In the fall of 1921 the City of Bloomington enacted a new ordinance for the regulation of dance halls. Jazz was the current craze and, Just as the public of the 1950's reacted violently to rock and roll, the establishment found this new music to be unsettling and evil. It encouraged unseemly dancing, as the waltz had nearly a century before. But now, the thought of a waltz was a relief to the nervous mothers and fathers who had young daughters who lived for the syncopated rhythms of jazz.
Although prohibition was well underway by 1921, it seemed that alcohol usually had a role in any contretemps at the dance halls in Bloomington. The Coliseum had a dance hall with dances at least two nights a week. The owner of the Coliseum sued to find the new ordinance unenforceable, arguing that the ordinance made it impossible for him to pursue his business. The new ordinance, which restricted the hours of operations, required a licensing fee and required city permission for each and every dance. The Women's Club and the YWCA provided two lady officers to monitor the dance halls for the first month of the new ordinance, to give time for this new idea in policing a chance to prove its worth. After the first month, the city decided to hire one lady officer to monitor the dance halls. Mrs. Emma McNoldy made the first arrest under the ordinance February 27, 1922 when she arrested the musicians at the Moose Hall. The court report of March 23, 1922 gave the facts: the musicians had been encouraging rowdiness in the attendants by playing a song which Mrs. McNoldy had demanded they not perform and by the fact that Mr. Vaught went down amongst the dancers "jazzing" on his banjo while playing the Wabash Blues. When the midnight hour was rung, Mrs. McNoldy claimed that the musicians continued to play, in violation of the ordinance. This matter was taken up for the court the entire day and the musicians were each fined $5 for the violation of the ordinance.
Generally, jazz dancing was not approved by parents or the older members of society. The paper printed guidelines for those dancers who wanted to avoid unseemly behavior.
Don't permit vulgar jazz music to be played.
Don't permit young men to hold their partners tightly.
Don't permit partners to dance with cheeks close or touching.
Don't permit "neck holds."
Don't permit the "Shimmey" or the "toddle."
One city employee lost his job for being present at a dance. At a dance at O'Neil Park, a young girl was found to be drunk. One young mother admitted to being so distracted by dance that she abandoned her young family for 24 hours while carousing with strangers from a "platform dance." The 24 year old was the mother of a 9, 4 and 2 year old. After losing her best years to the trials of motherhood, perhaps she needed a carefree night!!