The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-02
WEIRD SNAKE DANCE
IN ARTISTS STUDIO
New York SUM

a New York artist who has achieved
a reputation by devotion to the weird
surprised a few intimate friends the
other day by inviting them to witness
d snake dance in his studio at the fol-
lowing midnight. The small party
reached the studio about II o'clock and
at once began 20 feel squeamish- The
glow of a hanging Syrian lamp lighted
the room and projected the palm leaves
that were used for decoration in long
shadow fingers on walls and ceiling.
/ ColOred bits Of glass in tiny cathedral
window, lighted from outside, dis
closed the outlines of d dIVan of rugs
and taDeStrieS. Above was d canopy of
East Indian stuffs In the opposite side
of the room candles had been stuck
behind strings Of glass beads, and their
pickering in the glass produced the eff
feet of an electric fountain.
All of the lights blended harmOni-
CuSly and tinted the rooms furnishings
with d soft crimson. They showed
satin snake skins glistening on the
walls like a polished paneling- Kits of
the hunter and fisherman were hooked
uD here and there. and various musical
Instruments were scattered about. An
Apollo BelVideTe in plaster stood in a
niche in the wall, and an appropriate
group of statUary was LAGOON and his
sons struggling in the coils of the snake
that crushed them.
on the mantel rested q human skull
with tangled mass OF hair, the eye
cayernS made luminous with phOsph-
orOus. Opposite the divan Wa cush-
Toned window seat with many draD-
cries. ana suspended q bOVe il was the
bony head of d horse. In the corner
hung a complete human skeleton.
There was a chair with Doge arms, an
OctagOn supporting a fun punch bowl
two Chippendale chairs and d ham
mock. Tall palms were to be brushed
against everywhere. and smaller palms
fastened the folds of the COlOTed cloths
that draped the ceiling
These details by no means were OBJ
seryabIe at the first glance. They at
tTaCted inOlVidual attention gradually
after the eye had become accustomed
to the light and during the curtain
raiser to the snake dance. Ragtime
music on the mandolin introduced some
fantastic steps by two young women.
who danced with lOOSened hair and
short dOunced skirts and showed MINI
bleness Of body as well as of feet After
their dancing they sang "Fiddle-de-
dee and san Toy selections in modi-
fed ragtime. Then the artist gave
pautOmime after the manner of Chin
csc theatres. using real masks stolen
from "A Pekin theatre, IT was explain
81. BY this time il was midnight and
the artist sounded twelve strokes on a
Chinese gong as the signal that the
snake dance was to begin.
Painters call the dancer, who is an
artists model, Christine. but this name
may be generic. She stood above medi-
UNI height, of slender build, and had a
fine poise of the head. Her features
were regular and pleasing, and in years
she did not appear to be more than 10.
A Turkish screen provided the only
green room, and the glimpse of a bare
arm now and then gave added eXpec-
fancy to the spectators. who had taken
seats on the divan by the colOred glass
window. A tiger skin as soft TO the
touch as a cotton ball was spread on
the floor in the centre of the room.
Standiug on this Christine came be-
tween the spectators and the Syrian