The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-03-02
Ihe galladia'n.
A One Legged Dancer.

Donate, the one-legged dancer, is at
tracing much attention in London, and
a paper there thus describes his feats:
when Senior Donate first presents
himself. hopping on from the side scenes.
no pleasurable emotion is felt: on the
contrary, the immediate feeling rather
partakes OF the disagreeable. To see a
man in the very prime OF life with one
leg and a stump without support. coming
forward smiling and proffering TO do in
a state Of mutilation what few male
dancers, perfect and whole, Of the great
est art and experience, ever could do,
namely, afford unqualified qualification,
seems TO shock ones delicacy, no less
than mock his credulity. Senior Donate,
however, enlists your sympathies pretty
well before you have finished inspecting
him. BY his extraordinary bounds and
pirouettes on his entrance he fixes your
attention in q moment, and you are as
tonished at beholding dancer accom-
plishing on one leg what you cannot re
member any professor OF the Terpsicho-
rean art having accomplished on two
legs Nor when establishment has passed
off, is your interest in Senior Donate ex-
hausted. On the contrary, you see some
thing To be pleased with in his perform
ances every moment, until at last you
acknowledge that he is not only one or
the most surprising dancers you ever
beheld, but one Of the most engagin0s
and such is the case. A person may
smile at hearing the word graceful used
in speaking Of onelegged dancer, but
if ever the term were applicable. TO \
male Terpsichorean artist it is to Senior
Donate, whose motions, actions, gestures
and general department are instinct With
that natural ease and propriety which
are the essentials OF grace. In short
the fact of Senior Donate having but one
leg is soon forgotten by the spectators,
and their sympathies are enchanted in
following his marvellous feats of agility
and science. and these are by no means
easy to describe. Senior Donate enters
bounding on the stage to the tune OF
some Spanish dance. He accompanies
the tune with the castanets, which he
plays with more consummate skill than
any one we ever heard. This may be q
trife, but it is a great gain for him. His
pirouettes are made with incompatible
ease, and the dexterous manner in which
he swings his body round, performing
two revolutions, is beyond all belief.
Among the most difficult feats he per-
forms Is placing caStanet on the ground
with his right hand, at right angle to his
body, and taking it up with his left hand
without bending his leg all the time.
The practitioners in gymnastics will
understand the difficulty Of achieving
this feat standing on two legs. That
part Of Senior Donates performance
however, which engages most attention
and creates the greatest excitement, is
the cloak dance. How the dancer filings
the cloak around him, making it assume
all sorts of fanciful shnpes-now clothing
his body with it, transforming it as it wer,
into sea shell now waving the mantle
over him like banner; and now chang
ing it into a floating cloud and, making
it descend like a mist around him-must
he seen to be understood. Enough, lei
US hope, has been said to show that
Senior Donate is one Of the most remar-
kable performers Of this or any age; and
that London is about to do his talents
full justice, following the example OF
many Of the towns and cities of the con-
tinent, is evident from the crowds that
attend Convent garden nightly, and from
the immense enthusiasm his performance
creates"