hose
generous compassion soon enabled her to appear in her former
state.

As to the composition of dances, it is impossible for a
professor of this art, to make any figure without a competent
stock of original ideas, reducible into practice. A dance should
be a kind of regular dramatic poem to be executed by dancing, in
a manner so clear, as to give to the understanding of the
spectator no trouble in making out the meaning of the whole, or
of any part of it. All ambiguity being as great a fault of stile
in such compositions, as in writing. It is even harder to be
repaired; for a false expression in the motions, gestures, or
looks, may confuse and bewilder the spectator so as that he will
not easily recover the clue or thread of the fable intended to
be represented.

Clearness then is one of the principal points of merit which the
composer should have in view; if the effect, resulting from the
choice and disposition of the ground-work of his drama, does
honor to his inventiveness or taste; the justness, with which
every character is to be performed, is not less essential to the
success of his production, when carried into execution.

To be well assured of this, it cannot but be necessary that the
composer of the dance or ballet-master, should be himself a good
performer, or at least understand the grounds of his art.

He must also, in his composition, be pre-assured of all the
necessaries for their complete execution. Otherwise decorations
either deficient or not well adapted; an insufficient number of
performers, or their being bad ones; or, in short, the fault of
a manager, who, through a misplaced economy, would not allow the
requisite expences; all these, or any of these, might ruin the
composition, and the composer might, after taking all imaginable
pains to please, find his labor abortive, and himself condemned
for what he could not help. There is no exhibiting with success
any entertainment of this sort without having all the necessary
performers and accompaniments. It will be in a great measure
perfect or imperfect in proportion as they are supplied or
withheld.

A good ballet-master must especially have regard to both
poetical and picturesque invention; his aim being to unite both
those arts under one exhibition. The poetical part of the
composition being necessary to furnish a well-composed piece
that shall begin with a clear exposition, and proceed unfolding
itself to the conclusion, in situations we