The times., 1898-09-18
TINY TALKS.

at is a well known fact that people
Invariably think their professions the
most iaborious under the SUM- said clever
little Maude de Leon last week, but, new
er-the,ess. experience has emboldened me
to say that. in my opinion. nothing is
more difficult than stage dancing. The
general belief seems to be ,aat high kick
ing and toe work may be classed with
making mud pies and other harmless
forms of amusement, but this is by no
means true. Votaries of Terpschicore live
hard lives and generally pay the penalty.
The ballet girl of ninety, so familiar to
readers of the comic papers, rarely ex-
lists elsewhere for the very simple reason
that few of them reach that age. The
mental and physical strain through which
they are obliged 10 pass brings on either
consumption or some like disease, with
the result that silver coffin plates for
women in this business seldom register
number of years that could be distrusted
by the most skeptical Of the chappies
To The casual observer, dancing seems
easy. just as acting does, because that
worthy knows nothing OF either and does
not stop TO think that amount over.
lively little known to the average per-
former, and, indeed, the art as il is today
differs in most essentials from that OF
twenty years ago. l am sure that you
will not think me speaking from eXpe-
rience when l say that the production of
The Black Crook at Niblo's Garden did
not employ a single premier danseuse
whose steps were in the faintest degree
Ike those taken today. 1t was in that
rnrpGpnfa.fnfa that the French pf
work was introduced into this country
and three or four other new forms were
brought with it. The halls of distant
California-and terrible places they were
did a great deal TO bring out broader
methods than had been known before.
when the tide of theatrical immigration
that had hurried there began to return.
Then, too, the period of the civil war may
be held responsible for many now-forgot-
ten steps.
AN obscure parsonage known as Jennie
Garland was the first entertainer on this
side of the water TO introduce real skirt
dancing. and she was followed by Lottie
Collins whose lofty kicking was an en-
tireIy new thing when il was first ex-
hibited Others Immediately took her style
~ and il b came generally popu a. Short
ly after. the serpentine and other we'll
known bits were imported and variated
by people in this country, the most i'm
portan addition to the YolumlnOus fold
dance being the invention Of Grace Hun
ter, who first conceived the idea Of throw
ing figures on the skirt by means Of a
steriopticon and giving them life by
movements Of the material. La Loe Full
Ter and Mrs. Hermann have both tried
their skill in the matter. too, generally
with excellent results
Buck. wing, and clog dancing came
from the South, and We're for long time
done exclusively by men. Until very re-
Gently the sight Of a woman moving her
toes and heels 90 a plantation Jig would
have been an extremely novel one In
deed, ] think 1t no eXaggeration to say
that male performers had a monopoly
on the line until within six years ago.
THE art of graceful motion is one of
the Oldest in the world and one of the
most important. Not only does it vary
according to styles and foibles-the
Western hall and the serpentine dance
In turn lowered and elevated the profess
sion-but its influence is felt everywhere.
Especially does Il control the fashions
In dress. Any modiste viii tell you that
the accordion pleated skirt owes its orr
gin to high kicking and many other
modes in gowns may be traced to the
same source. So you see that there may
be instruction in pure amusement and
that the Shakespearean drama is not the
only thing Of elevating tendencies. And
while you are digesting that informa-
ton viii you help ME get ready to digest
q ham sandwich"