The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-02-13
RENARKABLE DANCER.

Donate, the one-legged dancer is attracting much |
attention in London, and paper there thus de- |
scribes his feats:
"When Senior Donate first presents himself, hop |
ping on from the side scenes no pleasurabe emo
ton is felt; the contrary, the immediate feeling
in the very prime of life, with che leg and stump
without support coming forward smiling and prof
fernR to do in a state of n,utlaton what few male
dancers perfect and whole OF the grsatess al. ana
fed gratifcatiousecms to shock ones dehcaey' no
less than mock his credulity. Senior Donate, how
ever enlists your sympsMes pIe'1y ~clt ne,otH you
bounds and prOuettes on his entrance ne hxes your
attention in moment. and you are astonlshcd at
hehoi2ing a dancer accomplishing on one leg what
YOU cannot remember any professor OF the Terpsi-
chorean art having accomplished ON two legs Nor
when establishment has passed off is your interest
see something to be pleased with in his performance
every moment, until at last you acknowledge that
he is not only of the most surprising dancers
you bcheld, but one of the most engaging; and
such is the case. A person may smile at hearing
the word graceful used in speaking Of one-legged
! dancer, but if ever the term we've applicable to
male Terpsichorean artist, it Is to Senior Donate,
| whose motions, actions. gestures and general de-
pertinent instinct with that natural ease and
| propr;ety which the essentials Of grace. In
snort, the fact of Senior Donate having but one leg
pathies are unclaimed in following his marvellous
| feats Of agility and science; and these are by no
means easy to describe Senior Donate enters bound
Ing on the stage to the tune Of Spanish dance.
lie accompanies the tune with the castanets. which
he plnys with more consummate skill than any one
we ever heard. This may be trihe, but it is
| great gain for him His pirouet.es are made with
| Incompatible ease, end the dexterous manner in
which he swings his tody round, performing two
revolutions, is beyond all belief. Among the most
difficult fcats he performs is placing castanet on
the ground with his right hand, at right angles to
his body and taking it with his left hand cihout
bending his leg all the time. The practitioners in
gymnastics will understand the difficulty Of achiev-
ing this feat standing on tsco legs. That part of
| Senior Donates performance, however, which en-
cages most attention and creates the greatest ex-
| element, is the cloak dance. How the dancer
filings the cloak around him, making it assume all
| sorts of fanciful shapes-nOw clothing his body
with it, Transforming it. it were, into sea shell
now waving the mantle over him like banner; and
now changingit into tic atng cloudland, making it
descend like mist around him must be seen to be
understood. Enough, let lis hope, has been said to
show that Senior Donatois Of the most remarka-
bic performers Of this OF sny age; and that London
about to do his talents full justice, following the
example Of many Of the towns and cities of the
tinent, is evident from the crowds that attend
Covent Garden nightly, and from the immense en-
thusiasm his'rsrformance creates"