Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-03-10

J - Feep INTO the Big Bare Room Where
the Glasses Meet for Practice-Profes-
sor and PupIIs-Art of smiIInx-sfo-
ments of Rest.
| By some accident or another, we will
| suppose, NJ and Nine. Pipelet have decided
that their little Adele shall become a
dancer, and so the little dear is brought to
Nine. Theodore, the professor of the
| opera. who examines be: and passes her
on to the doctor, who In turn examines
| and proHounCes her to be fit or unfit for
! the profession. The verdict being favor
! able, little Adele hpnceforward belongs to
! the opera; she IL now aged Z or 8 years,
! and Ii she works hard she will become a
| passable danseuse In about ten or
| twelve years The first stage Is
! the little girls class, Ia classe des
! pe,ites. Winter and summer, day after
day, every morning at 10 o'clock, Nine
! Theodore awaits her pupils, who come
accompanied by their mothers each one
! carrying u little hag that contains regu-
/ lar Soah's ark full o: miscellaneous OBJ
| jects necessary for the studies or the
| happiness Of pupil Of the petite classe,
such Us stockings, dancing shoes, box OF
poUdre de riz. n comb. a button hook some
bread n bottle of wine and water, some
cold veal, hard boiled eggs, sardines,
apples and what not.
In the tw;nkling Of an eye the little
ores undreSs, put on their working cos
tune. and COME rushing up stairs peu
neil into the class room, bounding round
the professor and kissing her.
NC BARE ROOM.
Let us look at the room. 1t is large,
I'm Ix-Jf i.ar Az It,l.
walls on three sides and sloping floor,
20 accustom the pupil 10 the sioping stage
OF the theatre, Along the free wall are
benches. and two cane seated chairs ac-
; commOdate the professor and her assist
ant, who plays fiddle or sometimes a
sort Of harmOnium. The girls, Of whom
The oldest i perhaps -. wear low necked
c0rsages leaving their arms bare, white
muslin skirts. broad sashes of blue or red
ribbon. pink tights and gray canvas shoes.
They are r lean, scragGy lot, not lovely TO
look upon individually, but full OF good
humor and vIvacity.
"AllCns. mcsdeIuuiS".les a vos places"
cries the professor. and the girls run TO
the bars, and tine fiddle gives the word Of
command. Just as the buglc calls direct
the soldier. There is no melody, but
simply q series of apiante, allegro, pizzi-
cato and triii movements. each followed
hy S tTemOlO. 80 that to the RntutOred ear
the sounds suggest the confusion Of the
tuning Of an orchestra Bu; the dancers
understand that srch and such notes in
dicate such and such posture at the bar,
which must be held Us long as the pro
fessor keeps up the tremolo, other notes
followed by tremOlo indicate another
posture. And At every moment during
the lesson the professor intersperSes her
remarks with the words: ''SOuriezl Sou.
riez! Mais sourieZ dorc"' Smile! Won't
you SMILEY For in the midst OF the most
difficult and torturiag disiocations the
ballet girl must smile. and the art OF
smiling has to be learned just like step
or n deveioppe.
After half an hour of these general ex-
ercises st the bar there comes a rest, and
the little girls begin once more TO chatter |
and futter, while the professor lays the |
dust by watering the tioor in geometrical |
nteriacements. Then follows the adaEe, |
or second part of the lesson, which con- !
sists OF an ensemble ana composed steps !
The dancers take place in the middle Of |
the room IN rows; Mime. Theodore holds |
up her skirts and indicates the step. and |
the little ones begin TO bound, whirl, |
pirouette, form groups by twos, and smile |
in unison, while the iddle scrapes queer |
tunes and the professor cries in strange |
terms: ''Ba.lonne, f0ndu, assemblez. |
soutenez, souriez. Mais sourieE doncrn |
Always that smile!
At intervals there are moments of rest;
but the Jealous pupils do not rest; they |
gun TO the bar and work their knees and |
lOins, multiplying the efforts 10 gain /
their suppleness and hghtness that the
public often seem 70 regard as natural and
innate.
The third part OF the lesson is the raria-
ton. The pupils gather in q group around |
the professor, who with her fingers die
tstes the steps that are TO be executed,
one finger Of each hand representing the |
two legs OF the dancers. Attitude, pas
de bourree, giissade, entrechat, temps de
cuisse," etc, says the professor in her
wonderful language, as she expounds the
variation that she dances with her fingers
Sn, too, in fencing one indicates the play
Of the foiis with the index OF each hand.
Meanwhile the pupils carefully watch the
professor fingers, and initiate with their
own, their bodies oscillating and undu-
lating. and rs IL were feeling the steps.
'f.st-ce c0mprIsT do you understand1 |
Yes, madsr.' "Very good. In posi-
ton. then And they all promptly take
their places once more in the middle of
the room, and, with the professor, dance
the variation while the fiddle plays more
rapid measure.
Suddenly the fiddle stops. There Is a
rest and then the girls go through an
other course oi dislocation at the bar, and
then. with their sweetest smiles they
salute first TO the right and then to the
-. Il H., i. al. I
a deserved ovation. Then "Au revoir,
Mime. Theodore. demain." In a sec
ond the class room is empty; the little
girls. painting and worn ont, don their
paltry robes Of poverty and return under
their mothers wings 70 Montmartre or
Belle7Ilie. .-Theodore Child in The Cos
mopol!tan.