The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-10
WAGE DANCING.
Charms of the New style over the
Old.

graceful opponents is out Of date. The
swelling calves, fiuted Swiss rufiies and
low corsage are seldom seen on the stage;
instead. come a swish OF silken accordion
pleated skirts. high heeled slippers. flow
ing sleeves and the tink Of a tambourine.
The reason Of the change in popular
/ ity is also a question Of expense and
| health" said graceful Annie St. Tel, who
is one Of the most talented young girls of
/ the profession. American and English
I girls refuse TO study ballet dances on ac-
count of the length Of time Il takes to ac-
] quire presentable efficiency in the art
/ and the expense incurred in learning. So
the public, forced to accent what they
could get, now think our style of dancing
| quite the prettiest on any stage, ancient
or modern"
Much of her explanation is true. France
was the legitimate home Of the ballet
/ American girls who desired to make liv-
] ing as dancers were forced to 20 to Paris
/ to study their steps, just as artists and
/ musicians do Again they were compelled
/ to commence very young. IL they decided
their life in this direction The muscles
! of the legs must be supple and undevel-
| oped to bear the strain Of the teaching,
] otherwise it would take years to undo
/ what nature had already finished in the
! way OF growth.
So, a rebellion arose in the mind Of one
| clever woman, bringing her to the decis-
/ ion that she would begin a school of her
own she learned from an ordinary dane
! ing master some graceful, character steps.
/ put on long skirts for she was slenderly
formed, draped her blouse up to her col
/ lar BONE fashioned long angel sleeves
that gave her hands something to do, and
/ the theater was respectfully filled when
she was advertised.
| Before she had danced a week 'the
/ world and its sisters" came to view the
/ revolutionary young dancer. and the YER
diet was sufficiently encouraging to cause
! desertion in the ranks of ill-paid cory
! phies.
Another artist in the profession devised
the seductive play of colored light on
/ the rapidly moving danseuse, and then
the skirt dance" was the accepted Amer
/ lean production.
ITO what expense did your studies put
! your" / asked Miss St. Tel.
Sixty dollars for twenty lessons is the
\ usual price. l took two lessons a week
| for year before I went on the stage,
| and that amounted to $3.50
! And about that practice?" I asked.
/ rs it very fatiguing?"
/ "Weu, 1 know my teacher was surprised
when 1 came on Thursday for my second
| lesson that week. She never expected such
! endurance for her scholars always went
/ to bed for week after the first days in
struction. One explanation for the sore
/ ness IS that many women adopt skirt
| dancing as livelihood after their twenty
l fifth birthday. If they are very athletic
/ and their muscles strongly developed they
! will suffer more than the woman whose
fbres are "flabby," the latter being more
/ pliable.
amy young woman, though, whose mus
| cular development has been acquired
through Delsarte or physical culture rath-
er than fencing or rowing will find skirt
/ dancing easy to accomplish"
1.-THE first lessons" she continued, ARE
similar to those in physical culture. You
practice with a chair by bending the
body from the waist in all directions
You emphatlcally declare such gymnas-
tees impossible, but If the strain is en-
| dured for two weeks IL sees you familiar
with attitudes you never dreamed of as
suming
Il viii show you one position that
looks easy to do-but-try it and see."
And putting her foot on a chair with the
| leg straight, knee unbent. she laid the
| upper part of her body gracefully along
! the support thus formed her head repos-
| ing on her ankle and her left shoulder
/ placed a little below the hip. AS she said
! it looked simple, but the girls to whom
/ she showed the position have never even
/ accomplished the primary movement
! placing the leg straight out to the chair
| Another equally difficult movement is
/ this'-and she placed the back of the
/ heels together with feet out sideways.
! held the arms out in the same direction,
/ then brought her body down to rest on
/ her heels. Of you imagine yourself ath-
! letic just attempt this pose, and you will
! realize to what a degree Of suppleness
! the skirt dancers body is educated)
! Did you have to practice very long?'
1 asked.
"Only an hour a day. 1t is unwise to do
| more than that. As for the steps them
! selves, they seem very simple after the
| attitudes are accomplished.
The muscles of a skirt dancer are so
/ symmetrically developed that there is no
touch of ungainliness about the physi-
cal form. The unattractive Jumps that
are painfully visible in the legs of the
pirouetting French danseuse are replaced
by long slim lines that bend gracefully as
! a reed.
The plump woman must bow to her
slim sisters superiority in this profession,
as every teacher of the art will confess
"The thinner she is the more yards of
! drapery / can build on her to add to her
! grace" says one of the best known in
! structors.
! Her preferable weight is SO pounds. and
women over 215 are discouraged from
| studying. The more hight she has the
| better, provided her body is inclined to
! plant curves.
| No dieting is required to induce supple
ness In fact, tbs the verdict of be-
| ginners and experts that there is no such
| exercise as this to induce hunger One
professional confessed that she had sand
witches and a basket Of fruit brought to
her dressing room every night that she
might satisfy her appetite as soon as her
dancing was over.
That this gormandizing does not in
| crease their weight or hamper their diges-
ton is due to the continuous exercise that
keeps them 'limbered up"
Half an hour a day is given to prac-
tice even by the most brilliant dancer
and many continue to receive instruction
in what is technically termed character
steps throughout all engagements
A costume for a skirt dancer costs from
$3.50 to $500. 1t has to be renewed fire.
quently, for yards Of thin lace and length
of gauzy silks are not calculated to with
stand constant and vigorous use. Slippers
wear out rapidly, as their soles must be
of paper, and the pressure on them severe.
But to offset these eXtravagancies, the
salary for such a nightly performance is
very fine. Women like Amelia Glover and