Page:Angna Enters - Among the Daughters.djvu/162

 that is where professionals study and I met a very nice girl who is also studying with Master. Everyone calls Gellati Master, even his wife. She is a real première ballerina and danced before the Czar before those Bolsheviki killed him. Peggy has been with Master four years. She is from Arkansas and knows all about Broadway although she can't get a job. She is too tall and thin for a dancer and not pretty enough for a showgirl. She could do acrobatics but hasn't gone into it because she wants to be an art dancer. She is good technically but is the type who dances boy parts in school plays. We are good friends and play mah-jongg a lot. Mother loves it. Well one morning Peggy told me there was a call for girls for a Samuel Bros, show and she was going to try out. I went along never dreaming I'd get a job because there are very good experienced dancers at Master's who can't get jobs. I was just standing there and Joe Samuels called "Hey you, Blondie with the blue dress, what do you do?" I said I was a dancer and he said "O.K., dance." I did a few steps and he stopped me and said disgusted-like "That'll do, thanks." Believe me, I felt foolish. Imagine my surprise when the stage manager took my name and address and told me to come back next day and bring a letter from my mother that I was sixteen. I almost fell over when I brought the letter and found out I was a specialty and only had to stand and pose. Anyway it's lucky I don't have to do fouettés because to be a success on Broadway you have to end your dance with more fouettés than anyone else. You whip yourself around the stage on one toe. During each turn one leg should be at quarter to six. You snap your head around first and keep your eye on a certain point for balance. All the girls at Master's said I had beginner's luck because I couldn't even do a good tour jeté which is only one turn in the air. Master was pleased but became more strict and made me work twice as hard as the rest of the class. After we open in New York I am going to study with Karasof too. All première ballerinas must know Russian and Italian technique. Acrobatic dancing is getting popular but I don't think it is pretty, do you? Everyone up here thinks this show will be a hit except Joe Samuels. He just walks around round-shouldered saying "I don't know!" This is where Yale is and there are a lot of cute boys but I don't go out much because I'm too tired. I practice a lot because there is so much to learn to be a great dancer. This is the longest letter I ever wrote so you write me a nice long one 150