St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-25

tusSle with this creature was long and
bitter one, but when once he had been van
pushed things went smoothly.
At first everything looked dark and dis
NAL. The huge pieces of scenery lowered
gloomily up into the air, the red-sailed ship
of the Flying Dutchman stranded on the
floor, with no painted water to lend illn-
sion, looked dry and uncomfortable, and
the gilded elephant watching over Lakme's
row of SOULS seemed to breathe restless
anxiety to add yours to his collection. But
from far off. through the forest of painted
trees. the rays of foOtlights came twinkling,
with the tuneful notes of long tailed piano
jingling close behind. The pattering of
many feet-of about rs many as there are
IN mile it seemed-accompanied the music
of the piano. and guided the stranger to a
great open space in the middle of the
stage:
The scene in that open space was won
dertul and rare; one TO be gaZed upon for
hours with unwearying interest. The floor
was covered with ballet dancers, and the
air was full of them, jumping and capering,
bobbing up and dropping down again like
popcorn in the pepper. An inspired being
with long hair was Nrenching wild and
pleading melody from the long-tailed piano;
a stout man with very small feet was dart
ing in and out among the dancers, praying.
moaning. wringing his hands and pounding
the floor with club almost as big around
as his body. and
HUGE NAN WITH A FIERCE VOICE
and commanding presence was terrifying
the herd of stage carpenters and everybody
else. 1t was the American opera company's
ballet rehearsing Sylvia"
For long while the eye sought vainly
l,.s.r
half minute. but after while the whirl
quieted down little and it became evident
that there was system and method behind
it all. The man at the piano was MT. Hin
richs, right bower of Theodore Thomas,
playing the music of Delibes' spectacular
ballot. The stout man with the small feet
was Monsieur Mamert Bibeyran. the French
ballet master, teaching his world of ballot
dancers how to win fame and applause, and
the majestic man was Mr.. Hook, the stage
director, theoretically fulfilling his func-
tons and watching over every detail
in the production of the opera which
is TO be brought ont at night Besides
these, there was Alfred GodchauX the cos
tuner, whose business il is TO make lowell
ness even lovelier, and Manager Locke, the
high priest, who bosses and manages every
thing.
Next TO the dancing. the most astound-
ing feature of the occasion was the Won
derful variety Of dress exhibited by the I52
dancers. Ii was not the monOtony of pink
tights, peeping through clouds of white
mosquito netting. that we love so well, but
the widest sort of variety that the imagi-
nation can conjure up. Nearly all the
dancers wore pink slippers. but there ali
uniformity stopped short, and the dancers
showed as great difference in taste as the
average young woman's boarding school.
One ballet dancer, almost six feet
high, sported costume so very
low-neckeI that it would have
been no protection at all for the
average young woman. Others were NUT
fled up to their necks in all sorts of linen
and flannel waists. Some wore black stock
Jugs, some striped. some flesh colored, and
some of that hestating, uncertain sort of
gray which indicates that they were made
at home by ones grandmother. Very few
wore
CONVENTIONAL DANCING TIGHTS,
the majority whirling round in a white and
spotless garment. which may be best de-
scribed as a sort of Turkish trousers cut off
short at the knee. The general effect was
not as pleasing as il is at night with every
thing in full blast, but it was less artificial.
Gillert. who plays or rather dances the
leading role, approached the nearest to con-
ventionality of costume. Her arms were
bare, her pink slippers were new, and when
she threw herself into the arms of Victor,
the able young ballet boy already told of in
the Sun, and performed the difficult feat of
almost standing on her head, the much-ap-
plauded pink tights scared ambitiOusly
above the regulation clouds of white lace.
The most unconventional was Daisy, the
premiere among our homemade American
| dancing girls. Her mosquito netting was
of violent blue, her stockings were pink,
and her short flannel jacket was
red. In spite of it all Daisy, by
one of the most astounding feats of Ameri-
can girlhood, managed to look pretty.
CaroZzi few around as calmly as you please
in a tight-ftting black silk, adorned with
unlimited jet, and Romilda. the seconde-
premiere revealed in extreme lOw-necked-
ness, and long bow of blue ribbon.
1t is difficult for man who never learned
ballet-dancing to give an idea of what was
| going on upon the stage. Six photogra-
pliers, each working hard could have been
kept busy there. taking pictures, every
one different. AT one moment Gillert, the
premier. was dancing all alone while the
other dancers stood with eyes full of hum
| Then the entire troupe was whirling around
in a fierce and frenZied fashion. and a
minute afterward Gillert was slowed away
in her
CLOUDS OF LACE,
with her feet cooked up on q chair,
and industriously munching an apple.
Unpoetical. but happy. Soon Vic
goes sailing around in most life-like imita-
ton of young shepherd, supposing the
shepherd TO understand the art of walking
on his toes and jumping a couple of yards
perpendicular. Prof. Tibeyran, besides
teaching plays the part of Sylvia's forlorn
| lover, and his tragic acting would make
Booth or Bernhardt feel mean. He exhib-
| its the fierce passion in all its throes, gets
shot by Sylvia for his pains. and lies on the
| grass unconscious. But Rot very uncon-
scious for he is still the teacher, and while
he lies there he watches all, and his COM
mands and entreaties pour forth.
'Mees, will you luke at your kneese?"
curry up. ladeese, urry up"
''MademOiselle, nous n'ayOns plus besOin
de vous, ST vous n'aveZ pas d'orcilles."
While dead or unconscious. according to
the lihretto, he hops around showing Gil
bert how 10 mourn for him effectively, and
explains TO CarroZzi how she can most
gracefully bring him to life. At one inter
esting moment a goat tied up behind the
scenes, whose part consists in coming in al
the end to be sacrificed. breaks away pre-
maturely and has much fun. He IS a
humorous goat with gray hair, and refus,