Casani's 'Left Hand Turn'. Documents the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing's official inventor-pamphlet format and the 1927 ISTD-presidential-endorsement-as-promotional-pamphlet publishing pattern. Has_Step_Detail=Partial: explicit S/Q/QQ beat notation and foot direction but no CBM/sway/rise-and-fall/footwork notation (the 1927 pre-Silvester-1935 ISTD technical vocabulary pre-dates the full CBM/sway/rise-and-fall notation convention).Year: 1927Family: taylor-yale-bluesCatalog: local
Dance manual/reference by Cecil H. Taylor, President of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Dance invented by Taylor; demonstrated in London on 24th July 1927; re-demonstrated at the Park Lane Hotel, London, on Monday 25th July 1927 after selection for public performance. Sheet-music-bound pamphlet imprint paired with 'THE YALE BLUES — FOX-TROT SONG' (lyrics by Collie Knox, music by Vivian Ellis; published with an optional ukulele arrangement note). From the Richard Powers collection (1927_Yale_Blues.txt, ~36 lines OCR). Four-four time, tempo 34 bars per minute, slow-quick-quick rhythm notation using S (two beats) / Q (one beat) / QQ (two quick beats together). Technical notes: walking steps should be dragged; side movements performed with slight sway from knees. Contents: Forward Step (opening figure: R walk + L walk + open chasse right QQ + L close + brush); 1st Side Step (chasse + L-step with knee-bend + R-knee-bend-regain); 2nd Side Step (Side Walks L/R S-S + LR QQ + L-step with knee-bend + R-knee-bend-regain); Outside Tilt (L/R outside-partner walks S-S + swing L-forward-slight-rise Q + L-pass-behind-R Q + R-side Q + brush S); Reverse Cross Turn (compound Q-Q-S-Q-Q-S-S-S-S-Q-Q-S 12-beat reverse-turn + rocking-step + close sequence). HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Taylor's pamphlet is the INVENTOR'S original description of the Yale Blues, published in 1927 and predating Casani's 1927 Self-Tutor codification (CASANI-27 Ch.6). The dance was 'backed by 400 teachers' (per Casani's later retrospective summary) to avoid the Tango-era naming-confusion that had plagued the early-1920s English ballroom scene. Taylor's choreographic enumeration (5 named compound figures) differs substantially from Casani's 6-fundamental + variation codification — Taylor's 'Forward Step' is a 5-step compound combination rather than a simple walk; Taylor's '1st/2nd Side Step' pair expands Casani's single 'Side Chassée'; Taylor's 'Outside Tilt' has no direct parallel in Casani; Taylor's 'Reverse Cross Turn' is a more elaborate 12-beat sequence than Casani's 'Left Hand Turn'. Documents the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing's official inventor-pamphlet format and the 1927 ISTD-presidential-endorsement-as-promotional-pamphlet publishing pattern. Has_Step_Detail=Partial: explicit S/Q/QQ beat notation and foot direction but no CBM/sway/rise-and-fall/footwork notation (the 1927 pre-Silvester-1935 ISTD technical vocabulary pre-dates the full CBM/sway/rise-and-fall notation convention). (1927). Imported from local collection.