Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-04
NJ u SIC
BY HELEN FETTER.

, Soviet to sing there. There is also
mention in the letter Of Anton Dolin,
an Irish boy, who is considered by
many as the best of the dancers to-
| day; he was formerly with Diaghileff
and is now dancing in London.
| A ND at home, in the United States,
"A where Gertrude Hoffman, is the
John Tiller of America, it is very
interesting to see the new chorus
dances of one of the very newest
revues to open recently in New York.
Each year the styles of the chorus
girls dances change just as percep-
tibly as their costumes, or lack of
costumes. This year the indications
are that dances in musical comedies
and revues are going to be more
athletic and generally gymnastic than
ever. Variations on the bathing suit
form the basic costume necessitated
by such dances. The bathing suit
may be of cerise velvet trimmed in
patterns of twinkling rhinestones, or
it may be of emerald green satin
with a scant sash and turbaned
headdress to suggest the gypsy, but
always it is quite tailored enough
to be out of the way for any somer-
sauIts or leaps. The day of the
chorus which swished out i'll volumin-
Gus sheer skirts with picture hats
perched enchantingly upon curls
that rivaled Mary Pickford's lovely
locks. seems to be ever-receding into
the background Now the shows
offer costumes that. save for their
rich materials, might be seen on
ocean beaches on either coast, as far
as cut is concerned.
One of the new chorus numbers,
reminiscent of the. Russians stu
pendous version of Carmen" has
fans and shawls as the equipment
of the beautiful coryphees stationed
along slanting stairways; another i'll
reminiscent mood of the totem-pole
dance that was a feature of Rose
Marie" uses that aroundthe-circle
undulating wave motion that was so
effective. The newest thing, how
ever, seems to be a steal from the
thunder that belongs to the svelt
ladies and gentlemen of the tight
rope traditions. The gay young
dancers use high swinging ropes,
rings and trapezes to give geometric
postures that are graceful and much
more intriguing than the lumpy mus
cular attempts of couple of men in
tights such as one is accustomed to
seeing on the vaudeville stage.
Such is suggested as the current
style in chorus girl dance numbers.
THERE is nothing quite as eff
4 fective as genuine article in
any line. Such is also true of the
stage. There may be many simulate
another nationality or a foreign
trait, but only what Americans
slangily term "the real thing" ever
truly gets by" with conviction.
In a show just opened in New
York the title and settings suggest
that land of dream castles and bull
fights-Spain. Not one of the bland
faces of the chorus girls. or even of
the principals, even remotely sug-
gests disguise that would carry the
slightest sign of reality in charac-
terization, but, in all that company,
there is one who stands out start
lingly as the genuine article" 1t
is Helba Huara, who makes her
debut in America, and from the first
ominous clatter of her castanets
and her red heels upon the floor the
spectators know beyond doubt that
she is as Spanish as real lace
mantilla and as rarely subtle. She
is very small and wiry; her make
up" is so weird that it suggests faces
in Aztec decorations; her long bob
is wildly thick and black and her
costume, in addition to the afore-
mentioned castenets and red-heeled
slippers, consists of a fringed scarf
about her shoulders and the many
rufled. long peacock-tailed shirt of
the traditional Spanish dancer. She
calls her one number "The Dance
of Fate" and her use of deck of
cards and the tragic chatter of her
wizardly castenets tell story as
equally thrilling and tragic as the
Carmen of Bizet. This is real dane
ing that is credit to the terpsicho-
rean art.