The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-21
A BALLET TRAINER.
The Craze for the Stage Has Invaded
English Upper Crust Society.

some idea of dancing. The teachers OF
stage dancing all live in the Bloom
bury district. A representative visited
n of these establishments the other
day to have a lesson in stage deport-
ment. The academy was not an I'M
posing structure. In fact it was over
a news, and after ascending a spiral
staircase, she reached the house door,
and was shown into the sltting-room
of the establishment. There was a
gaudy tapestry carpet, and prints OF
jockeys mounted on highly-bred steeds
covered the walls. Two decanters
with a thimbleful of liquor in each
fanked a tray of liquor glasses on the
sideboard. a bookcase containing a
few dog's-eared periodicals and q
medicine bottle showed the nature of
the dancing mistress studies. The
room wore a very tawdry, theatrical
appearance.
/ asked for the teacher of dancing,
and the young lady who showed me
in said her sister, who ordinarily
taught, had a headache. This young
lady was a muscular. well-developed
young woman with short fair hair,
and her white frock only came a little
below her knees. Somehow her
juvenile dress belied her juyenility,
but she assured me she was only four
teen years of age, although she had
been six years in the teaching line
| that is, she had danced as a little girl
to show others how to do it, and now
| she taught people how not to do it.
II and my sister," said this old
young lady, s'go out in the morning
to the houses of pupils, and in the
afternoon we give lessons here. We
don't have a class now, though; we
used to get such a rough lot. Most OF
| our pupils are ladies and gentlemen,
but we do get a few servants some
times"
"Some of the lower classes dance
well at first you know" said this
young lady. "They have their brains
in their heels.n
did not confirm my presumed ac-
quaintance with the extraordinary
topsv -turvy fact in physiology, and
the fourteen-year-old prodigy went
on:-''Sometimes we have to hold
them up, though, they're so awk-
wark.n
She added that if / paid half-a-
| crown that would ensure me a lesson.
They would give 10 lessons for 10 shill-
ings six pence, but it would be best to
have a private lesson to start with.
Then / was shown into the Academy.
A large photo of a popular actress adj
orned the walls, and there were other
photos. The room was also nj
mented with two turned-down bed
steads. 1t was a small room, and
would not hold many people who
were throwing their legs about.
Talking about legs / asked the
Prodigy what sort of legs it was neces-
sary to have. She gave me to under
stand that a good pair of legs was
essential to a good dancer. Ii you do
dance well you look nothing with
scraggy legs. 1t is a fact, though,
that there are more badly-formed legs
than good mes.
But don't dancers pad?n Yes,
but they do it awkwardiy. Why, you
wouldn't recognize a woman some
times whom you saw before and after
padding. | like teaching ladies best.
Gentlemen do interrupt you soto talk.
l and my sister are out all the morn
ing teaching at private houses
Ladies or gentlemen" "Oh, ladies.
Ladies who want to go on the stage,
you know. This morning we have
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womeng We'll. the PRODIGY admitted
s.the serio-comies do swear and fight a
bit.n Others. less independent. had
to behave themselves. 1T paid them