176 DIVERSIONS OF A NATURALIST 



understood was Noverre, a Frenchman (called by 

 Garrick " the Shakespeare of the dance "), who died in 

 i 8 1 o. He brought to a high degree of perfection the 

 art of presenting a story by pantomime, and he never 

 allowed dancing which was not the direct expression of 

 a particular attitude of mind. His professed effort was 

 to introduce the steps and poses of ancient Greek 

 dancing shown in sculpture and painted pottery — as the 

 model for stage dancing. And he succeeded. The 

 great dancers of the past who are known to us by 

 tradition — Vestris, Camargo in the eighteenth, and Cerito, 

 Grisi, and Taglioni in the earlier half of the nineteenth 

 century — were not merely perfectly trained as dancers, 

 but were actors, and possessed poetic imagination. 

 Women did not appear in the ballet until the time of 

 Louis XIV, and Mile Camargo was the first to wear the 

 conventional short stiff ballet skirt. 



" Convention " has a great weight in such matters. 

 But it seems to be undeniable that the conventional 

 ballet-skirt conceals the beautiful movement of the leg 

 on the hip joint, a disadvantage from which the male 

 dancer does not suffer. Skirts are, in fact, out of place in 

 really fine dancing. Flowing light drapery, or better still 

 the Circassian jacket and full gauzy trousers fastened at 

 the ankles, are the only possible dress for a really great 

 danseuse. 



The dramatic ballet or ballet d'action lasted until 

 the end of the fifties in London, and then ceased almost 

 suddenly to occupy the leading position which it once 

 held at the Opera House. In London, as in Paris and 

 Vienna, it was transformed into a mere spectacular 

 display of costume and meaningless rhythmic drill. The 

 dramatic ballet ceased to exist. The great tradition of 

 fine stage-dancing and ballet-drama was, however, 



