Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-08-25
FAMOUS BALLET DANCERS.
Stories of La Tag1foui, Fanny Eissier

Stories of La TagIfoni, Fanny Eissier
and Lola MOntes.
II has been asserted that the grand
ballet died when the famous Tagnom
retired In 1S45. At any rate, the ballet
today is chiefly q spectacle OF dress
and colored limelight. Except for
very few performers, dancing as
high art has vanished.
There is no one now to set beside
In Taglioni. who was the queen or the
stage. Balzac introduced her into NIB
novels. Even Thackeray condescended
10 notice her and declared enthusiast
ideally In The Newcomes" that the
~young men Of the day will never see
anything so graceful as Taglioni In
La Sylphide.'" At that time she was,
the rage. Stagecoaches and great,
coats were named after her.
La Tagfion owed her charm to
wonderful lightness and grace. Her
style was rather ideal than realistic
and vouptuous, as was then the vogue.
The hideous ballet skirt Of today she
never wore, but skirt that reached
nearly 10 her ankles. 1t was one or
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
t.t...ote s.y - T{o,, do lo ,Dopcop alWaVa
told his pupils to use all the coquetry
they could.
Vestris, who founded the famous
vestris family, was an eighteenth cen
fury celebrity and quite remarkably
conceited even for 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 ne
was so proud is indeed en- arduous one.
vestris used to practice for about sin
hours a day. A dancer must be ex-
tremely strong and supple.
A curious story is told about Fanny
Elssler, a German dancer with coal
black hair, which illustrates the ex-
IRENE muscular strength a dancer re-
ouires. She was crossing to America
when she entered her cabin one day
and discovered q thief abstracting the
level case which she kept hidden I'M
der her pillow. Before he could attack
her she planted her foot full In his
chest and killed him on the spot
It is curious that no Englishwoman
has ever achieved supreme success as
a dancer 1t is possible, as foreigners
assert, that they lack,the dramatic gift
1t Is certain that q lifelong devotion
and arduous apprenticeship are essen
tial to any expression through the me-
dunn Of dancing. The rats" the be-
ginners at the Paris Opera, are art-
cled for five years, and then, unless
they have danced from their cradle,
they cannot hope to attain the first
rank
Another QualityfeSsential 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 Montez was the
somewhat foreign name she had tnhen.
She lost her temper one day with the
manager at rehearsal and expressed
her feelings 80 dramatically as to
break an umbrellatovsr his head Man.
ayers will endure much for artsisake,
but this was too much
Carlotta Grisi Is another famous
name Of the old opera 1t was she
who first introduced the polka into
England-a Bohemian dance that came
to stay. 1t was for her. too. that
Heine, Gautier and Adolphe Adam
collaborated in writing "Giselle."
There We're a score more famous
names that were familiar words In
those days. OF the twelve leading
dancers engaged at the Kings theater
in 1924 for a two month"; season i've
were q sufficient attraction to receive
mora than fl 600 -each.-LondOn Mall.