Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-07
Terpsichore Redivivus.

self OF postures, movements, gestures,
some OF which are esthetical1y almost
vulgar; 1t has irony and cruelty and
the power to enrage as well as to please.
but, above all, the power to taunt you
into thought. An awkward pose inter-
spersed between two graceful poses (or
movements) Is little more. after all,
than reflection Of the awkwardnesS
which lies in the human mind, the
cynical and bitter thought between two
compassionate ones.
Where the interpretive artists, work
II :, with programmatic music presenting
a theme or logical conception Of an
idea. sought to render it pictorially-as
wildly. in fact, as a picture or success
sion of pictures upon the stage could
reveal 1.-THE newer workers refuse to
confine themselves to the highly grace
full photography Of a physical idea.
They go beyond that. They present an
emotional or a mystic mood, a thought,
sprig of philosophy, passion, mad
ness protest a personal commentary
! simply something upon which the spec
| tator has to hang his own interpreta-
ton. to adjust to his own ideas. The
dancer, in short, refuses TO do the spec
| tators thinking for him, refuses to be
didactic. refuses to be vitaliZed pic
ture gallery.
| An Oriental audience looking at a
| skillful Japanese actor can be thrown
| into the most uproarious laughter by
/ the mere change In the artists eyes.
He is utterly motionless upon the stage;
| he says no word, but that infinitely
economical gesture, that exquisitely
brief suggestion Is enough. Please,
working through series Of some hun
| bred drawings beginning with a COM
! plete and obvious projection OF the
| physical object on paper. ends finally.
after the most studied and painstaking
| elimination of detail, with only few
| lines which are supposed to carry the
whole meaning Of the original.
| The present work of such dancers
as Enters. Martha Graham, Hans
Wiener, Alexandra Gavrilov, Sonia
| Gluck, Felicia Sorel, Tamaris Ito cite
| some of those liable to be best known
| In this country appears to be seeking
| whether they specifically say so or
mott to free the dance form from senti-
mentality and esthetic limitations and
! to invest it with the intellectual slim
ulation that drama can give. This
/ prc-~-T brings dancing into line with
/ TIE advanced technique in music and
painting. Being a little behind the
others in point of time, 1t probably
will go through phases Of technique
comparable to polytonality and poly
rhythm in music and the cubistic and
abstract forms in painting. arriving at
a state which combines the least OBJ
viousncss with the greatest amount Of
emotional and intellectual suggestive
ness. Those who demand transparency
in their harmony or their painting will
| continue to patronize the formal types
| of dancing. The fact Is that there
| is room for both, but that without the
more modern form the art would not
| be complete-not so far, at least. as
| art is a reflection Of contemporary feel
ing. or a contemporary comment on all
feelings" Mystif1cation and distaSte
must continue to be the lot Of those
who receive no sensation from an
artists work except through the me-
dunn of strictly formalized, strictly pat
termed style Any artist worth his salt
will refuse to catalogue every detail OF
what he wants to express IN sensitive
effort.
New spirit versus old prejudices; sud-
den, sometimes violent. change versus
the prosy and sterile complacency which
scorns or ridicules that which piques It,.
If everything produced in the realm OF
art is required to be Immediately under
stood without reflection or perplexity.
then the sheer immediacy OF the re-
action robs the work of its most valu-
able quality-the power to stir the OBJ
server. to move him to some sort OF re-
spouse beyond bovine approval. The
spectacular does not last long, but
neither does the neutral If few Of
the morbid moderns' have sought to
revive Terpsicfore In their own way, II
is at least healthy sign that some one
considered the lady worth saving. IT
looked so much for awhile as II she,
Of all the muses., was growing Senile
and weary of thought.