Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-07-28
BALLET
Some of the Most ramou. Have Lived

Some of the Most Famous Have Lived
to 30 septuagenarians.
The longevity of the ballet dancers
evidently has a more substantial foun-
dation than the jokes of the humor-
lists who have found so much to
amuse them in the persistency with
which the premieres cling to their
profession. A European statistician
has been devoting himself to a study
OF the eminent in that art, and his
Investigations seem to establish the
fact that they are an unusually long
lived lot. The famous Carlotta Grisi
Is living o at the age of II, and
one Of the ballet dancers at the Opera
in Paris is 20. But he is a man.
Amalia Ferraris is still teaching at
the age of rs in Paris, and seems
likely TO continue that work for some
time to come. Fanny Essler was "A
when she died, and Taglioni had
passed her eightieth year. Rosita
Mauri, the popular premiere at the
Opera in Paris, is over so and has be-
gun to talk of retiring. Some of the
mor famous dancers Of earlier times.
commencing with the first of the pro-
f~ession, succeeded in reaching the fol-
lowing ripe ages: Pecourt, &c; La
Camargo, so; Noverre, SO; Vestris, the
elder, 70; La Guimard, So; Gardel,
80; Vestris, the junior. 50; Mazilier.
Il; Blasts, 70; Perrot, 50. La Cerito.
one of the greatest favorites of her
day In Paris, and much admired once
in this country, is living in retirement
in Paris at the age of rs. The oldest
In this list was Noverre. who stood
among the greatest In the art during
the middle of the eighteenth century.
Compared with these veterans our
own Bonfanti, who is teaching now In
this city, seems in the first flush OF
her powers. The only ballet dancers
who come to this country in these
days are NOT likely to be long remem-
bered. There are very few OF them
and these we see are not eminent. Nor
are they much appreciated. The prac-
teal disappearance Of the old-fash-
Toned spectacular plays has resulted
in the passing of the premiere. After
these pieces ceased to have their in
terest for New Workers they remained
popular ION the road" and there were
always several of these companies
travelling about and presenting n
or two well-trained European dane
ers. But they have also come to an
end, and with them the tarletan spir-
tied pirouetters dropped finally out Of
sight. The ballet at the opera house
has always been a makeshift, and
since Malvina Cavalazzi danced here
few, if any of the premieres have
been artists of reputation. She re-
turned to London, continued to APP
pear as a pantomimist after sickness
prevented her from dancing, and Is
today a teacher of dancing in London.
Several of her pupils came to New
York with Col. Mapleson two years
ago. The only dancers Of reputation
left here now are ONE who came
when the ballet, as an adjunct to the
spectacle, was popular, and that was
long enough ago to entitle some of
them to a place in the statistician's
list, IL they had eve been famous
enough. Those that are known here
and mentioned among the veterans
danced in the country many years ago
at a time in which the solo dancer. as
an interlude to plays and o%perettas,
was as highly appreciated as she was
in Europe. But hat was in the early
days Of New York's history as an
amusement centre.