The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-07-26

IL suppose that very few Of the pso.
pie who have ever seen the marches os
ballet girls In spectacular productions
have stopped 10 think Of the Immense
amount OF labor involved In the prepar.
alton of those marches" said : well.
known theatrical manager the other
day. THE audience looks ut tho long
lines of brilliantly arrayed girls ~ they
90 through the most intricate figures
with never thought Of the work Of the
designer OF the figures. The girls do
their part with such apparent ease that
there Is no indication OF the weeks OF
toll which was required TO produce tho
effect.
Let me tell you how march for tho
ballet girls Is made. There are only
two or three professional march de-
/ signers in this country, and they prob
ably pursue different methods Ia get
ting up new figures. but l will tell you
OF the way went about II q year $50
when / wanted 10 train some girls.
had never given thought 70 tho fact
/ that 1t was one thing to train the girD
TO march and quite another one TO de-
| sign the figures. / told my stage man
ager to train the girls for an Amazon
march, and thought that that was all
that was required. lie asked me II ]
had any figures. l told him that i
HADN'T, and he said that would have
to ret some for him before he could do
anything with the girls. went to tho
ballet master and asked him for some
figures. He told me TO call the next
day. did SO. but he said that hc
wasn't quite ready for me yet. i called
several times aud he always had some
new excuse TO offer
went TO another ballet master and
had the same experience. They were
evidently unwilling to let anyone have
their figures. There were no other
men in the city to whom could apply.
SO said TO myself, j will invent some
figures myself After giving the mat
ter some thought, | bought n set Of
poker chips aud began my work.
took sixteen red chips and sixteen white
ones. Then got down on the hooI
and arranged the poker chips In two
long rows, white row and red row
Then Strengthened up and looked nj
them. tried hard TO imagine thai
the poker chips were girls. but onl,
partially succeeded. Down got again
. / anu DtWtlD 10 liioNc TITO tntfo th1 -
time into curious figures, but II WA
slow and unsatisfactory work. foun'
that | would have u work with othe
material. procured some large bead
and strung sixteen OF them on string
fastening them about an inch apart
: / strung sixteen beads Of another colo
i'm the same way. These beads repre-
Q sented the thirty-two girls who were y
take part in the march.
! Then began to arrange them In he
Q urcs. and when ! got what | though
/. was a good one l made note Of i
4 For over two months worked In TIL
way with the beads and the poker chip
:, before was satisfied with the figures
handed the diagrams TO my stag
!, manager, aud with my help and expli
nations he trained the girls. This too
: two months more. but even when the
, were perfectly drilled the work was ns
J. over. 1t Is never over. The reason {
g this Is that very frequently ciths
@ have to discharge one of the girls {
e she may leave Of her own accord. The
IS "A new onc--a raw reoruit--has TO !
, taken on and trained. TO train on
l. girl II is necessary to make the entii
/, thirty~two 90 through tho march ov'
+ aud over again. The next time th'
a any one proposes that shall start q
, Amazon march will strike him of m
n list OF friends. | have had enough
i'm u Sun