Evening star., 1942-12-24
Dance Festival
Affords Glowing
Film Panorama
Little Theafer
Presentation Has
Ten Subjects
BY !. w. STEPP.

The Little Theater, place OF pleas
ant surprises in cinema fare, yes
terday unpackaged one that sur
passes it's predecessors both from q
point of novelty and welcomeness
A film festival of the dance Is the
Littles Christmas offering, perhaps
not the type OF Washington first
to draw the customary glittering
premiere audiences, but presenta-
tion replete with enjoyment such
as local theatergoers but infrequent-
~ have occasion to see.
Although the programs primary
appeal is to admirers of the dance
expression, it is sufficiently varied
as whole and each featurette is
handled in such a way as to appeal
TO those cynics who like to dismiss
all dancing as stuffed shirt Spe-
CifiCallv. the festival ranges from
Ballet Russo to Bojangles Bill Rob-
inson, Russian folk dance to Pari-
sian Whimsy as expressed in the
animated cartoon. Considering the
limitations of running time, the
Iittles dance festival covers re-
markabIe amount of ground with
its 10 separate items. Appetites OF
the most avid of dance followers
will be completely satiated, classical
rs we'll AS plain loWdown.
The Monte Carlo company comes
I'm for the lions share of the screen,
despite the fact that almost as
much time has been given over to
interpreters of modern Russia. In
"Capriccio Espagnol" and Gate
Parisien" the great Leonid Massine
and his dazzling-both as to appear
ance and capability - supporters
NAV be seen in action closeup for
she first time This is an advan-
tage which only the movie camera
can provide. 1t is, furthermore,
superlative treat despite the sugary
laviShneSs of Hollywood sets, and
the customary skipping about the
camera makes to secure angle shots.
Massine. Of course, has the choice
4oles-the gypsy in the Rimsky-
Korsakow piece and the Peruvian
dancer to the music of Ofenbach
Tamara Toumanova and Mllada
Mladova are his partners, respec-
lively. in the vigorous "Capriccio'
and the comic "Gaite" with its
celebrated can-can routine. Fred
eric Franklin and Andre EglevSki
also are prominent in their re-
spective roles of gypsy and i'm
pressario.
BY way of contrast, the Russia of
194l shows its spirit in staged Sec
tions of its annual folk dance
festival undertaken during the first
few months of the invasion. From
all over the Soviet its people appear,
to revel with amazing exuberance
and vitality in the dances of their
provinces. 1t affords a spectacle
which Hitler would not especially
care to witness.
There are, among the rest, old
"Bojsngles" tapping to a medley Of
eminently tap numbers in his
inimitable fashion; Carmen Amaya,
presented oddly in a nice ballroom,
to execute those vivid. hair-in-the-
face fiamencan frenetics for which
she Is noted; Katherine Dunham
and her company, who have made
choreographic art out of the samba;
the Bolshoi Theater of Moscow
classic ballet in version (grievously
cut) OF Swan Lake; Steffi Duna
and Don Alvorada in the perennial
la Cucsracha": Paul Draper dane
ing with stiff -limbed Ruby Keeler in
a ballroom sequence. And that
fantastic cartoon, Joy of Life"
showing the neo impressionistic
French mind at work. Music for
each subject is particularly well
chosen and well played.
A visit to the Little Tneater this
week is advised.