ll chosen, and well
expressed. The picturesque part is also highly essential for the
formation of the steps, attitudes, gestures, looks, grouping the
performers, and planning their evolutions; all for the greatest
and justest effect.

He should himself be thoroughly struck with his initial idea,
which will lead him to the second, and so on methodically until
the whole is concluded, without having recourse to a method
justly exploded by the best masters, that of choregraphy or
noting dances, which only serves to obstruct and infrigidate the
fire of composition. When he shall have finished his
composition, he may then coolly review it, and make what
disposition and arrangement of the parts shall appear the best
to him. Every interruption is to be avoided, in those moments,
when the imagination is at its highest pitch of inventing and
projecting. There are few artists who have not, at times,
experienced in themselves a more than ordinary disposition or
aptitude, for this operation of the mind; and it is these
critical moments, which may otherwise be irretrievable, they
ought particularly to improve, with as little diversion from
them as possible. They should pursue a thought, or a hint of a
thought, from its first crudity to its utmost maturity.

A man of true genius in any of the imitative arts, and there is
not one that has a juster claim to that title than the art of
dancing, sensible that nature is the varied and abundant spring
of all objects of imitation, considers her and all her effects
with a far different eye from those who have no intention of
availing themselves of the matter she furnishes for observation.
He will discover essential differences between objects, where a
superficial beholder sees nothing but sameness; and in his
imitation he will so well know how to render those differences
discernible, that in the composition of his dance, the most
trite subject will assume the air of novelty with the grace of
variety.

There is nothing disgusts so much as repetitions of the same
thing; and a composer of dances will avoid them as studiously as
painters do in their pieces, or writers tautology.

The public complains, with great reason, that dances are
frequently void of action, which is the fault of the performers
not giving themselves the trouble to study just ones: satisfied
with the more mechanical part of dancing, they never think of
connecting the part of the actor with it, which however is
indispen