St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-10

ed their life in that direction. The
muscles of the legs must be supple
and undeveloped 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 rebellion arose in the mind of
one clever woman, bringing her to the
decision that she would begin school
of her own. She learned from an or
binary dancing master some graceful
character steps, put on long skirts, for
she was slenderly formed, draped her
blouse up to her collar-bone, fashioned
long angel sleeves that gave her hands
something to do, and the theater was
respectfully filled when she was adver-
tiSed.
Before she had danced week crowds
came to view the revolutionary dancer,
and the verdict was sufficiently encour-
aging to cause desertion in the ranks
of ill-paid coryphees.
Another artist in the profession de-
vised the seductive play of lights on
the rapidly moving danseuse,. and then
the skirt dance" was the accepted
production.
COST OF PROFESSIONAL TRAIN
ING.
''To what expense did your studies
put your I asked professional dam
Ger.
''Sixty dollars for twenty lessons is
the usual price. L took two lessons a
week for a year before went on the
stage, and that amounted to $780,
"And about that practice?' I asked.
us it very fatiguing?'
well, l know my teacher was sur
prised when 1 came on Thursday for
my second lesson that week. She new
er expected such endurance, for her
scholars always went to bed for a
week after the first days instruction.
One explanation for the soreness is
that many women adopt skirt dane
ing as a livelihood after their twenty
fifth birthday. If they are very ath-
letic and their muscles strongly de-
veloped they will suffer more than the
woman whose fibers are 'fabby, the
| latter being more pliable.
ANY young woman, though, whose
muscular development has been ac-
quired through Delsarte or physical
culture rather than fencing or rowing
will find skirt dancing easy to accom-
plish.
1.-The first lessons" she continued
"are similar to those in physical cul-
ture. You practice with a chair by
bending the body from the waist in al
directions. You emphatically declare
such gymnastics impossible, but if the
CITY in &c. fa1
you familiar with attitudes you never
Dreamed of assuming.
| DIFFICULT POSTURES.
II will show you one position thai
| looks easy to Go-but-try it and see'
And putting her foot on a char, with
| the leg straight knee u7t eat, she laiC
! the upper part of her body gracefully
along the support thus formed hel
head reposing on her ankle and hel
left shoulder placed a little below the
hip. AS she said, it looked simple, bu
the girls to whom she showed the posi-
ton have never even accomplished the
primary movement-placing the leg GU
straight to the chair
Another equally difficult movement
is this''-and she placed the back of The
| heels together, with feet out sideWise
held the arms out in the same direc
ton, then brought her body down t
rest on her heels. If you imagine your
self athletic, just attempt this pose anC
| you will realize to what a degree o.
suppleness the skirt dancers body i.
educated.
did you have to practicevery long?'
I asked.
y n iS =,
do more than that. AS for tn,
steps themselves, they seem very sim
pie after the attitudes are accom-
plished."
| The muscles of a skirt dancer are 81