The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-21
DANCING AS AN ART.
How Pretty Girls Are Taught Many
Different FeatB.
New York Mail and Express.


Different FeatB.
New York Mail and Express.
London W. C.-To find oneself the CEN
ter to a whole crowd of damsels of all
ages and in every variety OF gymnastic
costume, all chattering at once and Of
fering technical Information with the
utmost volubility, is an experience which
any man may be excused for describing as
of distinctly exciting order. 1 dropped
In to see my friend Mr.. ST. John Denton
son of a well known English clergyman, at
his theatrical agency and stake dancing
academy in Maiden lane, and he was kim
enough to let me see the young ladies' at
their lessons. Having presented me to
Miss Bessie Sismoudi, whose daily task is
to train the flying feet I'm the way they
should go, Mr. Denton fed, leaving me TO
the tender mercies OF a score OF merry
| and vivacious pupils I felt my position
| acutely and realized that a strong effort
| WAS necessary to meet the occasion.
Picture to yourself q long, low, some
| what narrow room, Its subterranean sit
uation rendering necessary the continued
employment of artificial light. The floor
is boarded firmly to mother earth, a wise
| dITdHSeLuGtC ana an imperative one
| withal, otherwise the incessant pit-a-pat
of dancing feet would loosen the solidity
of the building. About a third of the
| area can be curtained off at pleasure to
| serve as a robing room for the fair per-
| formers. The heavy curtain, however
were thrown back, disclosing nothing
more luxurious in the way of toilet requi-
| sites than few chairs, a table, a wash
stand and one or two mirrors hung upon
| the wall.
Along one side of the room is a wainscot
about the hight of an average person. A
| banister rail about waist high runs the
| length OF this wain5cot, the use for which
presently appears, when a slim, sprightly
| damsel comes along, grips 1t with one
hand raises her leg to vertical position
| up the w5inscot over her head, and, grip
ping the rail with the other hand, pulls
| herself CLOSE to the wall, thus effectine a
kind of perpendicular 'split." This is
merely one of the items in the scheme of
| training, and is done at frequent intervals.
| first with one leg and then the other, to
insure continuity of that suppleness of
| joint without which no stage dancer can
/ hope to succeed.
In one corner of the apartment stands a
| piano with sheaves of dance music litter
| ed all about it, But the absence of the
| pianist has no restraining effect upon the
eternal whirl of arms and legs for Miss
| Sismondi keeps the pot boiling by a sys-
| TEN of hand clapping, accompanied by a
| huEnming of snatches of the tune Watch
| ing the graceful gyrations of perfectly
| trained stage dancer no one who Is not in
the swim could imagine the amount of
| preparation and exercise necessary, and
| the number of points that must be mas
tered, before such an attractive effect can
| be produced
Inc preliminary movements evidently
are designed to train the limbs to neces-
| sary suppleness or, as one of the fair ath-
letes quantity puts it, ito make us loose. -
| BY way of beginning, the novice is direct
ed to take hold Of the banister rail. lift
| one leg until the heels rest upon It. and
gradually bend the head and body down
until the cheek rests comfortably on the
| shin bone This must be repeated with
both legs alternately, until il can be done
| without any discomfort. From this she
| must pass gradually to the perpendicular
split position. Next she must stand
with heels close together, the feet turned
very much out Che keeping of the feet
| well turned is a sine qua non in good
| dancmg) and retaining them In this DO
sition must subside TO a sitting posture
| bending the knees out till the body rests
| on the heels, then up again and down
! again, and so on for dozen times. The
| process is then repea ted with feet about
| foot apart, and then with the feet
crossed one over the other.
| The next movement is to take hold OF
| the rail with one hand and practice the
high kick. swinging the leg well back with
the toes always pointed this is followed
by clutching the rail with both hands and
back kicking" as high as possible and
with the leg kept fairly straight rather
! difficult accomplishment.
| "Rougons" comes next, and consists In
standing on one leg, raising the other with
the knee bent. and twisting 1t round and
| round, the foot describing horizontal cir
cles in the air. Finally the difficult move
ment of shoulder legs must be achieved
by taking hold Of the inside of the right
| heel with the right hand and retaining
the hold while the leg is Strengthened out.
| This must be done with both legs alter
nately and persisted in until the support
of the rail can be easily dispensed with.
Having thus brought the limbs to a suit
able degree of suppleness, the dancing
proper is begun by practicing the high
| kicks without the rail. Eight in success
| sion, interspersed with one or more hops.
| have 20 be given with each leg and "A
| certain amount of floor space is covered
in the process first forward and then
| backward. Posing is now attended to, the
| carriage of the head and body, the move
ments of the arms and the position even
of the fingers all being of the utmost i'm
| portance in stage dancing. Indeed, there
seems to be as much to be done with the
arms and hands as with legs and feet
| the slightest deviation from the strict
| rules being vehemently corrected by the
ever watchful instructress.
The various dancing steps are then TAX
en-, very slowly and deliberately at first,
Ike pianoforte scales, and quiekening as
! the student acquires proficiency until
| finally point is reached when persistency
| in practice and the study of new figures
| are all that are required. The manipula-
ton of fans. tambourines, special skirts,
and such like adjuncts OF stage dancing
are. Of course, studies in themselves that
have 70 be separately taught.
/