The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-24
RetroHpection Of Arnold KIraIfy
the Ballet Master.
Recalls RosIna Vokes, Lefty Lind
and Cissie Fitzgerald.
AFAMILY OF PREMIERS
The KiraIfys Were Famous 90
Years Ago.
Began In Budapest, Hungary, in
1869.

"A
Kiralfy Bros, who have just closed
most successful engagement with their
tremend 5us spectacle at the louisiana
Purchase exposition at st. Louis, said
the other morning during lull in re-
hearsal:
have taught many thousands of
American girls to dance. 1 do not
think I exaggerate when place the
number at $1,000, and I consider the
young women born in the United
States make the best dancers; they
certainly are the quickest to learn. I
have often taken bright, intelligent
girl in the morning and worked with
her so that she was able to go on the
fourth row of the ballet at night.
This, of course, is exceptional, but I
have done it.
OF course, I have been in the bust
ness all my life. Born in Budapest,
pearance as a dancer at Strasburg
when years old. The next year
danced at the Alhambra, London. All
my brothers and sisters, Irme, Bo-
loSsy, Mamiola, Katie and Emil, were
dancers. In 1869 I danced with my
brothers Irme and Bolossy, doing
what is known as mechanical heads
with George L. Fox in "Humpty
Dumpty' at the old Olympic theater
in this city.
If the old dancing teachers of 20
years ago had begun training young
american girls instead of sending to
Italy and France we should now have
the finest dancers in the world. A
girl must be young, pretty and mag
neuc 10 ever make a really great
dancer. NaturalneSS and a pleasant
smile, not too strict adherence to rule
are necessary to please. The public
would, I am sure, patronize a ballet
with hundreds of girls, provided they
were young and good looking.
Of Of he 6aI-
let girls are over 20 when they begin to
learn In this country, and it is such
serious business with them that they
never laugh or smile. If q girl is ia
ken when she is young and thoroughly
knows her business before she makes
her first appearance she will be natural
and will show in her face and the
abandon of her movements the pleasure
and excitement she feels then the p11b-
lie is also pleased.
1t is a thankless job to teach dane
Ing. for many girls never even pay for
their lessons, and the clever ones as
soon as they master some new steps
leave me and go into vaudeville, long
before they should. This accounts for
the horrible Sameness in most of the toe
and step dancers now before the pub
lie If one girl happens to make a
mt with a few original steps, presto
every other girl in the business initiates
her, and the public is weary of it all
1t is this lack of originality that I de-
plOre.
My brother and I have brought out
dancers who have since made distin-
guished names for themselves. The
greatest American dancer that we ever
had for pupil is Jessie Lindsey, who
was the first American toe dancer to
make hit in Europe.
The greatest all-around dancer II, nv
opinion that this country has seen was
Rosina NOkes. You may be surprised
to hear that Lolita in her particular
style Of dancing in the old davs had no
equal There is no one on the Ameri-
can stage today to take the place of
Rosina NOkes and Lolita.
For a beautiful woman and a fine
cancer combined Lefty Lind of the Lon
0on Gafety company is quite the best
! never considered Cissie Fitzgerald's
dance more than ordinary. Loie Full
ler's dance is probably the most spec
tacular ever introduced, but any ordi-
narily graceful girl could do the same
dance The secret of her dance was the
manipulation of lights. Her brother.
who travels with her, is one of the fin
est electricians in the country, and IL is
to his skill that Loie Fuller owes her
fortune and reputation. Papinta, who. |
by the way, is also an American girl, |
has dance on pretty much the same
lines as Loie Fuller's. She calls it a |
fine dance and uses the greatest guam |
tity of mirrors producing a most be-
wildering effect.
Now Mrs. Texas jack
Malachi. the celebrated dancer. is |
now married to Texas Jack. Mile. Bupa |
was great premiere with US She |
could jump three feet in the air and
light on her toes with the greatest ease
IN the world 1t takes years of study |
and constant and unremitting practice
to acquire the ballet dancing to perfec- |
ton.
Mile. Palladino, famous in her day as |
q premiere, has won new honors in re- |
cent years as a pantominist at the En- |
pire, London De Rosa viii be remem- |
bered in former Kiralfy ballets. is in /
Europe. Nile Barenzi is in Russia. Stet- |
soni in Milan. Poor Papita had a sad /
ending in Paris recently. where she
threw herself from a five story building. |
Clara Qualitz. among the last of the
celebrated premieres to appear in this
country, is now dancing in Berlin. /