New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-01

elled with her across the Atlantic but
7 will tell it as it was told To me here.
She was. FIVE years ago and httle
more. or that company at the Imperial
Theatre IN 81. PetersburR from which
have come. first or last. all the Russian
dancers who have Won European
fame. Nine. Karsovina, Mime PaVloNa'
Nine. Prfsbaj ensky. and one or two
more. She was too young To have won
in that severe school a distinguished
Mace. She was not Their twenty, and
I do not know that she had been al
/ lowed TO dance a solo in st. Petersburg.
They regarded her as a promising pupil.
she had been well taught. She had
evidently fine natural aputudes- only
time was needed for the perfecting OF
her technique.
But she had been seen 10y young
officer in the Imperial Guard, and
while she was still in the Imperial bal
let ne married her. officers of the I'M
perial Guard, who are all men OF RANK
, or social position. are not supposed 10
seek their wives on the stage. HIS
marriage was not welcomed by his SUI
periors. He was sent TO the Caucasus
on duty. Exile was the punishment Tor
his offence But then. or soon after,
Mile. LYDIA Kyasht had been offered
an engagement at the Empire in Lon
don. had accepted il and had come TO
ENGLAND. Her husband was not with
ont friends at Court and they sue
caeded in having him ordered 10 Eng
land for wear ito study the English
language" He came TO LONDON on
that GRAND. reioined his wife. pres
emily resigned his commission. and has
rar,ained here with his wife. They
arc in private life. NJ. and Nine Ra-
cosin. For the stage and for the pun
Tic she has kept her maiden name ana
* ALWAYS Mile. Lydia Kyasht. be
love il is written in Russia with an
extrs k-Kvaksht-which only Rus
sian can pronounce.
She has in her the spirit of the dance
Beauty she has, and technique ana
delicate. sure method, and personal
inv which Of itself has made her an idol
Of the London public. But the spirit
comes first She was born 10 dance.
Happilv. she has had thorough tram
ing. In respect of actual dance knoWl-
edea there have been Of late years put
two dancers. seen in London. VINO were
her superiors. Nine. PreobaJenskN ana
Mile. Bordin. Of La Scala, at Milan
who was at the Alhambra for three
seaeons They were both, as Mile
Kvssht is. of the classical school,
as Nine. Pavlova is not. Both were
true artists. But when Nine. Preo-
ba ienskv appeared in London at the
Hippodrome she was long past her
prime. She retained her power OF eX-
ecution. but had lost her charm ana
che made in this country little or no
impression.
Mile. Bordin. on the other hand vas
in the freshness Of her youth and IN
complete possession Of her rare sllts'
She filed the huge Alhambra night
after night for many months during
these three years. She executed WIN
ease the most difficult classical figures
such as Nine Pavlova does not az
tenut. IN the end she went home to
Italy. The Russians gently elbowed
the Italians out; and l suppose she Is
forgotten by all but real lovers OF real
dancing.
Mile. Kyasht belongs to the same or
q similar school: a school, tnat is,
formed on classical models though the
models of ST. Petersburg and OF Milan
are not the same. She rs an artlst'
with mastery Of ballet which enables
her not only TO dance but TO construct
and produce very charming examples
oe this abstruse art The long ballet
went out Of vogue. she danced in snort
ones and the public still came to see
her But a ballet of an hour and han
is one thing, and there is a puohc
which gladly gives its evening 10 that
and asks for no other attraction. A
ballet of twenty minutes is another
thing. and unless there is something
else 10 draw house people VIII not
pay 81 90 and sacrifice an evening lor
an entertainment no longer than that
Still Mile. Kyasht danced on: and final
IL she brought the longer ballet though
OF only half its original duration. again
into favor IT was very remarkable
thing for a girl 10 do. She did it IN
aided. She never lost courage and she
never lost her hold upon the public
At Covent Garden. meantime. the
Russians took possession in force. Bal
let's were produced as works Of art, with
8 finish and Of splendor perhaps never
before seen. For the splendor was al
WAYS kept a handmaiden to the art.
need not go into that. CoVent Garden
is the home Of opera. 1t became, right
IL enough. as the Grand Opera in Paris
is and always has been, the home of
ballet also Then there was Nine. Paw
Iowa AT the Palace Theatre; with le-
gions OF admirers. who did not inquire
too curiously how she got her effects,
but were content with the effects. She
was practically alone. Nine. KarsoVina
at Covent Garden had the resources of
a great theatre and the services Of the