Editing Vernon and Irene Castle (section)

==Rise to fame==
[[Image:Modern Dancing (1914) - Vernon and Irene Castle - Illustration 04b (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|A hands-free [[Tango (dance)|Tango]] step that the Castles originated; photograph from their 1914 bestseller ''Modern Dancing'']]
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]],<ref>Lawrence was a son of [[George Grossmith]], the Victorian comic actor, singer and writer known for his work with [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]</ref> both established actors. There he 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.<ref name=IED>Cohen, Selma Jeanne. "Castle, Irene and Vernon", ''International Encyclopedia of Dance'', vol. 1, Oxford University Press, 1998 pp. 78–80</ref> 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.<ref name=IED/>

Irene was born on 7 April 1893 in [[New Rochelle, New York|New Rochelle]], New York,<ref>[https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.94.10 "Irene Foote Castle"], National Portrait Gallery, accessed 11 April 2021</ref> 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".<ref name=Bride>{{cite news |title=Actor Vernon Castle Weds. Miss Irene Foote of New Rochelle Bride of Zowie of 'The Hen Pecks' |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/05/29/104781648.pdf |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 May 1911 }}</ref>

On 28 May 1911, the two were married in Irene's hometown, New Rochelle.<ref name=Bride/> After their wedding, Irene joined Vernon in ''The Hen-Pecks'' (1911), a production in which he was a featured player. The couple then traveled to Paris to perform in a dance revue. The show closed quickly, but the Castles were then hired as a dance act by the [[Café de Paris (Monaco)|Café de Paris]] in Monaco. They performed the latest American [[ragtime]] dances, such as the [[Turkey trot (dance)|Turkey Trot]] and the [[Grizzly Bear (dance)|Grizzly Bear]]. The two were soon the rage of Parisian society; their success was widely reported in the United States, preparing their way for a triumphant return to New York in 1912.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

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 theatre|Broadway]]. Among their shows were ''[[The Sunshine Girl]]'' (1913) and ''[[Watch Your Step (musical)|Watch Your Step]]'' (1914), which boasted [[Irving Berlin]]'s first score, written for the Castles.<ref name=IED/> In this extravaganza, the couple refined and popularized the [[Foxtrot (dance)|Foxtrot]]. After its New York run, ''Watch Your Step'' toured through 1916.<ref>Golden, pp.</ref>

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 [[menial]]s; if a rich client was too demanding, Vernon would quote a fee of a thousand dollars an hour for lessons and often get it.<ref name=IED/>