The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-12
THE BALLETS REHEARSAL.
a MORNING WITH sTSNoR BARhTTr
AND HIS PUPILS.

noon, and tho faces show lines suggestive of in.
sufficient sleep. They are not pi city faces, for the
most part. Far from IL. They look worn and
~listless. One would guess the average age TO
be 30 years and would guess several years
beyond the truth, probably, for these are
women who fado before their time. In one
corner a weary looking youth is picking
at tho strings OF n violin. A littlo, nervous
man, 40, so, 60, 7o-almost any number OF
years old as you look at him more carefully
taps his foot impatiently on the floor, looking
about him and taking stock Of the attendance.
This Is SiRnor Baratti, most energetic and
skilful OF ballet trainers, about to begin his
mornings work with these his hundred puppets.
rs all readyi" he asks, satisfied with his
scrutiny. "Ah,w we'll; wo begin. First line!''
W jump ten girls, clad, like all the others, in
skirts that como above their knees, long black
or green or pink stockings. and old, heelless
dancing shoes. They wear ordinary waists.
except one girl who is quite respondent in pink
silk. Their trainers costume is almost ms strik.
ing as their own-a loose alpaca coat, a gray
flannel shirt wide open at the neck, extremely
"~high.water" trousers, revealing noble cx-
panses of brown hosiery, and weil.worn, thin.
solcd shoes. In this costume he skips about
with the agility Of a grasshoppor, but exhibit
ing in every movement a certain why grace.
At q signal from him the lone violinist strikes
up.
80, begin" says Signor Baratti. Forward,
now. all together" And ms the line moves Off
he MARBLES, weaving his hands around in rhythm
by way Of expressing the evolutions which he
desires to have performed. "La.la. lala.la;
tum-dumty-dum."
Hithcr and thither the line moves rather
brokenly, for there have been few rehearsals
yet. The trainers brow wrinkles.
Hold" he cries, motioning tho violinist
to stop. What is thisi You forgeti That
step; that step. 1t should go So"
Lightly he capers with arms flung to this
side and that, 4 sufficiently ludicrous perform
ance from the point of view Of an outsider, but
one which the girls watch with absor bed atten.
ton.
Now. you Sect he inquiries, perching his
head on one side. you comprehend Very
well. Music. So, la-la, la la Ia"
on goes the line again, the signor.lcading for
several measures. Then there comes Il waver-
ing. Something is wrong. There is n break
in the centre. The trainer rushes there and
dances Wis avis to a girl in black who seems TO
be the cause OF the trouble.
so! Follow me! show you, WHAT You
do not know the stcpi So, then"
Catching the girls hands III his own he
swings her out Of the line and furnishes her
with an animated object lesson. AT this point
the youth with the violin, evidently surprising
that his duty does not include duets, stops play.
lhR. ~ . ohlS lI u HlOIiCIb, Inc blknOr
makes a short, mad rush for him, vocifcrating
| furiously, ana the fiddler resumes his n,unoton.
tSres LAS" Bars SO n TSe Sir ih IN Bag he 9." Ss,u trS,"4 3n b 5oT
place In the line and the practice continues.
Meantime tho girls who are waiting for their
turns comment on the performances of the first
line
Those are the English g,r.,," says a young
woman who is leaning against Il fearful and
wonderful gigantic statue OF Cupid, in which
nature has been sacrificed TO the propr!eties.
II guess they amt onto Bara.ti.'
| He'll make EN- hustle" REPLIES one of her
eompSnionss' who mo wears a ysT{ soi e., siil; waist
Until you know him he's a terror"
a rather handsome blonde, sis that he keeps you
at 1t too hard. Put he square and he don't
They saw the English girls are getting all
tho frst sPeske a.1 "The Whole bunch is in ma a
boarding house on Thirteenth street. Bet
they make 1t hum. sweet hum"
butterfly. They don't look such winners
Every one Of EN- In the front row, too. Special;
A very pleasant girl in biack who has been
practicins little ieaiing sIdesteps by herself
III they're getting. expenses while we don't
get a darn red cent for five weeks rehearsals,
It's a skin. We ought 10 take it before the
".And, get fred, says the blonde. ',oh. look,
girls. Bsratt!'s. jumping ON that Nth girl
again, the one in black
The signor's tones, strenuous with indignant
protest DIR aroT Gp, oIt The dr'R1tmg Of the violin In,
~. chs oHs Nht ~" .et'l' NAhNA y
you girl there. Watch at me. thea. one-two,
threetour. tye'six, !seyen.eight. GO"
leap, twiddling his legs while sailing through
the air, and Immediately returns 10 his origi-
nal position with another leap no less astound-
That" he observes, with the modesty of true
genius. is as Il should be. Try II so.
The girl in black makes II half hearted at
tempt and nlutterS something under her breath.
What is it you sayi' asks the instructor,
"sho amt just feeling right. singer" the girl
~ III r piIhs dent pin hso sLesHs s upi she Sn %oM %as .e up
to faint coming up The stare.
sol Then she shall do the best she can and
we will go on says Baratti kindly. Now
again. start"
For a time the drill goes on pretty well, Then
the line breaks M again and again until the in
The very worst, he says hopelcssly to Mllo.
B%ontanti. who sits by watching until her turn
shares with Baratti the work OF training. 1T
will be a bad afternoon for you
of those shoulders over which the New Workers
Of an older generation went vii. Wild when the
prove. Why not let them have a rest"
the second row, and the ten girls who have for
their PAGES gladly find seats along the sides.
"Oh, il they'd only stop that fiddle, groans
pIos TT goes right through me-"
She sits down on a flight Of stage stairs, and
ths n ? 'i sirl k.r th nad' liners hss s'S Whose st turn hS ss r@e
yet come, walk over and sympatheticallly ask
about tho sufferer. AT first the English girls
arc distrusttul, but presently the talk becomes
general. Fra gments of the conversation come
out above the general hum.
So she says TO me I can't support
you.' she says, and you got to go to work some
where's knew n girl whose father was in one
Of the theatres here, and he got mt into the
ballet, That's how l started. Was you ever
over here beforef'
NO, and ! hadn't ought TO be here now. !
started when l was IA kid in paniomiInc; then !
got into tho ballet at Covent Garden, and |
was on tho end in the front row. Then ! hurt
my foot, and just whom was in the wors, luck
Harry leaves mo and skips over to France and
the rent not paid
oh, you was married, was your,
at was hospital next" continues the English
girl, ignoring the question; "and as soon as
was about ] got this chance and took il quick. -
~ never been married." says tho American
girl. There was = Teller wanted to marry me;
all the rest Of it. II ! hadn't been 3 Io9 AZ |
weeks rehcarsals for the chance of getting $40
Q week when The piece Is PIT on Lord!
The voice OF the Italian is ringing through