The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-07
"THE LEG BUSINESS"

From the GALAXY for august
l hasten to assure the reader who pauses
over the title Of this paper curiously, that it
does not relate to anybody's patent appli-
ances for providing artificial legs for poor sol
diers and sailors who have accidentally lost
those limbs. 1t relates to a phase of the
dramatic art. The '1eg business" as known
to managers, players, and dramatists, is the
same thing that is known to the outer world
as the "naked drama"
Two classes of "female'' performers are
associated with the naked drama, so called.
The first are legitimate branch of the
theatrical profession, and in their way are as
truly artists as are musicians or actors who
use their intellects. They are the ballet
dancers. The theatre as legitimately deals in
music and dancing as it does in tragedy or
comedy. Hence, the ballet is and always has
been as freely recognized by the most cultured
peoples (when they approve of the theatre at
alb as any other feature of the mimic world.
For the dancers of the legitimate ballet /
who know them as a class well-have a
thorough respect.
They are hard-working, iu-paid body of
women not unfrequently the sole support of
entire families, and their moral characters are
not one whit affected by their line of business.
The admiring public who sees the pretty pic
ture they make on the stage, little knows the
physical fatigue which these poor girls encoun-
ter in return for a few dollars week salary
from the manager, and an illiberal Judgment
at the hands of the audience. Few men work
so hard as the ballet-girl-the coryph6e, who,
by half-past eight in the morning, is at the
theatre, clad in gauze and silk webbing, prac-
tising pirouettes, entrechats, the toe torture,
,,,I III icif how
these girls practise from nine o'clock in the
morning until half-past twelve, almost
without cessation, then take a hurried
lunch, sometimes eating it while
standing shivering in their thin
clothing in a draughty space behind the
f'flats," only to begin their labor again al
halfpast one and so continue till five. This
is for the matinee performances at half-past
seven that of the night commences, finishing
perhaps at eleven. Then come undressing,
re-dressing, folding, and laying away theii
stage paraphernalia; for, even if not naturally
tidy land tidiness is the rule with them-the
exceptions rare), these girls must, for econo
my's sake be careful of their clothing. And
so, long after midnight, the tired creatures
often laden with heavy bundles, creep list
lessly into street cars, to be stared at by rude
men, or, still worse, drag home through the
deserted streets, alone and unprotected, al
the risk of being mistaken for traUiataS of the
lowest grade.
With the dancer who has passed the chrysa
lis ballet-g girl stage, and is now full-hedged
butterfly premiere, with her name large-lettereC
in the bills, and her engagement-pape
stamped and signed at the lawyers, the roaC
is not so stony. There are still briers in he
path, undoubtedly; prim responsibility shrink
from her contact and the thOrns of Purtanisn
openly lacerate her tender flesh.
/ am far from placing the ballet-girl in tn
same rank with an intellectual player; bu
there are grades of quality in all fields. Sh
is a dancer, and loves dancing as an art Tha
nose into which she now throws herself wit
such abandon is not vile pandering to tn
taste of those giggling men in the orchestra
stalls. but is an effort which, to her idea, is a
loving a tribute to beloved art as
painters dearest pencil-touch is to hin
have seen these women burst into tears o
leaving the stage because they had observe
men laughing among themselves, rollin
their eyes about, and evidently making III
worthy comments ON the pretty creature b!
fore them. whose whole soul, and whose whol
bodv. too. was for the hour lovingly give
over 10 Terpsichore. "It is they who are bad
said Mademoiselle B. TO me the other nigh
1sit is not We" Those men who have lmpul
tboughts are the persons on whom censul
should fall-nOt upon the deVotees OF an a