The Art of the Stage Ballet in 1890s Seattle
San Francisco dance instructor L. Cook visits Cordray’s Theater to teach elaborate, avant-garde ballets to local girls.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
It is of interest to the ladies of Seattle to know that the originator of many attractive ballet and stage pieces is at present in the city. Miss L. Cook, the well-known dance composer and instructor of San Francisco, is engaged in preparing girls for the ballet display in the production of 'The Black Crook,' at Cordray's, June 19. In conversation with a Post-Intelligencer reporter, she explained how the old style of stage dancing has been displaced by novelties of a more elaborate and artistic character. She described the 'Pink Rose' ballet, where half the girls dress in Adonis-like costumes and the other half in pink silk, draped with artificial roses. Another creation is the 'Butterfly' dance, where girls dressed as butterflies are chased by girls dressed as boys in solid blue with silver trimmings. The instruction is rigorous; Miss Cook noted that girls must practice two or three hours a day to master the steps.
“There is no object in the dance except to delight the eye by graceful and well-poised movements.”
In the 1890s, theater was the primary source of mass entertainment, and stage craft was a booming industry in a growing Seattle. Today, the theater district has shifted and evolved, but the focus on spectacular, choreographed performance remains a hallmark of the city's arts culture.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.