Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-04-06
NEW HOME FOR BALLET
IS NOW PROPOSED
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, April 81 Is
American ballet to be the next de-
velopment in the art of the dance?
Paul Tchernikoff, former dancer
with Pavlowa and now ballet mas
ter of the Washington Opera Com
pany, says that the most promising
progress in the art of ballet is being
made in this country.
France. Italy and Russia have had
their turns at being the center of
the dancing stage, Mr.. Tchernikoff
points OUT. 1t was in France that
the ballet vas fixed into its o n
ventional form almost four centu-
ries ago when Louis XIV was pat
ron of the dance. For some years
this king and the more supple mem
bers of his court took part in elab-
crate ballots presented at Versailles,
and finally this dancing monarch
established a Royal Academy of the
Dance to promote his favorite art.
Dancers still describe their steps
by the terms fixed upon about this
time. Given a list of such terms as
elise. assemble, ronde de jamie,
arabesaue, reverence. ballet dane
ers in different countries would build
practically the same dance.
Dramas done in pantomime and
dance, performed according to the
French standard of what should be
good and lad form in ballet, gained
popularity throughout Europe, and
it was no. until a few decades ago
that the art was very much changed.
This time Russia was the inno-
vator. Russian dancers took the con-
ventional technique of the French
ballet for a basis and began to do
radical and beautiful things. They
went out of the Russian schools and
astonishe1 their audiences with
great variety in what was supposed
to be a restricted form of the dance.
The Russian influence has been
so strong that We have almost for
gotten that a billowy tarletan skirt
was once the stock costume of a
ballerina- Almost any kind of dance
Indian. Greek, oriental, Gypsy,
pastorale-is material for the mod
ern ballet dancer.
The traditions of the ballet are
not lost, however. There is a diff
ference, for example, between the
Greek dance which an mspirational
dancer might create and the Greek
dance OF a hallerina. She builds
her Interpretation on a foundation
Of neutrality-suspicious. OF feet and
hands which have been found beau
tiful. The rhythmic, or nature
dancer finds such a foundation
hampering to the freedom of the
dance. Her work Is less restrained,
but ballet devotees hold that it is
apt to be less artistic. since the
dancers emotions and ecstasy may
not always lead her TO take the most
pleasing poses.
The Ballet R~ussianized
Russia broadened the horizon OF
the ballet. But now II almost GEMS
as IL Russia, as a country. IL begin
ming 10 reter out in its dance Offer
ings, due partly at least to unsettled
Russian affairs. The we'll known
| Russian dancers are scattered. We
are told that Mordkin is conducting
a ballet in Moscow under the pro-
lection of the government there. out
very little is heard of his work.
Nijinsky remains an uncertain guam
tity. One report has 1t that he Is
dead, while another says that he has
recovered from his attack OF IN
| sanity and is now conducting a bal
let school in Switzerland.
Other members of the Russian
ballet are in this country dancing
producing and teaching. Still other
are working abroad in cubist like
| productions which are attracting at
| tention rs a novelty. Straight lines
are a feature of these ballets- Stiff-
ness of costume is achieved by such
devices as padding the shoulders
with wood. Heads of wood built up
in cubist Like squares are sometimes
worn. The effect is heightened by
geometric riots of color for cos
tunes and settings. Music is OF the
futuristic type-at it's best remnis-
cent of Debussy a trifie OF key; al
its worst a capable imitation of the
baby maltreating the old family pi-
ano. In this futuristic atmosphere
the dancers create bizarre compost
lions. II is the latest phase of the
Russian ballet. Mr.. Tehernikon
believes that it is a step to the side
rather than an advance.
America now has a chance 70 DC
the center of the stage, so far as
ballet is concerned" Nj. Tcherni-
lkof explai9s. THAT 50 many OF the
Russians are in this country work
frg in different cities proves thai
the American people are interest
ed In the art
swhethef America can add some