Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1916-11-17
AM ;R.CAB MEN DON'T
CARE T0BE GRACEFUL
Nijinsky, Great Russian
Dancer, Explains Attitude
in This Country
ENOUGH TO SHOW
GRACE, ENDURANCE

To be graceful is by no means
simple thing Is the declaration of
Waslav Nijnsky. the great Russ an
dancer. who W n be the star OF the
Serge de D'aghilen's Ballet Russo,
which opens here for three perform
ances beginning next Thursday at the
Metropolitan Opera House.
II entered the ballet school in Pet
rograd when was 10 years old, and
remained there for nine years" says
Mi nslxy. After graduated. I dane
ed on the stage. and / practice three
hours day.
~Since have been in America a
great many people have asked me II
thought that the men here were, as a
race, endowed with a natural grace
as is the case with some of the ma
lions OF Europe-nOtably the people
Of the Latin countries. I should Ike
to answer that question by asking an
other. does the American man care
particularly whether he does things
IN a graceful manner or not? II
seems to me that in the answer TO
that question we shall find the answer
70 the other without much difficulty.
zone of the best times TO study
people when you wish TO find out
whether or not they have an Unborn
feeling for what has been called the
poetry Of motion Is when they are at
play. II has been one Of my Observa-
lions that when American men play
they play hard, and they play well,
but with what their sporting VIZ ters
call form This has always been no
tlceable when Americans have played
against foreigners, who give great
deal OF attention to form But
patriotic American might very truly
say, the American sportsmen have
been the victims the majority OF
times IN almost every sport That,
however, would only uphold my con-
tentlon that Americans would rather
do a thing successfully than do Il
gracefully. The answer to the Ques-
ton. DO American men care whether
or not they are graceful? Would
seem. then. TO be no.
"And so can answer the FIRST ques-
ton and explain my answer at the
same time The men OF this country
are not particularly graceful, but they
do not care particularly about IL or
thew would be- Sometimes I think
they are almost ashamed of being
graceful. They confuse grace and
efcm'nacy
dur ng the past suwmer I have
been Interested in study ng the be-
nin~ np4 Of your country, and / think
! have discovered the reason for the
iraiHo~once towards gracefulness.
,ro-rei from earliest days to struggle
aer MS. men and nature in whatever
. n~nrer they could dev Sc at the mo-
rcnt. Amer can men have had little
the until the present century TO con-
s'der much the possibilities of their
own bodies as an art ste media of
express on And lately, when the
breathing spell came. the nation found
that the struggles OF its sons had
brought for it a prod gious wealth II
was much easier to pay small class
Of indiv duals 20 be graceful profos
onally than IL was TO bother about
being graceful oneself
GAS a result of this attitude 7 have
not ced that TO be graceful is not the
fashion with the men OF this country.
Amer can men would rather be pow
erfui than graceful They care moth
ing that the movements Of the body
be harmonious and beautiful. II g
enough that they show strength and
Endurance