The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-10-09


they destroy the delicaey and accuracy Of
muscle action. A professional athlete may
De nns-looEing animal. but his j. muscle
egs----- STsiiSped A dancer Of the old classic
school represents all needed development
OF muscle and with : ace in addition
Sending children ~ a gymnasium IS a
great mistake. II is dif1cult for an In
structor In q gymnasium 10 determine
VIXEN the child 80 overexercised and
when it Is attempting fea,s beyond It's
strength, for all chilarsn are Eot alike 10
this respect. know many ladies' who
will not send their children 70 a gymna-
stun. and l wish more mothers were as
sensible In dancing the little ones learn
not or'y how to exercise their muscles.
but they learn department as well When
| speak OF dancing / mean the old CLASSIC
dancing, not the modern round dances.
Schools for teaching dancin. are supported
by the government both in Italy and
France. Abroad a great deal more value
Is placed upon this early training for ease.
grace. ana department than In this eoun-
try. To IL may be attributed the easy,
defersntial manners for which the French
and Italians are famed.
Daucins IN Important study.
VI al stAS<N NseS ~-A
ing should be one Of the NEST important
branches OF study. Nothing could be
better for those who are afflicted with
weak chests. as SO many are in this
northern climate, for il develops the mus
eIes Of the diaphragm as well as the mus
Giles of the arms and legs.
If you vii; consider that all the great
dancers. as Taglioni and Fanny El;sler,
lived to be qu.te old. you will see that.
with all its hardships and self-denials,
the life of a great dance IS a wholesome
one. To keep the MUSCLES in condition
there must be plain living and constant
exercise or they win stifren. and one
must pay for a weeks Incidence by two
months Of hard practice. l myself am
never really i'll. Every day l teach and
practice, and my friends often wonder
that / am not exhausted, but the secret
OF 1t is that in dancing one muscle is
not exercised mere than another. and
therefore there is no exhaustion on that
account
Il think American women are natur-
ally the most graceful in the world, but
they too often mar their grace by foolish
affectations in carriags and dress. The
sim corset, tight skirts and high heeled
shoes are all foes to S ace. ] am very
sorry to hear that the fashion leaders in
Paris are wearing high heeled shoes. for
it means that thousands " foolish wo-
men here will ADOPT them and suffer in
health and appearance.
Duse the Most Graceful study.
1.-THE most graceful woman in the world?
Duse. Hers is the natural, unaffected
grace that comes only as the result of a
eSff+ psr I'd 10
wonderfully graceful, but one feels that
her grace Is due to study as we'll as apti-
tude. consider Nine. Patti also worthy
to rank with these women Of genius in
grace You will observe that the grace
full woman usually is noted for her charm
far into the period when the hand OF time
is supposed TO have placed effacing lines
upon her beauty. Bernhard and Patti
are said TO be as charming to-day as they
we're In their youth.
II myself say ii in all modesty-have
not line upon my face yet have never
used any cosmetics. When i danced, a
little powder rubbed upon the skin served
to modify the shadowing effect OF the
footlights, but when left the green room
ii was washed off. Some great dancers
have not naturally been beautiful women
Il fear the day of the great danseuse Is
done The old classic dancing has been
replaced by the demand for high kicking,
contortions. and the split. A pretty girl
handsomely dressed and with the ability
to do a few dancing steps and some high
kicking is applauded where an Ellsler or a
TagliOni would be little more than toll
Grated
Il find that society women understand
the value of acquiring that poetry of mo-
ton which is the underlying principle of
the old classic dance. Many of the la lies
of New York's so-called Four Hundred
who are among my pupils have real
talent for dancing. which would, il they
went upon the stage. make them distin-
guished dancers, for they both love and
appreciate the real art of the classic
dance"
And the great dancer bowed the inter
viewer out OF her bright studio on upper
Broadway New York, where the great
ladies of the metropolis go to learn the
art of graceful department and carriage
fran the once great artistic whose beauty
and charm and grace made her the toas:
of two continents.
MADGE PORTER.