The Washington herald., 1913-11-23

and preServer Of beauty-as a boon ID
the cultivation OF poise. grace and repose
land finally. as a benihciaI physical
exercise. the dance has been widely dis
cussed.
Now II is pointed out that in the
dance has been discovered a new elixir
Of life, and none other than the incom-
parable Paylowa Is authority for the
assertion that dancing is the greatest
panacea for earthly ills and that its
practice Is certain to conduce to perfect
health and longevity. The lives of Paw
Iowa's predecessors disclose the very in
teresting fact that dancing executants
attain old age.
Had Long Lives.
Fanny Elssler and Marie Taglioni.
great terpsichorean artists, both lived be-
yond three score years and ten Elssler
lived to be seventy-six and TagIioni at
tanned the ripe age Of eighty. Other
celebrated dancers who had perfect
health and long life were Carlotta Grisi,
Fanny Cerito and Lucille Grain. II
might be meptioned here also that Tag
IIoni was said to have been born with
physical deformity, but that by as
siduous practice of dancing she COM
pleteIy overcame IL. 1t is even told that
when Taglioni as child was first taken
by her father to see the celebrated
dancing master Coulon. the latter angri-
ly exclaimed, what the devil am 1. to
make of that little hunchbackr
Fanny Elssler had great physical
beauty, and the older she grew and the
longer she danced the more beautiful
and healthy she became.
Anna Pavlowa is not an example of
longevity as she Is only twenty-nine now.
But she has stated that she never has
had the need OF a physician. And the
following. an abstract taken from
printed interview, reflects the incompa-
rable dancers views on the subject
The impressions were published in the
Graphic of London, where Pavlowa and
the Imperial Russian Ballet recently ter
minated a six months engagement
Dancing Means Health.
SAYS Pavlowa, dancing to me means
health, yes, an absolute and per
feet health Dancing exercises the body
and the mind. 1t produces bodily and
spiritual health OF course realize
that many gymnastics exercises are good
for bodily development and for general
health; but there Is always tendency
with exercise of violent character to
produce abnormal muscles That Is not
beautiful. It is not even natural
It have known little children in Rus
sia. after undergoing system OF gym
nastic exercises at school. develop an
abnormal muscle. which has practically
threatened to become q deformity. And
then we have taken the children and
stopped their exercises and set them
ng-dancing-dancing. Dancing un-
til all their bodies have Become hssom
ard proportionate, and graceful with the
beauty OF perfect proportions. All this
means strength A body that Is built
end developed in perfect proportion must
be strong and supple
Anybody who suffers in childhood from
week heart naturally could not fol-
low the dancing life A defective heart
could not stand the strain-I might say,
endure the exaltation. But II a child is
sound at heart dancing will bring soul
and body into perfect poise.
Dancing 10 me is an ecstacy-a spirit
ual exercise as well as a bodily one 1t
develops the spirit in grace and beauty.
II brings the realization Of great happi-
ness Happiness is essential to health,
and health means long life. An unhappy
person cannot be truly healthy. But
person who can dance, and who loves
dancing can never be really unhappy.
Sorrow may touch such people at
times, as II touches Us all; but II Is
sorrow that will lift Sorrow rises from
the dance like one OF those silken wells
that a dancer discards-that go floating
away. You draw in the breath of happi-
ness when you are dancing; that Is TO
say YOU draw in the breath OF health
10 there was more dancing in the world
there would be less sorroW, less uglinsss
and less wickedness.