Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-22
DECLINE OF STAGE BANGING.
Is the Race Premiere Danseuset
Dying Out.

THE TRAINING AND TORTURE NECESSARY TO ~.
COME A GREAT pANCER-wHY THERE ARE No
GREAT AMERICAN DASSEUsEs.
Mile. De Rosa. the celebrated premiere dan
seuse. who for six years has been the leading
| attraction in all the Kiralfy Brothers spectac-
ular productions, and who is now in The Black
Crook" has given her views to the ST. Louis
iPost-Despateh on the causes OF the evident
decline of artistic dancing on the stage. She
says:
'.our profession is the hardest and least APP
| preciated work of the stage. The audiences
| never seem TO understand what premiere dan
seuse is doing | know | have toiled unceas
ingly and in torture to force recognition, which
has come by the slowest processes.
'Where did you acquire the skill and grace
you now exhibit as a professional dancer
AT a school in Naples, where children are
| trained to the business received four years of
education. making MY debut at La Scala Thea
ter. in Milan, when quite child. Nobody can
imagine the amount and kind OF physical tor
ture and bodily pain underwent in the acquire
ment OF my profession. Day after day Was
strapped up to the proper positions. and taught
the use OF my toes. People who see me glide
down toward the footlights on my toes cannot
| notice anything particularly difficult about it
but let them undertake the task for a second
and think they will shortly discover that it re-
qufres certain amount of strength and endur-
ance that only come after years of patient la
| Dor"
l. is the premiere danseuse graduate of the
| ballet -
| Not by any means never was in the bal
| let in my life. In fact the profession OF pre-
| m!cre daIseuse is strictly limited and while
| there are hundreds of American bailets. there
never was and never will be an American pre-
| miere danseuse."
why is that :"
Because American girls have not enough
ambition to meet the requirements of one who
would become u danseusc- They do not care to
undergo the real pain of learning the business.
| In fact. they appear to prefer to hop around on
one foot displaying siiapely form. for so
week, than to become a real artistic for $500
week. That is the difference between our
country and yours. and is exactly the reason
why no American girl has ever become a pre-
| lniere danseuSe.
| May not national modesty have something to
do with our backwardness in this dircction:"
No. indeed. The American people talk most
about modcsty and have less of it than any
| people on earth"
Are you native of Italy,"
s''Yes. was born in the beautiful city of Ma
| plies and emigrated to New York shortly after
| the original production of 1.-The Black Crook"
| My New York debut was made at Nibl0's Gar
den, but have been with the Kiraifys since the
| centennial
Beside yourself. who are the great premiere
| danseuseS in this country
"Bontanti is the greatest. She was with the
| Strakosch italian opera this season. but left
| them al New Orleans. Nile. Cornalba with the
| Str0Gcn party. comes next. She is quite sick
| al Chicago. Charles Mapieson's wife Mile. Cav
| aiaZzi, ais also a great artist. There are only
about half a GOZer OF Us in this country"
| does the danseuse ever marry
Ion, yes: tut have thus far escaped the ma
| trimonial Moose. Until within the last eighteen
months had constant companion in my mo-
| tber. from whom was never separated for half
| day. She died OF pneumonia, i'm New York
and nay heart has been broken ever since"
| Mile. De Rosas eyes filled with tears at the
| mention OF her mother. and for a few moments
she could scarcely speak; but presently she con-
| tinued:
Il have felt my loss so deeply. and have grown
SO lonely, that sometimes | am very melancholy,
| but try to do my duty"
dancing must be very wearing upon the bal
| let costume. is it nOt3"
| 'Only upon the slippers. The tights, hosiery.
and tarletan last well, and are sniy worn out by
| washing"
Are your slippers made IN this country?"
NO. they can only be obtained in Paris where
| we pay 81 pair for them. and we use one pair
| every week. On such rough stages as you have
| here We are liable to wear out pair of slippers
| in two nights
docs the ballet have school Of its OWN"
"No it is given a few directions from the
master, then PUSHES on the stage, and learns to
| dance afterward The American ballet is a
great source of interest to me-"
| But are not all ballet-lnasters foreigners?"
| Eyes. foreigners who have failed at every
thing else and have taken to ballet instruction
on the few crumbs of knowledge they possess
from possibly bad MISUNDERSTANDING. for in
stance. who would never be tolerated in his own
| country. But think it probable that the great
days of the danseuse and the ballet are gone for
ever, for now the Italian schools no longer turn
| out the premier danseuse and the race is likely
| to become extinct with this generation. Still,
| there is a sort of public fascination for enter
tanments of that sort that will always be val
uabie. and as yet the danseuse is prominent
figure. She is yet able to command her
| price"
what is that price,"
Generally from $500 to $1,000 week. &C
| cording to ability and reputation"