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Show THEORY OF THEATRICAL DANCING. 55 confess your mistake in consulting him, but in every respect profit by his opinions, follow his directions and put his precepts into immediate practice, that they may be thereby more firmly rooted in your memory. Never depart from true principles, nor cease to follow the best guides. Above all, do not permit yourself to be led astray by the example of some miserable performers, who enjoy for awhile the applause of an ill-discerning public, by feats of strength, gambols and ridiculous pirouettes. Be assured that the laurels of such pitiful dancers are seldom lasting. " - ^ - - - che non fe assai Piacere a sciocchi o a qualche donnicciuola. RICCOBONI. The approbation of m e n of distinction in the art, the only judges to be esteemed and consulted, is ever a sufficient stimulus to the man of talent, who cannot but entertain a profound contempt for that praise which fools lavish on every mountebank they behold. Ease and softness in the execution of your dance, I repeat, ought always to be aimed at. In this acquirement you show that the exercise is natural to you, and that you have overcome the greatest difficulty, namely, the concealment of art. "When once possessed of this great quality, which I may term the highest step on the ladder of perfection, you may claim every suffrage, and justly merit the name of a finished dancer. Examine well the style of dancing best suited to yourself. Nothing exhibits a greater want of taste in a dancer than the choice of a style not at all adapted to his powers. Can any thing be more ridiculous than the appearance of a tall majestic performer, fit, in every respect, to pursue the serious branch, dancing a pas villageois in a little 4* |
