Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-07
QUEENS OF THE BALLET.
Some of the Great Dancers Remembered b,J
SiOnOr GrOssi.

Some of the Great Dancers Remembered by
iSiDnOr Grossi.
philadelphia Times.
''Of all the dancers you have ever seen
whom do you consider the best?"
THAT is very difficult question to an
swer. l shall have to go over large field
of memory, and then will be unable to de-
eide. You see there is such wide diff
ference in the style of dancers. Then
again some will excel in one point and
some in another. Taglioni was, all things
considered, the best serious and fairy
dancer l ever saw. first met her in Italy,
in 1841, and danced with her in ballet
called La Sylphide' She was tall and
slender, of light complexion, with chest
nut brown hair. Her face was pleasant
and attractive, but not handsome Her
father, though himself ballet master,
was a man of remarkable intelligence, and
had bestowed a fine education upon his
daughter. Her manners were those of a
thorough lady. She was very affable to
all the members of the company, treating
them with the utmost kindness and max
ing herself very popular with them.
Fanny Ellsler, though not SO good
dancer as Taglioni, was her superior as
pantomimist. In those days ballets were
not, as now, mere dances telling no story,
but they were all ballet pantomines, with
a pretty plot which, if we'll acted, was
quite as Ineligible and entertaining as
that of any play. 1t was in the panto-
mime part of her profession that Ellsler
excelled, though as character dancer
also she was unsurpassed. / shall never
forget what treat enjoyed in seeing her
play the title role in the ballet pantomime
of 'Esmeralda' at the La Scala of Milan.
In person she was a well-formed brunette
of about the same height of Tagioni, like
whom she was pleasant in appearance,
though not pretty. She was also perfect
lady, and very popular with her profes-
sional associates.
Carlotta Grisi, a sister of the great
prima donna, understood the mechanism
of dancing. and produced more effect ON
an audience than any other danseuse I
ever saw, but her ability as pantomimist
was not great. She was beautiful blonde,
with just the right figure for dancer,
and was a great favorite at the Grand
Opera house in Paris. where she was en-
gagged for number of years. She after
ward married Perrot. the best male dancer
of his time.
Blangy was another artist contempora-
neous with those above named. She made
professional tour of this country about
1916, and was very graceful dancer, as
well as great pantomimist. She played
the first act of the pantomime 'Giselle'
better than any one else l ever saw She
was Of medium size, scarcely dark enough
to be called brunette, and while she did
not possess any claims to beauty, was
very pleasing and attractive.
Cerito was the most poetical dancer /
ever saw. Though born in Naples she was
a blonde of the purest type. A more beauti-
full face and figure it would be difficult to
imagine. Nature seemed to have formed
her expressly for the profession she had
chosen. She was so incredibly light upon
her feet as to well deserve her sobriquet of
the Flying Fairy 1t is no figure of
speech to say that her 'ancing was in
deed the poetry of motion.
Of the dancers seen in this country
within the past fifteen years, unquestion-
ably the best is Mile Kathi Lanner, a
Viennese, and the daughter of Lanner,
the well-known composer of waltzes. She
the Grand Opera house, New York, under
the management of the late James Fisk,
Jr., and is, of course. well remembered by
American theater-goers. For several years
past she has been mistress of the ballet at
Covent garden, London, where she still
continues.
Cornalba IS another dancer of fire abili-
ty who was seen in this country two or
three years ago. l do not mean the Cor
nalba who danced under Tompkins and
Hills management the last season, but the
first lady of the name who came to this
country. and who remained but q short
time on account of ill-health
At Lake Minnetonka Tonight
There Will be the most extensive display of fire
works witnessed West of Chicago. Fare for
the round trip via the Manitoba line, so cents.
Leave s. n,ll, T. n, Minneapolis :55 ?. N.