The Hawaiian gazette., 1889-03-19
BALLET IN PARIS,
tlTTLE GIRLS TAKING DANCING les.
SONS FOR THE STAGE. Z.

\ - Iccp INTO tho Dig bato hooh NhcI'
the Glasses Meet for Practice-Frofcs-
sor and Pupils-Art OF smiling-NIo
mcnts OF Rest.
BY some accident or another, we will
suppose, NJ. and Nine. Pipelet have decided
Mat their little Adele shall become u
dancer, and so the little dear is brought TO
Nine. Theodore, the professor of the
opera, who examines her and passes her
Oh to the doctor, who in turn examines
and pronounces her to be fit or unfit for
he profession. The verdict being favor
Gnle, little Adele henceforward belongs ~
the opera; she Is now aged or years,
and If she works hard she will become a
passable danseuse in about ten or
twelve years, The first stage is
/ the little girls class, In classe dies
! 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 little bag that contains n regu-
| lar Noah's ark full OF miscellaneous OBJ
| iects necessary for the studies or the
happiness of 4 pupil of the petite classe,
such rs stockings, dancing shoes, box of
poudro dc riz, comb, 4 button hook, soma
bread, bottle of wine and water, some
cold veal, hard boiled eggs, sardines,
apples and what not.
In the twinkling 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
4 BIG BARE ROOM.
Let Us look at the room. 1t is u large,
hD with GN,. IL ~.
walls on three sides and slopinC floor,
10 accustom the pupil TO the slipping stage
Of the theatre. Along the free wall arc
benches, and two cane seated chairs ac-
commodate the professor and her assist
ant, who plays fiddle or sometimes u
sort OF harmonium. The girls, of whom
the Oldest is perhaps y, wear low necked
cOrsageS leaving their arms bare, white
muslin skirts, broad sashes of blue or red
ribbon, pink tights and gray canvas shoes.
They are lean, scragsy lot, not lovely to
look upon individually, but full of good
humor and vivacity.
'-Allons, mesdemoiselles, q yoS places
cries the professor, and the girls run To
the bars, and the fiddle gives the word Of
command, just as the bugle calls direct
the soldier. There is no melody. but
simply series of andante, allegro. pizzi-
cato and trill movements, each followed
BY a 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
dicate such end such posture at the bar,
which must DC held as long as the pro
lessor 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 donc"' (Smilel Won't
you SMILEY For in the midst of the most
difficult and torturing dislocations the
ballet girl must smile, and the art of
smiling has to be learned just like a step
or q deTelOppe.
After half an hour Of these general ex-
ercises at the bar there comes rest. and
the little girls begin once more to chatter
and hutter, while the professor lays the
dust BY watering the floor in geometrical
interlacements. Then follows the adage
or second part Of the 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, fondu, assemble,
soutenez. souriez- Nai5 souriez doncn'
Always that smile!
At intervals there are moments Of rest:
but the jealous pupils do not rest; they
run to the bar and work their knees and
.Oils, multiplying the efforts 10 gain
their suppleness and Ightness that the
public often seem to regard as natural and
innate.
The third part Of the lesson is the Yaria-
ion. The pupils gather in a group around
he professor, who with her fingers die
ate5 the steps that are 70 be executed.
me finger OK each hand representing the
-WO legs Of the dancers. Attitude, pas
ie bourree, glissade, eutrechat, temps dc
,uisse, etc, says the professor in her
wonderful language, as she expouuds the
variation that she dances with her fingers.
-, too, in fencing one indicates the play
II the fOils with the index Of each hand.
'leanwhile the pupils carefully watch the
JfoIessor's fingers and initiate with their
WI, their bodies oscillating and undu-
aungs and as IL were feeling the steps
'kst-ce comprise do you understandJ
Yes madam" Every good. In posi-.
ion, then. And they all promptly take
heir places once moro In the middle Of
he room, and, with the professor, dance
he variation while the fiddle plays a mOr=
apid measure
Suddenly the fiddle stops There Is
est and then the girls go through an
Their course Of dislOcation at the bar, and
Aen, with their sweetest smiles they
alute first 70 the right and then 10 the
Eft az II thanking an idolizing public for
deserved ovation. Then EAU reT0ir,
lmc. Theodore. \ demain.n In n sec
nj the class room Is empty; the little
irls, painting and worn out. don their
altry robes Of poverty and return under
aeir mothers wings 90 Montmartre or
elegiIe---Theodore Child in The Cos
iopgiitaH.
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