Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-03-08
BALLET IN PARIS
LITTLE GIRLS TAKING DANCING Les
SONS FOR THE STAGE.

A Peep Into the Big Bare Room Where
the Glasses Meet for Practice-PFofes-
sor and Pupfls-Art Of smiling-Mo-
ments Of Rest.
By some accident or another, we will
suppose, NJ and Mime. Pipelet have decided
that their little Adele shall become a
dancer, and so the little dear is brought to
Mime. Theodore, the professor of the
opera. who examines her and passes her
on to the doctor, who in turn examines
and pronoGnces her TO he fit or unfit for
the profession. The verdict being favor
able little Adele henceforward belongs TO
the opera; she is now aged 7 or s years,
and il She works hard she will become a
passabie danseuse in about ten or
twelve years. The first stage is
the little girls class, la classe des
petites. Winter and summer, day after
day, every morning at 10 O'Clock, Mime.
Theodore awaits her pupils, who come
accompanied by their mothers, each one
carrying a little nag that contains regu-
lar Noah's ark full o: miscellaneous OBJ
iects necessary for the studies or the
happiness Of pupil of the petite classe,
such as stockings, dancing shoes, box of
poudre de riz, comb, button hook, some
bread, a bottle Of wine and water, some
cold veal. hard boiled eggs, sardines,
apples and what not.
In the twinkiing Of an eye the little
ones undress, put on their working cos
tune, and come rushing up stairs pell
nell into the class room, bounding round
the professor and kissing her.
BIG BARE ROOM.
Let us look at the room. 1t Is large,
bare room, with bars fixed parallel to the
walls on three sides and a slopiGg floor,
70 aecustom the pupil to the sloping stage
Of the theatre Along the free wall are
benches, and two cane seated chairs ac-
commodate the professor aud her assist
ant who plays fiddle Or sometimes a
sort Of harmonium. The girls of whom
the oldest Is perhaps 13, wear low necked
corsages leaving their arms bare, white
muslin skirts, broad sashes of blue or red
ribbon, pink tights ana gray canvas shoes.
They are lean, scraggy lot, not lovely to
look upon individually, but full Of good
humor and vivscity.
Allons, mesdenoiselles, IA vos placesv
cries the professor, and the girls run to
the bars, and the fiddle gives the word of
command, just as the bugie calls direct
the soldier. There Is no melody. bat
simply series Of andanie. allegro. pizzi-
cato and trill movements, each followed
by tremolo, so that to the untutored ear
the sounds suggest the confusion Of the
tuning of an orchestra But the dancers
understand that such and such notes in
dictate such and such posture at the bar,
which must be held as long as the pro-
fessor keeps up the tremolo, other notes
followed by tremoio indicate another
posture. And at every moment during
the lesson the professor intersperses her
remarks with the words: "Souriez, Sou.
riez, MATS souriez dorc"' (Smilc, Won't
you snileN For in the midst of the most
difficult and torturing dislocations the
ballet girl must smil-, and the art of
smiling has to be learned just like step
or deyeloppe.
After half an hour of these general ex-
erc-es at the bar there comes rest, and
the little girls begin once more to chatter
and tiutter while the professor lays the
dust by watering the floor IN eeomctrical
intcriacements. Then follows the adage,
or second part Of tae lesson, which CON
sists of an ensemble and composed steps.
The dancers take place in the middle of
the room in rows; Nine. 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 fiddle scrapes queer
tunes and the professor cries in strange
terms: "Ballonne, fnndu, assembled.
sOutenez, souriez. Mais sourieZ donc,'
Always that smllel
At intervals there are moments OF rest;
but the Jealous pupils do not rest; they
run to the bar and work their knees and
loins, multiplying the efforts 10 gain
their suppeness and lightness that the
public often seem to regard as natural and
innate.
The third part Of the lesson is the varia-
ton. The pupils gather in n group aroand
the professor, who with her fingers die
tates the steps that are to be executed,
one finger of each hand representing the
two legs Of the dancers. Attitude, pas
de bourree, glissade, entrechat. temps de
cuisse," etc, says the professor in her
wonderful language, as she eXpounds the
variation that she dances with her fingers
So, too, in fencing one indicates the play
of the foils with the index of each hand.
Meanwhile the pupils carefully watch the
professor fingers, and initiate with their
rwn, their bodies oscillatinc aud undu-
lating, and as il were feeling the steps.
Est compris' do you UNDERESTIMATE
Yes. madam. Very good. In posi-
ton, them Ard 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 Il more
rapid measure,
suddenly the tlddle stops. There is a
rest ard then the girls 70 through an
1, ~ l.