Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-04
tons seemed superfuous. There was no
time to hint, to suggest.

Have you seen Maurice Emmanuel's
La Danse Grecque Antique" fat, sol
omn, sumptuous, exhaustive. and exhaust
ing book? 1t is full of pictures. 1t is also
| full Of technical instruction. Here is an
| example,: Figure 6l'-which represents
! two legs, indifferently male or female,
| and a loin cloth-"is essentially schematic.
1t shows the right leg Of the dancer in the
grand fourth in front, and Figure g.
equally schematic, shows the same leg In
the grand fourth, behind. The point Of
departure Of these two grand positions
is the fundamental position Of "
One of the two legs is raised, in
front or behind. stretched 10 the height
OF the hip. IL the leg is raised only
TO half its height it is then called the
demi-fourth." There are over 100 pages
devoted to such explanation, and l warn
any feverish youth who is tempted to
procure the book on account OF the title
to refrain and save his money; he will
find little In 1t 10 console or excite him.
And yet Mr.. Emmanuel put himself under
the charge of NJ. Hansen, the ballet
master Of the Paris opera. No doubt he
studied the evolutions Of the girls Was
IL in two senses a study of the antique?
1t would appear so from the chrome
Photographic analyses Plate V. Those
Of Plate H., however. suggest that Mr.
Emmanuels labor was not wholly with
out visual delight.
There is a mass of information in this
book about the ancient dancing, but Mr..
Emmanuel does not show the enthusiasm
Of a mineralogist describing tungstates,
molybdates. ara chromates. One remem-
bers the gorgeous description OF the
dancing girls at a banquet in the palace
Of Nero at which Mr.. RowbOtham must
have crushed many cups, so vivid is his
depicture of the bout. But Mr. En-
manuel is less susceptible. IL is true he
has been frequently behind the scenes.
See the staidness OF the man as he |
talks about the private dances.
The Greeks drank little as they ate; !
they did not like TO mingle food and drink. |
After the repast slaves entered to fll |
the cups. and with them came musicians !
and dancers. The name 'Komos' was |
given to the inevitable windup Of the
feast, a joyous spree, which the presence 1
of courtesans, fiute-players, orchestral,
mines, and buffoons transformed little
by little into a kind Of concert or exhi-
bition, which terminated ordinarily in an
orgy" And there he stops. Mr.. Row
bothan would have enlarged on this orgy
TO the extent Oh a uOZeu pages
Mr.. Emmanuel says several times that
the Greeks had no private dancers which
resembled i'm form or Intention the
1ances Of modern society. 1.-The dance
deux-a man and woman dancing to-
gether as It is now practiced in our par
lors-would have appeared nonsensical to
the Greeks. Does IL not transform the
couple into a hybrid person, who can
no longer express anything by gesture, I
10 whom every gesture is impossible?
Now in society dances to-day the man
and woman are tightly embraced; each
If the dancers preserves only the use or
he legs; the upper part Of the body and
he arms are nearly immovable. The legs
ire limited in their movements to the
nonotonous repetition Of the same for
nulas But independence was so dear TO
he Greek dancer that the man and
woman forming an orchestric couple
eemed afraid OF touching each other
Always and everywhere the Greek dancer
inflated" ID.