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Show THE BALLET OF THE FUTURE. Mrs. Thurber's American Girls Rehearsing for Coming Spectacles. Spec-tacles. A row of twenty-two young ladies firmly grasping with their left hands a brass rod which ran along one side oE the room,their right legs stubbornly extended at jnore or less acute angles, was the novel spectacle which met the gaze of a New York World reporter as he entered Clarendon hall one day last week." The rehearsal of the corps de ballet of the great and only American opera was in progress." The question of the ballet had been from the outset a sorely perplexing one to Mrs. F. K. Thurber and those who are associated with her in the production of a simon-pure American opera. It is and has been, of course, as every one knows, the intention of the management to employ only American song birds, and the question has naturally arisen, "Why, if we are to have nothing but "American voices, should we consent to have any other legs?" But there the trouble began. be-gan. Even Mrs. Thurber, with all her ultra-American enthusiasm, was forced to admit that while American legs were no doubt superior to any other variety, they were still listed in operatic circles as raw material, and were practically valueless as works of art. It doubtless cost many a pang before the management consented to waive the point of Americanism in the selection of the first and second dancers of the American Ameri-can opera's ballet, and closed contracts with Theodora de Gilbert of Moscow and Felicita Carozzi and Romilda Via of Milan. Further foreign concessions the management positively declined to make. "We will take these few aliens," said they, "because the supremacy of their art gives them a proper footing "in any land, but the general tone and personnel per-sonnel of the ballet must and shall be American." These views were . imparted to M. Mamert Bibeyrau, who had already been selected as "masterof the ballet." "Vaire ; well," said this motionless master, "ze Americaine leddy has ze intelcegiance ; ze cultivation I shall gif. It shall be my pride to develop ze art in ze leg9 of ze Americaine leddy." It was in this laudable undertaking that M. Bibeyrau yesterday afternoon engaged. en-gaged. There didn't seem to be any doubt about the Americanism of his pupils. Neither was there . any doubt about, their age and their good looks. They were all young and moderately handsome. As it is not every day that one has an opportunity to discover a bevy of pretty American maidens at school for the ballet, a word or two about their appearance can scarcely be amiss. Down to their waist they were clad in tight-fitting vests. These vests were in various colors. Some were of blue, some were of white, and some were of red. None had sleeves. It is a part of M. Bibeyrau's method to train the upper as well as the lower limbs in the ways of grace. Below the waist M. Bibeyrau's pupils were costumed in a sort of fairy "bloomer." The outlying folds or tissues of this extraordinary garment consisted of white gauze, beneath which were breeches of cotton cloth which ended at the knee and which were supplemented from the knees down by silk stockings of various hues. Pink, white and blue slippers incased the feet of the fair students. M. Bibevrau was provided with a fiddle. With the instrument under his arm he marched boldly up and down the line of blushing, giggling girls. They were all clinging with their left hand to the brass railing, as has been described, with their feet deferently extended towards their preceptor, as if by way of salute. It was all very funny, but the professor was solemnity so-lemnity itself. Suddenly he paused in his tour of inspection. The uplifted limbs of the fair students wobbled woefully about. The twenty-two little white fists clenched the brass rod - with renewed vigor, and there was a desperate and manifest determination on the part of the class to come to a respectful and motionless motion-less present arms. It "has been said by a clever writer, in describing the movements of the leader of the ballet, "that she stood on her left toe and projected her right limb, thereby becoming a 'quarter to 6,' and that she tten stood on her right toe and projected pro-jected her left leg, and became .'quarter .'quar-ter paBt 6.' " The twenty-two members mem-bers of , Bibeyrau's class, carrying out this figure of speech, ranged from twenty-five to nineteen minutes : to 6. Stooping suddenly down and taking hold of the heel of a girl who was but a minute or two better than half-past 5, the professor swung her right limb up towards the ceiling until she was at least 5 :52 p. m. After this preliminary adjustment of their dancing gear, the young ladies were instructed in the art of walking upon their toes, and were taught how to pick up imaginary bouquets with their right hands while the left lower limbs were extended skywards at right angles to the nape of their necks. The professor is enthusiastic on the subject sub-ject of his class, and says that the American Amer-ican ballet will be "ze ballet of ze future." |