The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-12-18
Dancing Countess, Sans
Tights, Charms Audience

The very incarnation OF bouyant
life and free. sweeping grace. the
Countess Thamara de Swirsky. the
latest Russian dancer 10 visit Detroit,
charmed large audience, Sunday af-
ternoon. in the Garrick theater. and.
incidentally, put TO rout the recent
edict OF the local police department
that stage dancers when appearing in
this city mist wear tights no matter
what their costume-or lack of it,
may be in other cities.
Mikail Mordkin was prevented a
fortnight or so ago. in this city. from
dancing in his bare. bronze limbs as
an Indian warrior. and the police
notified the Garrick management that
the fair and beauteous Russian coun-
tess could not display dimpled. white
knees and pinky toes. as her photo
graphs hanging In the lobby of the
theater seemed TO indicate she would
While most Detroiters were vending
their way 10 church. Sunday morning.
the countess and her managers and
personal suite and representatives OF
the police department were having
heated arguments as TO what con
stituted an artists dancing costume
and what did not. The Titian-haired
countess absolutely refused TO con-
ceds that Art and Modesty could have
any quarrel over her bare legs. and
finally the custodians of public morals,
otherwise a couple OF good-natured
and beauty-appreciating patrolman.
came around 10 the countess way of
thinking, also. After the actual per
Torrance took place, the censors
were entirely convinced that the
countess was perfectly all right and
said so emphatically
The countess, a Russian noblewo-
man by birth. comes of a family of
scuiptors, painters and musicians
Herself a pianist of great talent she
gave up a musical career to become
a photographic artist. The moment
she appears upon the stage the spec
tator knows that she has learned her
art in that wonderful Russian school
of which Nine. Pavlowa, Mile. Sc
dowa, Mikail Mordkin and his wife.
Mile. Pajitzkaia, are such wonderful
expcnents. No other dancers have
the same freedom of movement. the
exquisite grace and litheness and the
accomplished technic OF these Rus
SLAMS. The French, the Italian and
the Spanish ballet dancers have grace
and charm in abundance, but their
dancing Is rather precise and stilted
in comparison with the joyous, wild
freedom of the Russian. The Ameri-
can dances wonderfully in skirts and
learns the acrobatic tricks, but not
even a Bessie Mccoy can combine
abandon and technic.
Countess de Swirsky's body is one
to delight a sculptor. and as she
moves in the postures and rhythms
which she interprets the music to
mean, she ravished the senses with
her beauty of line and grace of con-
tour With bare limbs, and feet that
have never known the distorting con-
finement OF No. shoe, the Coun-
tess moves with the bouyancy and
artlessness of child. Her body,
wound about with the filmiest of chif-
fon draperies, arms and bosom as
bare as the swiftly moving legs, IL
would be a prude indeed who could
find the least suggestion OF immodes-
" in costume or dance as found in
the Countess de Swirsky. Her per-
Torrance was one OF classic lowell
ness and in each of the widely differ
ent numbers she offered, there was
her own individual artistic sense and
originality.
An orchestra OF about 20 musicians
played the music for the dances ade-
Quately, under the countess own con-
ductor. Herman Lahann The num-
We're not satisfying to the music low
er, but served to fill in the time
while the countess changed her robes
OF gauZe.
ELLA MAE HAWTHORNE.