The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-14
OF PETTC0AT DANCING,
The Reign Of Short Skirts and
Flesh olored Tights a Very
Long One.
Some Previous Reactions Against
the Spectacular Display Of
Beauty Unadorned.
Opinions Of Prime Isallerine ON Higher
Development Of the C-horcographio
Art-They Disagree.

1t seems that the graceful and decorous
variety of photographic exercise technically
described AZ 'petticoat dancing' has once
moro come into vogue upon the stage, from
which IL has been all but banished for a
good many years past. The reign of short
skirts and fiesh-colored tights over the
realm Of grand ballet" and the region OF
burlssque has been a long one, and its ten
ure OF public favor 10 now contested BY
long draperies sweeping the ground and Of
f~sctually concealing from view the neither
limbs OF their wearers, says the London
Telegraph. At different epochs ia the his
tory Of d~ance-whichs would appear to be
coeval with that Of the human race-there
have been reactions against the theory that
s'beauty unadorned's adorned the most"
Is illustrated by the ~exiguity, in one direc-
ton. and transparency Of the apparel worn
by a symmetrical ''ballerina'' and "hgur-
antss," while displaying their agility be-
hind the f~ootlights. Not longer ago than the
commencement of the present century.
Naples was an amazed witness to one of
these spasmodio demonstrations of prudery.
organized by the very last person from
whom the Neapolitans had any reason to
expect anything like a protest against short
petticoats. For Ferdinand l.. nicknamed
I'll Re Nasone,' or king Nosey." was a
fervid admirer of the softer sex. Moreover,
he delighted in every sort of frivolous
recreation, was never weary of encouraging
his subjects, by precept and example, to
amuse themselves to the top of their bent,
n openly professed to govern them by the
system of ''the three Fs,'' Fiesta, farina, Q
f~orca"-that is to say, entertainments.
cheap bread; and the gallows. The aston
ter conceived than described when they
gathered n morning from official an
nouncements placarded throughout the
length and breadth Of their city, that, by
his majesty's express order, every female
ooryphee Of the terra fla" would
thenceforth appear in green muslin
trousers, reaching from waist to instep, and
tied tightly round the ankles with frills
Of verdant gauze. That evening the
cation, q favorite spectacular ballet being
Sin the bilr' for performance. Not a note
of the opera was listened to by the anxious
and uneasy audience; during the first and
second acts public expectation and irrlta-
ton rose to an almost uncomfortable pitch;
then the curtain assembled on the scene set
for the opening episode of the "ballata;''
and there, sure enough, was the whole staff
of comedy ballet girls-for whose beauty and
grace the San Carlo at that time enjoyed a
European reputation-ranged in a semi
circle three deep, without a leg visible
ing character ensued, and next day arrange
ments were being made for a revolution.
when the danger was averted by a timely
revocation OF the outrageous royal edict.
Ferdinand knew the temper Of his lazzaroni
TOO we'll to DEFY them upon any question
connected with their amusements; 60 the
green muslin trousers were abolished az
suddenly as they had been decreed, and
p~eace-under the genial auspices Of "the
three Fs"-once more reigned in Naples.
These anti-short.s skirt movemen nave
generally owed their initiative to consti-
ted authority, not to any spontaneous out
burst of prudery on the part of the public,
Apparently, the present reaction in favor
OF "petticoat dances constitutes an excep-
tion to the rule. It is not to that most po-
nor to the ultra-puritanio element in our
London county council that We are indebt-
ed for the revival of flowing robes in CON
neotion with figure dancing on the stage.
but to the intelligence and good taste OF
certain ~well-known professional votaries of
perry lends an additional charm to graceful
motion, and that its artistic management
may be made even more attractive than the
mere display of well-tdrned limbs. The
public successes achieved in Paris and
London by clever dancers Of the long skirt
circumstance that many ladies in both cap
itals have Of late addressed themselves as
%siduously to the study of ''petticoat
dancing" 1t has recently been discosed
that the two schools of dancing-tech-
nically distinguished from one another By
''skirt"-are absolutely distinct after a
certain point. They differ in style and
purpose az essentially as ~oratorio and comic
opera. and the steps that are delightfully."-
effective in the one are entirely unsuited to
%s. 9t aann,, &c. :s st. ls.st, says " on Gne 80. Of the the
avowedly prefers "draperies'' to tights"
and is of opinion, not only that her predi-
lection is shared by the majority Of 'the
profession" but that society is taking to
gavottes and minuets, which. to be sue
~cessful. certainly want the most adroit
management Of folds and trains" An
other fascinating English dancer has given
coRent reasons for her preference of step
and petticoat dancing to that Of the ballet,
one of them being that ''the immense mus
cular development required for the almost
aorobatic feats of a modern pas seul' spoils
the shape of foot, ankle and leg alike" On
the other hand, a "prima ballerina'' of
well-earned renown has pronounced her
positive conviction that Skirts %undoubted-
~ hinder Freedom, and highly artistic
dancing is simply impossible in them."
In her opinion the premiere. danseuse''
of the grand ballet is the true exponent OF
the higher art in dancing, while the
petticoat dancers, though pretty to look
at," are altogether devoted to the. tech
nique" in which the real 'ballerina" takes
such pride. This appears to be the view
also entertained by a famous mistress of
the photographic art, who has openly de-
clared that the prevalent Fashion for skirt
dances is preventing girls from learning
anything BETTER" added that that, after
the first preliminaries of department and
ease of movement have been got over, the
systems OF teaching applied to petticoat
dancing and ballet dancing become quito
distinct, those pupils who wear the long
skirts have to practice the 'twists'' and
''double-shufles" instead of the ''splits''
and rocks" .
It 10 not surprising that dancers, rs we'll
as doctors, of different schools should dis
agree. Leaving aside the requirements of
the stage, however, for the moment. and
turning to those Of the private ball room,
we can not but think that the marked in
crease in the cultivation of step and
petticoat dancing, which seems to be an
accomplished fact, is likely to be productive
of very desirable social results. For some
years past society dances have steadily de-
generated in style and character, until Mt
the present time little remains of their
former grace and elegance. Nowadays
they may DO classified under two deuomin-
ations-the "~riotous romp'' and tho Ian
guild lounge" Any freak of taste, any
veerinQ Of the weather-cock fashion, would
Ho wa1rop,a TINT ,riuh1 AanI IN Tho ~av;,.l