Fifteen years of a dancer's life : $b With some account of her distinguished friendsFuller, Loie
General
Fifteen years of a dancer's life : $b With some account of her distinguished friends
Fuller, Loie
Dancers -- United States -- Biography; Fuller, Loie, 1862-1928
“From the point of view of my wives a white woman has neither charm nor
beauty.”
This surprised me greatly, and I asked him whether that was because
they had never seen any white women.
“Oh,” he replied, “in any case they would not be jealous of a white
woman. It seems to them absolutely impossible that a pale-faced woman
can play any part in my life.”
“And you? Are you so sure of that? If a white woman with long blonde
hair should suddenly appear in your country, among your black women,
would she not be taken for an angel?”
“Oh, no. She would be taken for a devil. Angels are black in our
Paradise.”
This, I must confess, opened new vistas in the domain of religion. It
had never before appeared so clear to me that men make their gods in
their own image, rather than that the gods make men after theirs.
_How the Empress of China Degraded a Mandarin on my Account._
I was dancing in New York when several of Li Hung Chang’s followers
came to the theatre. Some friends presented me to the American military
attaché, Mr. Church, who accompanied the Viceroy.
Thanks to Mr. Church I was able to satisfy my curiosity and become
acquainted with these high Chinese dignitaries. When they left for
their own country my manager went with them, in the hope that, through
their good offices, I might dance at the Chinese court in the presence
of the dowager Empress and her son.
As soon as my representative was in China, he cabled me that everything
had been arranged and that I was to take the first steamer leaving
Vancouver.
* * * * *
After crossing the continent I was on the point of embarking with my
mother, when the state of her health caused me the keenest anxiety. Her
prostration was so complete that I was obliged to send a message to
China, indicating the impossibility of keeping my engagement.
My manager rejoined us utterly dejected.
At Pekin a magnificent reception had been prepared for me. I was to
dance before the Emperor and Empress and then in Japan I was to appear
before the Mikado. The theatre of the best Japanese actor, Danjero,
was to be put at my disposal. And all that to no purpose whatever. My
manager brought back from this oriental country the most marvellous of
embroideries, which Li Hung Chang had sent over for me.
I experienced genuine regret at the failure of this trip, then I forgot
all about it.
One evening in London one of my friends at dinner found herself seated
next to a very high Chinese official. Apropos of the rich colouring of
the mandarin’s garments, they came to speak about me and my coloured
dances, and my friend said to her companion:
“You are acquainted with Loie Fuller, I presume.”
“Well, yes, madam,” he replied. “I am only too well acquainted with
her, if I may say so.”
“How is that?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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