The herald., 1896-12-29
CORSETS AND DANCERS.
The New School Discard Stays, While t
Old Legitimate Ballet Cling to Corsets


please tell me what kind of corsets you
wear and how it is that you can perform
your difficult feats laced in as you appear
to be at the waist?' I asked a premiere
dansueuse the other day.
"Mais, oui, madame" was the perfectly
civil reply. And then in queer mixture
of French and English she proceeded to
enlighten me. 1t seems that dancers of this
class wear special corsets, very stiff and
well boned, made to fit very close over
waists and hips but leaving abundant
breathing space above the waist line. A
tight corset is hooked around them and
then always drawn together until 1t fully
meets at the back. The hips and abdomen
are then tightly bandaged SO at the waist
and below all is as compact as it can be
made, leaving as much freedom as possible,
however, to the lungs ana organs above.
Mademoiselle affirmed that this very
tightness gave one singular sense Of
springiness and buoyancy that in itself in
duced the desire to dance, and as the body
itself plays no part in their type of terpsi-
chorean art, 1t is really only necessary
that their arms and legs shoNd have free
play. These women, however, are obliged
to keep their figures within certain propor-
tions, for though stout and pudgy ballet
dancer is occasionally seen. she Is soon
laughed off the stage.
1 approached Loie Fuller with the ques-
tion as to what type of corset she recon-
mended for women like herself who must
keep the figure 1.-THE and pliable. La Loie
expressed herself with freedom and en-
phasis on this point.
perhaps a woman might do my work
and wear corset. but / do not see how.
No, 1 never wear corset or waist of any
kind, either on or off the stage
"And about your diet?" asked rather
gingerly for found the fair dancer con-
s.derably the reverse of slender. What do
yctl do in the way of diet and exercise to
keep yourself the favorite of the public as
you are?"
Nothing yet" she replied. though out
of regard to my figure ought to begin to
do so But am extremely susceptible to
all sorts of psychic influences. Noises irri-
tate me. I don't know why. Voices that
1 hear, faces that I meet often affect me
to the point of quivering. I don't know
why. Indeed, my nerves are so sensitive
that they need their rapid waste repaired
by the most nourishing food. I dare not
diet though have little use for the need
less bread, potatoes and sweet. AS for
exercise, what most need when my work
is done is rest, rost!'
Miss Isabel Jones, the pretty leader of
the dance in the Geisha, says: mo, I
couldn't do my work comfortably in cor
set / wear simple unboned waist, and so
do the other girls so far as know. In our
pretty japanese robes the figure is not too
evident anyway and We can throw our
selves into so much prettier poses and
move so much more gracefully with all the
muscles of the body perfectly free.
"You can judge for yourself whether it
isn't easier to practice without corsets
when I tell you that our staple exercise is
to stand between two chairs with hand
on one and then kick with the opposite leg
so as to clear the other chair We can
keep ourselves in pretty fine physical con-
dtion just by practicing our steps. One
can hardly practice more than half hour
at a time without straining the muscles.
The main thing in mastering the kick is
never to direct the leg toward the front, but
always to the side
"None of the new school dancers try to
do their work with waists confined. IT
would be obviously impossible. All forces
indeed, seem to be combining to bring forth
to our race the fine, free, muscular, well
beauty"
sly peep at the literary ladies, too
would find many of them reveling in loose
"Josephines" while genius burns" There
is no doubt, for instance. of the presence
of Mrs. Rurnett's corsets while ION pa.
| rade" But no sooner is the cosy den
reached than off comes waist, corset and
petticoat and on goes the long chemise
and trailing mother hubbard of Inda
silk. fuffily trimmed about neck and shoul-
ders. from which the body of the gowr
falls free and unconfined. This is the cos
| tune in which she invariably works.
| 'If you have any influence. why do you
not use it in perpetual advocacy of EN-
| pire gowns?' said a noted literary woman
| the other day. That's what I am going
| to do as soon as I finish the book | am a
present at work upon. Thanks to rowing
| at Wellesley as long ago as rs and &c.
| have a band of muscle about the wast
| that keeps me well set up without any ar
! tiiia.ai support. Put the most inspired lit
| erary man of the day into a corset and tigh
waist and ask him to write an article ant
what do you think you would get? No! Ths
/ brain can't be SO sgd and nourshed as tC
produce anything vital when the organs O.
| the body are cramped and fettered.'-
Kansas City Star.
!