Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-03

girl in black, making quite contrast to
the other gowns; two or three others,
| and pretty Leontine Morgan, who has
just been engaged as second premiere
danseuse by the Metropolitan opera
company, and who is the premiere of
the class. She and the plump young
woman have decidedly more profess
sional air than the others, for they have
both danced in public, and their costume
is little more finished in appearance, a
little more like the real thing than are
those of the others.
And the costume! Pink tights, and
pink satin, heelless slippers; white Turk
ish trousers, fastened just above the
knee; short muslin skirts, and a neatly
fitting white cotton bodice laced behind,
and made low-necked without sleeves.
The ballet-master gives the word, and
the girls take their places, Leontine in
front of the large mirror between the
two windows, and the others behind.
He begins gay air on the violin, and
the girls sway and glide and tiptoe over
the floor in a bewildering and bewitch-
ing way, arms and heads swaying and
bending in keeping with the music and
the motions of the body. The ballet
master emphasizes the time by OCCASION
ally stamping on the floor with his foot,
or calls one of the dancers by name when
he sees that she is dancing carelessly or
out of time. 1t is over ina few minutes,
and then the girls lean against the rail
ing that projects from the wall all around
the room, or seat themselves on a sofa
in communicating room and talk and
laugh little. But not for long.
They try it again and again, and then
comes a moment of rest. The ballet
master calls them again and this time
it is another figure. One girl declares
she cannot do it, and goes into the next
room, where she seats herself on a sofa.
"Mathilde! come along, come ~ the
master cries, but she will not come.
"She is so strong" he says, with
French accent, "but she is lazy today
yes, she must be lazy, because she is
strong"
And the girls urge her, but she will
not come; so they dance it without her.
A dainty, graceful figure it is, across the
room and back again, with steps that
only professional dancer can describe.
Intricate indeed, it looks, and wonder
how long it took them to learn to do it,
and how much longer it took to learn to
do it rapidly and gracefully. l try to
fasten my eyes on Leontine's feet, as
she is nearest me, and l try to
get some idea of these wonder
ful steps, but find my eyes wander
ing away to the other pairs of feet TO
get glimpse of them, and so l lose all
idea OF what the steps are like. The
feet twinkle, the shapely legs, filmy
skirts, waving arms and bending heads,
make bewildering picture to one who
has only seen the ballet from the par
quet, with the footlights between.
Here it is broad daylight, and the ballet
so close to me that involuntarilv lean
back when pink-satin slipper comes
little nearer than think is quite COM
patible with safety for my nose.
There is another short rest, and al
though the room is chilly and pull my
fur cape close about me, see the pers-
piration running in streams down the
neck and shoulders of the dancers. One
girl keeps a towel within convenient
reach, with which she constantly wipes
her face and neck and no cosmetics be-
ing used, the result is not disastrous.
Only natures own cosmetic is here, the
dancing bringing healthy color to the
cheeks of some of the girls, while the
others remain quite pale.
Ambitious to ''star" is the common
est desire OF every theatrical PERSONS
soul. Indeed, you hear OF this appetite
in player-folk every hour of the day in
the vicinity of the theater and on "Sou-
| brette's row." Almost all the young
ladies who have secured "line on the
bills" or curtain or scene call in any
piece are eager to ''go starring" as it is
termed, just as soon as they can obtain
backing and a play.
Tn, ho srct r,loon tho oiyv, of
young person who goes upon the sta
is to rival some "fxed star" whose re-
fulgence illumines the profession. The
new aspirant believes that she Il am
speaking of the ladies now) has only to
step upon the boards to pale the inef-
fectual fires of all who have shimmered
and glinted behind the footights hith-
erto.
1t is part of the serenest quality in
the young actresses nature to imagine
that the world has been awaiting her
coming. and that the place she is to oc-
cupy upon the stage has been merely
kept warm for her by predecessors, no
matter how successful they have been.
At this very moment there are at least
twenty young ladies in the Casino who
firmly believe in their own souls that
they could do far better in Poor Jona-
than than Miss Lillian Russell has done,
and that if Pauline Hall can star profit
ably upon the road, they should tri-
umphantly flame athwart the theatrical
skies like comets of lambent magnif-
cence.
There is another kind of girl in the
profession who is ambitious to star. and
who has perfect right to be. This is
the young lady who has devoted her life
to the cultivation of her mind-to the
study of the roles in which Mary Ander-
son has obtained distinction-and who,
while thirsting for an opportunity to
display her talent honestly and to show
what she has been doing in the sanctity
of her own little studio, is willing to
play small parts in good company in
order that she may ''learn the busi-
ness"
Happily for the welfare of the Ameri-
can stage, there are some young ladies
of this kind toiling and longing for the
hour that shall see their birth among
the theatrical consultations. They are
not looking for 'backers" so much as
for modest opportunity to prove their
title to their ambition. They are not
seeking admiration on account of their
personal charms so much as the faith OF
good judges in their ability to become
actresses some day. And they study
plays and great players rather than tops