The Coconino sun., 1906-10-13
FAMOUS BALLET DANGERS.
Stories of In Tagiioni, Fanny Elssler
 and Loln Montex.

Stories of Ln Tagnont, Fanny Elss1er
 and Loln Montex.
 It has been asserted that the grand ballet died when the famous Taglionl retired In lS45. At any rate, the ballet today Is chiefly spectacle of dress and colored llmellght Except for a very few performers. dancing as n high art has vanished.
 There Is no one now to set beside La Taglionl. who was the queen of the stage. Balzac introduced her Into his novels. Even Thackeray condescended to notice her and declared enthusias- tically In "The Newcomes" that the young men of the day will never see anything so graceful as Tagllonl in La Sylphide,' At that time she was the rage. Stagecoaches and great coats were named after her.
 La Taglloni owed her charm to wonderful llghtness and grace. Her style was rather ideal than realistic and voluptuous, as was then the vogue The hldeous ballet skirt of today she never wore, but skirt that reached nearly to her ankles. It was one of the principles of her father. who taught her all she learned of the art. that the dancer should be modest in dress. in movement and in expression.
 Another famous master. who called himself "Le Dieu de la Danse." always told his pupils to use all the coquetry they could.
 vestris. who founded the famous vestris family. was an eighteenth cen tury celebrity and quite remarkably conceited even for a dancer. There are but three great men alive" he used to say, myself. the Prussian Fred erick and Voltaire." Qt Is interesting to compare Southey's remark that male dancer deserves to be ham, strung) That profession of which he was so proud Is indeed an arduous one. vestris used to practice for about six hours a day. A dancer must be ex- tremely strong and supple.
 A curious story Is told about Fanny Elssler, German dancer with coal black hair. which Illustrates the ex- treme muscular strength dancer re- qulres. Sue was crossing to America when she entered her cabin one day and discovered thief abstracting the jewel case which she kept hidden un- der her pillow. Before he could attack her she planted her foot full In hIs chest and killed him on the spot.
 Il Is curious that ID Eaglishwoman has ever achieved supreme success as dancer. It Ia possible. as foreigners assert. that they luck the dramatic gift It Is certain that lifelong devotion and nrduous apprenticeship are essen tlal to any expression through the me dium of dancing The ''rats," the be- ginners at the Paris Opera. are arti- clel for five years, and then, unless they have danced from their cradle. they cannot hope to attain the first rank.
 Another quality essential to the great dancer Is infinite patience: The only English dancer who ever gave promise of attaining the front rank failed in this respect Lola MonseZ was the somewhat foreign name she kad taken. She lost her temper one day with the manager at rehearsal and expressed her feelings so dramatically as to break an umbrella over his head. Man agers will endure much for arts sake. but this was too much.
 Carlotta Grisi Is another famous name of the old opera. It was she who first introduced the polka Into EnSland--a Bohemian dance that came to stay. It was for her. too. that uelne. Gautler and AGolphe Adam collaboratel in writing "G.selle."
 There were score more famous names that were familiar words in those days. Of the twelve leading dancers engaged at the Kings theater in 1921 for two months season five were a sufficient attraction to receive more than El.OO0 each.-London Mali.