The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-04-19
PURITY OF
DANCEHAS
WON FAME
Maud Durrant Proves by Sue.
cess That She Never Re-
Elected Brothers Faults
Predecessors in Role of SaI0me
Only Succeeded in Shock
ing Their Spectators
Girl From Mission Causes Me-
tropOlis of World to Thun-
der Its Applause
Critics Declare Vision of SaI0me
Sublimated by Art Into
Thing Of Beauty

The delighted surprise with which
Maud Durrant's success in London
was received in this city yesterday
proved beyond all questioning that in
the estimation of her companions,
among the friends OF her school days,
the faults of her brother. as base as
they were, never for an instant re-
fiected on the girl. Well did the pre-
nier danseuse of the worlds metrop-
oils. gauge the characters of the
friends of her girlhood when she
wrote: Il feel that those who knew
me in the old days will enjoy my suc-
cess as much as I do
Her friends looked upon her as one
distinct and apart from her brother
She was his very antithesis. He was
merose. sulky, taciturn. finding no
enjoyment in the company of his fell
lows and seldom mingling with them
She, on the other hand. was bright.
vivacious. spontaneous. the personifica-
ton of healthy girlhood- The case was
freaks Of nature witnessed IN thous-
ands Of families.
Further proof on this point is shown
in the very dance which whirled her
to fame. Precedent had made it a
vulgarity and even a disgusting spec
tacle. Famous dancers before her. in
their attempts to portray the riotous
love NJ SaIouoa ha5 s,,oco.Sos - -
shocking the spectators. Pose they
forgot in passion. beauty in barbaric
emotion. The joy of the dance. the
wonderful rhythm OF movement which
the Herod was DESTROYS Of witnessing
even If the payment We're unto half
Of his kingdom. these famous dancers
lost altogether.
PURITY OF EMOTIONS
They danced and the dance became
byword of hooking shame. Then
danced the girl from the Mssion-and
the metropolis of the world Numbered
it's applause. knowing that at last there
was one who had found the true beauty
of II. She danced in bare feet. not as
the others. but as Salome did Her
covering was a network OF Jewels as
was Salome's. But even as she was,
barefooted and semi-nude. she found
what the others lacked, and. in spite OF
her attire. the general expression
among the London critics was that she
succeeded because of the purity of dis
played emotions. Thus wrote one in
the Academy. one OF the leading weekly
periodicals in London:
We have the largest eastern empire
the world has ever seen. and vet. we
not only neglect to study eastern
thought and custom. we shrink from
it with horror which b Instructive. but
which we like to believe virtuous, from
anything which Is eastern. That may
be the reason why such dancing as that
now being exhibited by Miss Maud Al
Ian at the Palace has never before been
received with even lukewarm sentiment
in England For the es-
sence of this art. which Is eastern. is
that il Is dramatic. What
was the dance OF the Shulamite. danced
In the Song Of Songs which led to the
with shoes. o princes daughter and
the glowing imagery that follows? II
was a dance clearly with some sort OF
story in it. All OF Miss Allan's dances
are dramatic. and. most of all. the won-
derful Salome
NO WHISPER OF RIBALDRY
I'VE know now how Salome danced,
not toute nue.. as In some mediaeval
illustrations. nor tumbling. standing on
her head as In others, but clothed with
Jewels and with these marvelously
beautiful sinuous movements In which
the dancers will and emotions play
upon the lovely instrument OF her body
to produce what music she will. The
beauty of these movements there is no
describing.
Did Miss Allan realize. when she
came to London. how bold thing she
was doing? 1t was nothing less than
beginning our education In a branch
of ar which we have persistently neg
lected and. mainly through cur un-
comfortable suspicion OF it's 'proprfety.s
Courage is usually rewarded and Miss