Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-05-30
BALLET BELLIES.
HOW THEY ARE TRAINED N A OlNGY
NEW YORK SCHOOL
GirIs from Eigh. Years to Eighteen Who
Practice for the Operate stage
One Feature OF Lie In the
Metropolis



learn that this is the "CouServatolre,' or
school Of the ballet founded by the society
that intends establishing American opera
in New York, ami Of which Mrs. Thurher i
the head Ny French friend is Monsieur
Biberan the "directeur" Of the school. anl
ia cordially invite ma 10 a seat in the hall,
and, having placed mo in Il chair at lt| up
per end, he vanIsheN into side room This
gives me opportunity tn 10 X around.
The hall i perhaps thirty feet wide by fifty
long
In the center of the high ceiling is huge
sun burner that casts brilliant light over
the room in charming contrast with the
mist, ram and fog have Just left out,ide.
There Is a railing out three aud half feet
from the floor, supported by galv inizei-
iron posts and runnIng arouui two sides OF
the room 1t is a bar Of polished hickory
wood, It give, freely when the hand clasps
its inch and quarter of circumference
One. two, three. four and 50 up to twenty
/ count the pupils who are standing in
row all facing one way ami clasping this
rail with the right hand. As they stand
there they work their feet ami limbs in
various fashions, and chsttering like a nest
of young blackbiri< Their costumes
all alike as far a. the style Of them goes,
hut in color no two are alike above the
waist They all have flesh h-colOred
stockings and white satin slipper. with the
blunt stiffenei toes and heels peculiar TO the
ballet and fastened on by Sanialing up the
leg. Then they all have on loo-e Turkish
trousers. gathered in at the knee with al
elastic, AMI over this prOfusiDn Of white
tarlatan skirts The waists ara of sstinet
and of almo,t As many shades and colurS as
there are girls. There are blue and pink.
u. IL
mixed up in kaleIdosc pic confusion In
age and r.onal app arincs they are as
different rs their low-nec ked. Sleeveless, and
laced bodices are in color.
PRECEPTRESS AND PUPILS.
At, the head of the line stands Il fully de
velopei woman Her air is 50 confident
and her movements SO accurate that | ask
who she is
"Zat laiiee ee> Mam'-elle Dazsy; she esS
Ie assistant teachare; she lead all - uov
ment, and geef ze laiieeS contiianca. You
viii see
Next t. her is a finelv-formed girl, lar ger
even than the one whom | learn is precep-
tre :. She looks like a SweIe, with her
fair hair, blue eyes and heavy features
but am told 10y the Maitre de ballet that
only American bora girls are taken as pupils
under the rules. Still there ars all the types
which go TO make up our cosmopolitan
population Next TO my Swedish girl
stands swarthy girl with big black eyes
that are unmiStakably Italian. and there
are two or thres who French blood Is
equally obvious In age they range from
years oil up to Is but there Is scarcely a
fully developed woman among them
The youngest can not be over years old,
and >he Is so ohviou,ly incapable Of going
through the exerci-e, that she is allowed to
do pretty much As she pleaSeS The re- ult
is that she floats about like a little fairy with
a mignonne face making laughable at
tempts at performing the evolutiuns OF her /.
older companions Msisur Biberan place,
his fid lie under his chm. He has removed |
his coat and exchanged his street boots for |
a pair Of patent leather slippers He stamp,
upon the floor, and all the girls stand up
straight and grasp the rail with one hand. |
Now. LADIES', eef you please rs first |
movement Now. zen, all togethare!T
The bow scrapss it, way across the fiddle |
strings. the little Frenc clman's head mods, !
and his slippsrei foot beats the time. |
Twenty flesh cnlorel l,gs move out into |
space until each girl in the row reminds you /
Of the hanls on the clock when they are
pointing 10 a quarter to six. The fiddle |
scrapes again. and the arms ani leg. fly out |
donations they all face the other way, and .
repeat the same movements with the right .
haad and foot.
A SERIES OF EXERCISES
F lilly hut h our /, abSOrb,I by this Sc
ries Of exercises which are calculated to
make the joints and muscles flexible. Per-
haps the IN p,t ridiculous ons of them all is
where the girls >qust IVA and bend their
heads as far back as possible. When they
do this whole line OF dangling pig tails Of
back hair hang down il a row. producing
an effect that is far from lovely Then
few moments rest is given the pupils, and
learn that the "ilrecteur' had been EN-
ploy 81 as ballet master at the BbstOn thea
TIRE for two years before he came to New
y rk to take charge Of the school here. The
,ciety pay all the expenses of the school,
he tuition being absolutely free TO girls
IN view of the advantages offered il is a
matter Of surprise to NJ Biberan and which
share. that in SO large city there are not
more girls who wish to learn dancing as a
fine art
NJ Biberan scrapeS his fiddle again, and
the pupils take their places in four rows up
and down the hall, Mile Dazsy well in
'front.' where the pupils can watch her,
the bigge,t girls in the front row, the
Hullllci OuoN AehtLIt anu the Alltlc pllo
spoken of before well back alone, to her own
entire satisfaction.
Then they do the "entrechat the "plinta,"
the "ballon, the "arabesque' and all the
other familiar movements of the ballet in
surprisingly accurate fashion They stand
on one leg. with the other in the air, and
nearly break their necks in a vain effort TO
see the extended toe. They jump up in the
air and cross their legs three times before
they come down; in short they do every
thing but stand on their heal Is Meantime
the "directeur' keeps up a running fire Of
comment
"Nuw, Mees Bertha, doan' talk
swat de mattare, Noes Maudel You
sprain your leg, Sect down. pleese Now,
Mabelle, attention. please. You haf u
good soceeaytay to pay eferytinss, and you
will not keep n dee eepieene.'
At length & o'clock comes The school is
dismissed, and fifteen minutes later the
lights are out in the hall, and the little
closely wrapped figures are truiging up
Thirteenth street in the rain and the dark
ness. dreaming Of future triumphs, Of lights
and music, aud applause and flowers.
The Reason Why.
Life
Sunday School Teacher Why did not the
lions touch Danielf
American Boy twho reads the lie wspapersl