Daily Gleaner references to practice dances
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DG 1891 04 17 p7
To-night
at the Exhibition there will be a dance on the skating Rink. Mr. Thomas in
charge of the Cane Mill of the Industrial Village has the management and will
provide his own music. The charge will be one shilling for a set of six dances.
The Dance will commence at 4 80 in the afternoon and last till 10 o'clock.
There will no doubt be lots of fun. [Not a 'practice dance' but a prototype perhaps.]
DG 1898 09 09 p6
Disturbance
at a Practice Dance. [rest of item largely illegible, but seems to be about a father dragging his daughter away from a practice dance.]
DG 1900 06 11 p3
A correspondent writes to call the attention of the police to a nuisance which
'occurs nightly at Luke Lane where a practice dance is being carried on to the annoyance of the respectable inhabitants of that locality and where the most abominable language and fighting goes on.'
DG 1907 07 26 p6
[from Editorial]
If we now turn to the latter we shall soon find that they do not live at all, but merely exist. The servant and labourer find their pleasures in sprawling idleness, or in occasional wakes, nine-nights and practice dances. Their yards are insanitary, their rooms small; but happily their spirit is cheerful and they can laugh even when hungry. They are careless, thriftless, light-hearted, and unless assisted to make life a little cleaner and brighter they will never put forth any effort to change their habits.
DG 1910 10 01 p18
PRECIOUS PINT
Court Hears Sequel to
Practice Dance.
Row After Merry-Making
Blow in the Head Because of Courting Affair
How a pint of “Old Jamaica” quenched the thirst of from thirty to fifty guests at a “Soiree” or practice dance in St Andrew on the night of the 19th of August last was one of the puzzlers which Mr. A.V. Kingdon, Resident Magistrate had to solve yesterday when Knollys Taylor came before him on a charge of wounding.
The complainant, Alfred Dacres, stated that on the 19th of August a practice dance was held at ”Kensington” by one Yonkmore Samuels. The function was held in a booth attached to a room in which Dacres house-keeper lived. Dacres paid the rent and so claimed the right to exercise jurisdiction over the whole place. He went in on the night in question and found the dancers “tripping the light fantastic toe”, so he joined in and all went "merry as a marriage bell". In the absence of piano and violin a guitar and a mouth organ supplied the music. It was about 10.30 when an adjournment was taken and the little fracas began.
The accused was holding the hand of Mercelia Samuels, whose mother was the complainant's housekeeper and one of those over whom his jurisdiction extended. He immediately discovered that they were preventing his free passage .to his room, and soon declared that "no courting” was to be carried on. The defendant paid no heed until Dacres forcibly released the girl's hand and ejected the defendant from the house. The defendant stated that they had come there for a ''little joke'' and. he came in to spoil it. Then Dacres was subsequently struck by the defendant with a stone in the head and next day he had to day he had to repair to Dr. Edwards for treatment.
Mr. Robinson: And that stopped the joke?
Witness: It did, sir.
Mr. Robinson: Any drinks there that evening?
Witness: Yes, sir, one pint of rum between thirty to fifty people. I myself had a sip.
Mr. Robinson: What, a pint bottle among fifty!
Witness: Well, sir, I don't know how it divide, but I know I got a sip, sir!
His Honour: Perhaps you had the whole pint!
Witness (shocked): Me sir! Rum is a thing I don’t like, sir!
Mr. Robinson: Any orange wine or ginger wine?
Witness: I didn’t see any, sir.
A GREAT DANCER
Joseph Gray, the next witness, was still wearing his “pumps.”
“You are a great dancer,” suggested Mr. Robinson, noticing the “pumps.”
“Well,” replied the witness, with an air of modesty, “not much sir.”
Gray stated that he saw empty rum bottles, but whether they were filled before or not he could not say.
“You didn’t get a touch then?” queried Mr, Robinson.
“Oh, I don’t drink rum, sir, “ replied the witness.
“What do you drink then?” asked His Honour; and Gray replied, “A little orange wine, sir, and a little port wine.”
Margaret Samuels, the house-keeper, also gave evidence. She said that ‘one solitary pint” was divided amongst fifty and therefore no one was tipsy.
Dr. Edwards proved that he treated Dacres on the morning of the 20th of August. He had a wound on the back of the head, but it was not a serious one.
After hearing the evidence for the defence His Honour found that there was a doubt on the evidence of both sides and gave the prisoner the benefit of it.
DG 1912 05 06 p3
POLICE ACTIVE
Noisy Assemblies Law Being
Put in Force,
CASES IN ST. ANDREW,
Summons Issued as a Result of
A Practice Dance.
The Noisy Assemblies Law seems to be put in force in St Andrew more often than in any other parish.
. . .
On Wednesday next there will be another prosecution under this law.
From what can be gathered, it appears that some folks in Slipe Road anxious to indulge in the delightful terpsichorean art, arranged, to hold practice dances.
Indeed all preparations were made for the opening night and all the invited guests were in attendance. The orchestra, a well known local one started.
The leading violin had hardly caught the key in which the bass was playing, when a neighbor sent over and informed the residents that he was being disturbed and desired that the music should stop.
The music, however, continued and this resident, a Mr. Pearce, alleges that he suffered much from the discordant strains of the clarionet to say nothing of the grating sounds of the bass.
The police were informed of the matter, and as a result two of the musicians and the promoter of the "practice" will come before the Halfway Tree Court on Wednesday on a summons
DG 1912 05
09 p4
STOP DANCES
Prosecution Under Noisy Assemblies Law
NEIGHBOUR COMPLAINS,
Defendant Undertakes to Suspend the Practice Dances.
Mrs. Festus Wilfries a resident of Slipe Road will have no more practice dances at her residence for some time yet, or if she does, she will close down at a reasonable hour so that the residents around will be enabled to enjoy an undisturbed rest.
Yesterday in the Halfway Tree Court, before His Honour Mr. S. C. Burke, Mrs. Wilfries, and Wm. Myrie and another musician, were brought up under the Noisy Assemblies Law.
Mr. Frank Pearce, who resided in the vicinity was called as a witness and he stated this dance was kept up not occasionally, but sometimes for four nights in a week, which was very disgusting to the residents of Manhattan Road. On this occasion he warned the lady to desist from having any practice dances but she would not, and so he informed the police.
Mr. Aston Simpson appeared for the defence and His Honour asked whether the matter could not be shortened.
Mr. Simpson said that the parties charged were making no noise.
His Honour said that perhaps the prosecution would be satisfied, if the lady
gave an undertaking that there would be no more of these dances.
This was done after a lengthy discussion and the accused were admonished and discharged.
DG 1912 06 13 p3
SCENE AT A DANCE
PROPRIETOR FINED FOR USING A REVOLVER.
Peter Nelson, a local musician, had to pay the piper, for a mid-night scene in which he played an important part on the 9th April last.
Nelson was in the habit of making weekly practice dances to which the ladies paid 1½d for admission whilst the gentlemen paid a trifle more.
The end came on the 9th April when one of the ladies was insulted. She left; soon after the scene was one which Nelson said he mistook for the "car riot." The dancing hall was bombarded and the shower of bricks that fell in was so thick that he took out his revolver and fired it.
On Thursday Corporal Campbell charged him with unlawfully discharging a firearm.
He pleaded guilty and after he had related the circumstances; His Honour informed him that even if he had mistaken the affair for the riot, he would not be justified in using his revolver. He was fined 21/ or 21 days.
DG 1914 09 10 p13
[revivalism case]
His Honour: I am not having any spirits anywhere near me except they are in the bottle. It is a perfect disgrace. It's bad enough to have the practice dances near one, but the spirit is too much of a good thing.
DG 1915 11 19 p11
Asked what they had to say. Miller said that on the night in question he had just finished gambling and was having a few drinks out of the money he had won, when one of the boys of the party stabbed his paramour who had disobeyed his orders and gone to a practice dance. That was all the row he witnessed that night and he took part in none.
DG 1917 03 13 p14
His Honour Mr. S. C. Burke disposed of a number of cases in the Petty Sessions Court yesterday. Miriam Thompson, a girl who was very disorderly at a practice dance in Text Lane, was fined 5/ or 7 days on a charge of disorderly conduct. District constable Goldson said that this particular form of amusement was very disagreeable to the neighbourhood.
DG 1920 10 01 p4
Louise Brown, Etheline Lemard, and Birdy Leman are young ladies who attend practice dances, and refuse to enjoy the dance in quiet. They believe that enjoyment unaccompanied by noise is a snare, and a delusion. In this frame of, mind they were met by District Constable Samuels on Tuesday night issuing from a practice dance, in a noisy, boisterous manner, and engaging in a fight in the street accompanied by vile expressions. They were each fined 10/ or seven days' imprisonment.
DG 1920 10 27 p11
In the Police Court yesterday before His Honour Mr. S. C. Burke Assistant Resident Magistrate for Kingston, John Lafete was charged with loitering. Corporal Edie told the Magistrate that on Monday night he saw the defendant in Orange Street. He asked him where he was going and Lafete could not give a satisfactory account of himself and he arrested him. The defendant said he was coming from a practice dance when he was arrested by the corporal. He was ordered to receive 6 strokes of the tamarind switch.
DG 1921 01 26 p8
Complaint about noise of practice dances in eastern Kingston, late at night and bad behaviour
DG 1926 11 18 p3
[in Leg Co]
The Hon. T. J, Cawley then pointed out that the Harbour lights were of no use to a man going home from a practice dance in the hills of St. Catherine;