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Show THEORY OF THEATRICAL DANCING. 77 CHAPTER VI. OF TEMPS, STEPS, ENCHAINEMENT, AND OF THE ENTRECHAT. LET your grands temps be wide, mellow, and bold ; perform them with preciseness, and in ending them, be upright and firm on your legs. In all your terre-a-terre steps you cannot be too active about your instep, nor bend your feet too much downwards ; as the former gives your execution considerable brilliancy, and the latter renders it light and graceful. A truly good dancer ought to throw a sort of light and shade into his steps, and by great exactness of performance, distinctly mark each variation he makes in them, In all your high caperings, develope a manly vigour, and let your steps ofelevationbe agreeably contrasted, by the rapidity of your terre-a-terre steps. D o not, however, forget to regulate your choice of steps, on the kind of dancing you have adopted, as also, on your physical construction. In enehainemens, let variety and novelty be your constant aim; carefully study their composition, and do all that your taste points out, to make yourself agreeable. Never intermingle with them any high capers or steps that require much strength to perform, nor relax into coolness by pauses or long openings; as this would, unavoidably, destroy all the effect which enchainmens produce, when correctly executed to a quick and lively music. The entrechat is a light brilliant step, during the per- |
