The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-25

quIrements; but even he, vita all the adVan-
/ tages his method possesses, cannot turn out
a single American dancer VINO could hold
her own with one Of the foreign school
How many ballet-girls are In this coun-
try
Probably a thousand They have no
union nor anything like an organization.
A trust Is impossible. for the reason that
in the present condition of theatrical man
agenent there is too much rivalry and each
manager has to stand alone aud do the best
he can. Their attractions are all different
and they have nothing in common except
the desire 10 make money. What In the
name Of goodness would a syndicate want
with lot Of girls who cannot dancer
| Yet American girls are admitted TO be
the best and most graceful walters IN the
world"
''Those are the exceptions. I repeat, we
are not a dancing nation. It will take years
Of training and culture to accomplish any
results that will place our dancers in the
same category as those who have the
ballet as a tradition-a long cherished
art.
There is ballet trust needed, however, -
added Mr.. Barton laughingly. at is a
| trust to take the tenderest care of the poor
forlorn, superannuated American ballet
girl. For there is hardly dancer on the
| American stage to-day who is not practi-
!
| ought to be pensioned off for sheer old age.
| would get the sympathetic capitalists en-
listed in this generous scheme and then see
what the next generation will do toward
| supplying US with something like a true
American ballet.n
You are a little severe on the poor
fgurante, are you not, Mr. Bartonl''
why, no; don't think Pve exagger-
ated Bit. On, assure you, I'm in ear
Ina a Oh 49, L. a rf =.
| it if somebody organizes itn
THE proposition to form ballet trust. 4"
! said Manager Is. d. Stevens of Palmer's
| theater. where the McCaull Opera Com
/ pany is disportipg in Glover" us a nov
city and seems trifle absurd in view of
| the fact that there is no American ballet
Ia eut to speak of. This country has never
| produced "a single noted dancer since the
! days of Columbus. We have had the best
talent OF Europe here, though, aud Ameri-
can audiences have gone wild over the
| delightful gyratio IS of Ellsler, Sohlke, and
Bonfanti. The trouble with native bal
| let is that none Of those who enter the pro-
fesslon do so young enough. Girls of
twenty and over, and even mature women.
get the idea that they can dance into fame,
but the training in childhood, which is the
rule in Europe, is painfully absent here and
the result is a ballet that is a very Door
mo; there cannot be a trust on this side
of the Atlantic. 1t would be a dead failure
as a speculation, no matter how much capi-
tai aud energy we're behind is. Such spec
tacles as All Baba' and The Black Crook
have always to depend upon imported
| talent to carry them to success. Our girls.
while they may pose faScinatingly on the
stage, are stiff ana awkward when any
artistic evolutions are attempted Instead
| of a trug |
| girls home be established with Bolossy
Kiralfy as president.
The home Of the ballet is Italy, added
Mr.. Stevens, "a Il the finest dancers have
undoubtedly been Italians Taglionl,
| Noverre and the Vestries family were ali
Italians. They have held the palm ever
since the invention of the ballet by Bal
tazarini, the musical director of Catherine
de Medici. France aud Germany. too.
excel IN the ballet. You see it is an old
established institution in those countries.
and we haven't even begun here yet"
| The trust has been discussed at every
| theater ~ town, aud no end of fun has been
poked at the alleged promoters. Mons.
| Bebeyran, the matter do ballet who has
taught hundreds of American girls feet to
| twinkle approximately, shook his head and
laughed when approached on the subject.
| He coins money and fame by training am
\
handsome shoulders when asked if a trust
were practicable Like "le brave Gen,
| Boulanger," BIbeyran is non-committal.
| he regards the dancing passion in this coun-
| try as an innocent fad, which hurts nobody
aad is good for the health and physical
| symmetry of the pretty girls who indulge
| in 1t. Aud yet over half q century as
passed since Fanny Ellsler charmed the
| hearts of New orkerS in the bal ct of "I a
Tarantule," at the Park theater here
but 1t took something more than few
fine performances to stir the sluggish Kuick-
erbocker blood, aud give life aud agility to
the Knickerbocker heels,n remarked one
theatrical manager. "At shat time, despite
the general admiration of Ellsler, there
was but one teacher of dancing in New
York old John Charraud, whose little hall
on White street, near Church, was but slimly
patronized as the fine ladies' of the city were
disposed to consider dancing an accom-
pllshment beneath them. Aud during the
| long gap between Ellsler and Cavallazzi
the charming siren of Ravenna' as she
was called when she visited this country
there does net seem to lave been a single
step taken toward the cultivation of a,
American ballet. Like literature, music
and the arts, the ballet is the slow growth O
the centuries"
'Ahl re ballet,n remarked another pro
lessor, who is frequently in demand when
ever the theaters are producing a spectacle
ne ballets malS, where ees it? Americf
has it not, because zs American mees need,
an infusion of Gallo blood in her heel. Sa
ees it, he ballet dancer in Paris and Vienna
she has re foot zat ees strong and zee to-
Eat can support her in ze air. Where ee,
re American woman Eat can stand for five
minute son one toe-ehl Nom monsieur
she ees not to be found. Re real balet-girl
she can make her limbs strong from ze tsirt
down to re toe tip. She all legs Re Amerl
can all arms and bust. You pay more heec
to developing re bust and 20 neck and q
arms, aud you have not 20 limbs sat make
re ballet American giris cannot walk no.
be fatigue. She has no limbs till she ee
what you cal middle-aged Zen she get
fat and heavy. Ze European has ali q
strength in her limbs trsm child anC
never tire. You get limbs, zen you get q
ballet"
"Were not many Of the girls in the grea
spectacle on Staten Island, the Fall OF
Nero, imported ballet-dancers"
mon, non; but zsy were not ballet
only lot Of clumpsy fgurantees, Eat ees
all. Re real ballet-dancer has her chest de
velopment in her toes. Her foot is large anc
well-formed, not small and pinchsd like u
famous American foot which you are 81
vain. Your feet are pressed to look neat
and 70 toes zey are squeezed together like
those of the Chinese women. Re instep
too, it is held up artidcially or allowed r.
become fiat Re ankle ees to small too sus
tain re weight of re limbs. Re true ballet.
dancers foot is broad and sinewy like ,.