The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-03
FOKINE CREATES BACCHANAL
FOR PRODUCTION OF MECCA
Forty-eight American Girls
to Dance in the Ballet
No Russians in 1t.

The genius OF Michel F'o1ine. Russian
dancer and formerly director of the I'm
perial Opera Ballet at Petrograd, is
about TO manifest itself in New York in
the Century Theatre spectacle mecca"
which +. Ray Comstock and Norris Gest
will present for its premiere tomorrow
night Fokine has created q new Bac-
chanal and those who have witnessed
some of the rehearsals at the Century
are of the opinion that the Russian dam
cling master has one of his important
creations in this spectacle When one
considers the many ballets devised by
FolSine and which have been brought TO
this country by other dancers, one is led
to expect much of the new ballet.
II regard Il as my most important
work since 'Sheherazade,' remarked
Foline. who has learned to speak Eng
lish quite well since his arrival in New
York less than a year ago. 81 hope
the public Will regard II as do
The new Bacchanal is called MEM
cries of the Past" The title and the
idea were suggested TO Fokine by one
of the descriptive passages in the new
Oscar Asche play, the lines spoken by
Prince Nur Al-Din, one of the characters,
in describing the dance at his wedding
feast. The scene is an old Egyptian
palace. occupied by the Prince and his
retainers. Amid the ruins, In the moon
light. with torchbearers lighting up the
grim stone columns and with terrace
of stone steps leading to the banquet
hall, Prince Nur Al-Din gathers his fol-
lowers and his harem. The passage
which served as the inspiration to
Fokne reads:
Tonight. amid these ancient walls,
we will awake the echoes of feasts long
dead. Let my dancers rouse these stones
to life with passionate feet Here
perchance in ages long ago did Cleo
patra and her countless loves disport,
carouse and sin. Let my dancers, robed
in the robes of old. bring back some
memories of the past"
Upon this suggestion and to the must
cal score composed by Percy L. Fletcher
of His Majesty's Theatre, London. Fo-
kline has created Bacchanal and ballet
which runs almost ten minutes. The
groups represent the costumes of diff
ferent periods of Egypt's life and tell in
story, pantomime and dance the story of
love. There are five groups in all, with
the Cleopatra motif predomnating, and
the ballet is notable for the reason that
most of II is actually danced upon the
great flight of stairs instead of upon the
stage, although the finale takes place
nearer the footights. The lighting. the
coloring and the evolutions of the ballet,
danced in moonlight, with only occa-
SIGNAL lights from the torchbearers,
make this Bacchanal truly a ghostlike
revel of the spirits of dead loves sum
moned back from their hectic pasts.
Mr.. Fokine has prepared this Bac-
chanal with forty-eight American girls
and dozen American young men. Not
one Russian dancer is under his direc-
ton. The girls for the most part are
pupils of various dancing schools and
instructors of New York city, Several
OF them are from Chicago, one Is from
San Francisco and two from New Or
leans. The premier dancer in the new
ballet is Miss Martha Lorber. II young
New York girl, for whom Fokine pre-
diets n big career.
Fohine dances every step taken by
every girl himself to show her how 1t
should be done. Every movement is
fitted into the score. There Is dance
step for each note of music, and he has
memorized every note of musical score
so that he always can tell just what
each girl should be doing at the proper
moment.
Honestly" said Morris Gest at re-
hearsal of the Fokine ballet last week.
cit seemed TO me as | watched Fokine
direct the ballet as though the imperial
ballet school of the Tsar in Petrograd
had been lifted bodily and transplanted
across the Atlantic 10 the stage OF the
Century Theatre. only here we are work
ing with American girls who have never
had any previous training and whose
achievements. therefore, are all the more
remarkable"
Fokine Is a quiet. unassuming man.
He may be described as the type or man
one might expect to see doing clerical
work in a bank or a business house. NO
one. to see him on the street in ordinary
clothes, would suspect that he created
and originated the Russian ballet as we
know II to-day. One of his priced pos
sessions-and one of the very few arti-
Giles of value he succeeded in bring
ing out OF Russia-is n massive gold
watch bearing the Russian coat of arms
and an inscription reading:
ITO Michel Fokine from Nicholas
Christmas 1905"
F'okine was brought 70 America last
November by Morris Gest under contract
TO arrange the ballet for "Aphrodite."
He received at that time n salary of
1000 n day from the time he sailed
from Copenhagen until the day the ballet
was produced. He then made single
appearance with his wife. Nine. Vera
Fokina, at the Metropolitan Opera House