Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-22

=
sided that any attempt to do justice
even TO one OF It's facets within the
limited confines OF newspaper story
fail ''
For 1t must BIO remembered that they
are much more than dancers, as we
used to understand tho word Con-
| sidering them merely MS dancers, how
ever, they are incompatible. While
othcr dancers of other schools use their
| rect and legs, these men and women
| dahce with their whole graceful bodies
f-arms' hands and swaying trunks.
| Ihat they are actors too. every one who
mas seen their pantomimlc playing
knows-without that ability developed
10 nigh degree, most of their elab-
| crate ballots would descend to tho level
OF mere spectacles. And they all are.
they all must be. practical and keenlv
] sensitiaed musicians.
! doubtless. they are all born with an
J acute sense of rhythm: without that.
they would never have attempted to
STUDY dancing of the Russian school
| But all the uncultivated sense of time
III inc world could not equip them to
So .nroush such n performance as Anna
iaViowa and her company prcscnted n [
the Academy OF Music last night Tbcy
must understand the practical counting
or tine even more thoroughly than
opera singers understand It, Becnuse
If n chorus singer fail to come i'm an
the indicated beat or one measure I'm
n long passage, he may remain silent
ana pick 1t up from those who do come
in. without detection. But IL even ono
OF tho dancing chorus fail to step or
bow, or turn. or to make any one OF
the innumcrable movements of their
intricate dances. at the very instant
thar the accentcd-or unaccentcd-bcot
iaiis ne is too late, and he can't recover
without dctcction--if not from the
audience certainly from the ballet
master standing Ia an entrance and
watching.
Any interested observer could write
columns about these wonderful artists
but they, or their like. have been seen
| mere often enough for nearly all
theatreSo"rs to have formed their own
opinion OF tho Russians and their art
and IT Is necessary only to speak
briefly of the program presented last
night. by identically the same com
pany. headed by paylowa and Volinine.
that appeared here Thanksgiving Day.
Several OF the advertisements offered
last night were presented at one or
the other OF the performances in No
vember. but Ivan Cuisine. who is un-
doubtedly a great ballet master, danced
only once; the futile series OF ball
room dances" was happily omitted. the
horribly artistic snake dance of Mr..
to our profound rcgrct--did not
fiutter To n tragic death in THE swan"
But there were two ballots that had
never been seen in Richmond before:
l"chopiniana" and "Walpurgis Night"
from Faust The "Chopiniaua" was
merely a series OF beautiful dances
solos. duets ana ensembles To waltzes.
nazurkas. Dreludes and other short
Chopin pieces At the very beginning,
practically the whole company was on
hn = l,..
and the men wearing what we have
learned Ia regard Nolinin.'s own
costuine-the white tights and black
jacket with white sleeves When the
ineH ana women Of the chorus were
not dancing. they stood. motionless In
graceful poses, while Paviowa. Nolinine.
, Plaskowietzskaia. Svirskaia. Kuhn. or
one or more of the soloists flashed and
iloatcd over the stage
The "Waipurgis Night" was scene
from n mad. pagan. Egyptian ARABIAN
Nights" Faust himself was in cavalier
costume but the rest OF them were
ancient and Oriental y Grccian temple
looked down upon an Egyptian couch
Mephisto had clawed feet. but the
armor OF an Arabian warlock: Helen
OF Troy was Diana. Cleopatra was
Egyptian as TO the head and BODY but
wore short. tight Turkish trousers:
! Phryne was also Grecian-but not as
IN the famous p!cturc-ard Nolinine
who posed and danced as tho slave OF
Helen, was Drowned Egyptian slave
WHO might have stepped out OF one OF
Gautier's stories. He stood for many
long minutes. as though he were
carved out of yellowed ivory, as naked
as lf he were rompnG on the slopes
OF Olympus. and then ne stepped from
his place and danced like n wild satyr
save that his body was as beautiful
as Mercury's. and his grace az perfect
and Incredible as legend of ancient
Greece And II was. all like that