painting blends and composes
colors, and by the composition of scenes and figures makes a whole
that is pleasant to the eye, so the movements of the arms in
dancing add many and diverse forms of grace to the body, guiding and
regulating its movements so as to result in a harmonious whole. One
authority has styled dancing "the music of the eye." The dancer who
neglects the difficult study which the arms require because she
believes that the only necessity is brilliant execution in the legs,
will be an imperfect artist. It is not enough to know how to dance
with one's legs; the ballet must also be executed with the trunk of
the body and the arms. Their movements must be graceful and in harmony
with those of the legs, since they constitute a weight for the
equilibrium of the body when it rests on one leg. The arms must
accompany the trunk, making a frame for it.

The movements of the head, of the eyes, the expression of the face,
all are of tremendous importance in perfecting the ballet. It is
because of the necessity of bearing constantly in mind the various
attitudes of head, torso, arms and legs that I believe that the ballet
contributes more than any other type of dancing to the general
development of grace and poise of the whole body.

In addition to teaching what we call the legitimate American Ballet,
we add to the students' repertoire what are known as "tricks," which
earn applause for the dancer. Many of our pupils go directly from our
courses to the professional stage, since it would be difficult for
them to earn a supporting salary in the musical comedy field doing
straight ballet work alone. We teach straight toe dances, and also
eccentric toe dances, as will be demonstrated in another chapter.

You are now a student in our beginner's ballet class. First, you must
provide yourself with soft ballet slippers, as without them it would
be impossible to do this type of work. As you enter our ballet room
you note full length mirrors on the walls, to enable you to watch
yourself as you dance--the original "watch your step" propaganda. Also
you will see a wooden rod, technically known as a "bar," running
around the walls of the studio. This is about three and a half feet
above the floor, and is easily grasped by the hand for support in
practicing.

In your practice at home, in the absence of such a bar, substitute an
ordinary chairback or other firm object as a support, being careful
that its height is correct.