The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-06

American ballet to be the next de-
velopment in the art of the dance
Paul Tohefnikoff, former dancer
with Pavlowa and now ball It mas
ter of the Washington Opera con-
pany, says that the most promisi Ig
progress in the art of ballet is ,e-
ing made in this country.
France, Italy and Russia have
had their turns at being the center
Of the dancing stage, Mr.. Tcherni-
koff points out. 1t was in France
that the ballet was fixed into its
conventional form almost four
centuries ago when Louis XIV was
patron of the dance. For some
years this king and the more sup
pie members of his court took part
in elaborate ballots presented at
Versailles, and finally this dancing
monarch established a royal acad-
envy 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
arabesque, 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 bad form in ballet, gained
popularity throughout Europe, and
it was not until few decades ago
that the art was very much
changed.
This time Russia was the limo
vator. Russian dancers took tie
conventional technique of the
French ballet for a basic and began
to do radical and beautiful things
They went out of the Russian
schools and astonished their audi
ence with great variety in what
was supposed to be a restricted
form of the dance.
The Russian influence has been
so strong that to have almost for
gotten that billowy tarletan skirt
was once the stock costume of a
ballerina. Almost any kind ii
dance-Indian, Greek, oriental
Gypsy, pastorale-is material for
the modern ballet dancer.
d.
not lost, however. There is diff
ference, for example, between the
Greek dance which an inspiratioHal
dancer might create and the Greek
dance of a ballerina. She builds
her Interpretation on a foundation
OF neutrality-suspicious. of feet and
hands which have been found beau
tiful. The rhythmic, or natu e
dancer finds such a foundation
hampering to the freedom of the
dance Her work is less restrain
ed, but ballet devotees hold that il
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 RussianiZed.
Russia broadened the horizon II
the ballet But now it almost
seems as if Russia, as a country,
is beginning to peter out in its
dance offerings, due partly at least
to unsettled Russian affairs. TIE
well known Russian dancers are
scattered. We are told that Mord-
kin is conducting a ballet in Mos
COW under the protection of the
government there, but very little is
heard of his work Nijinsky remains
an uncertain quantity. One report
has it that he is dead, while an
other says that he has recovered
from his attack of insanity and is
now conducting a ballet school in
Switzerland.
Other members of the Russian
ballet are in this country dancing
producing, and teaching. Still
others are working abroad in cubist
like productions which are attract
ing attention as a novelty. Straight
lines are a feature of these balle.s,
Stiffness of costume is achieved by
such devices as padding the shou;-
ders with wood Heads of wood
built up in cubist like squares are
sometimes worn. The effect is
heightened by geometrfc riots of
color for costumes and settings.
Music is of the futuristic type-at
its best reminiscent of Debussy a
trifie of key; at its worst a cap
able imitation of the baby maltrea--
ing the old family piano. In this
futuristic atmosphere the dancers
create bizarre compositions. 1t is
the latest phase of the Russian
ballet. Mr. Tchernikoff believes
that it is step to the side rather
than an advance.
America now has a chance to be
the center of the stage, SO far as
ballet is concerned" Mr.. Tcherni-