Evening star., 1953-05-04

the Modern Dance gathered fol
the seasons final concert by
Jose Limon and his company
Limon'S appearance was spon.
sored by the Modern Dance
Council of Washington and il
lured an approximately Sell-out
audience, including Miss Vivecs
Lindfors of Sweden and Broad
way, away from the tempting
sunshine of May.
If this sounds critical, it is not
so intended. The Modern Dance
simply is a revolution this de-
partment has not joined. AS a
congenital dissenter toward many
of the conventions in all of the
arts. it is disposed to sympathy
toward this one. However. it has
lacked the time and, to be can
did, the inclination to penetrate
the mysteries of the movement.
which is a composite of a be-
wildering number of movements.
The departmental approach to
Limon's concert, therefore, is one
of curiosity beginning at a point
approximately midway between
open and closed-mindedn ednesS.
This clearly is far from the vul-
nerability of the initiate, one
female member Of which used
the intermission period to de-
scribe how she was Shattered"
by Limon's Might Spell"
This reviewer was not shat
tered and, to judge from the
emotional condition Of the
woman just mentioned, there is
virtue in non-Shatterability.
Nevertheless. Might Spell. "
choregraphed by Doris Humphrey
is an expressive dance. AS an
observation on human sleep, it
denies that it does anything like
knit up the raveled sleeve of
care" as Shakespeare says. On
the contrary, it pictures sleep as
a state that lays it's victim open
to the most narrowing terrors
which are to be relieved only by
the returning blessings of light
and Wakefulness.
AS danced by Limon and
three capable associates, it is a
vast improvement on the open
ing number, also by Miss Hum
phrey. This is an abstraction on
a composition of Mozart and to
the uniformed eye, happier and
more at home in the restrictions
of classical ballet, it is too alb
stract.
The second act of Limon's pro-
gram represented his own chore-
ography and this has an earthly
dramatic quality that is effec-
lively explicit. The first of the
two Limon designed numbers al
yesterdays concert was 1.-THE
Visitation" based upon the story
of the Annunciation of the Vir-
gin Mary. 1t is a tender story
of the transflguring power o1
faith and as danced by Limon
Pauling Koner and Lucas Hovins
the dramatic highlight of the
program.
For his closing number. Limor
chose the eloquent four-charac-
ter "Moor'S Pavane." The pam
tomimic version of Othello's
tragic love story is unlikely ever
to become the dish of tea of any
one brought up on Shakespeare s
majestic account of this sad af-
fair, Limon'S own audience
however, is in full agreement
with Dance Magazines judgment
of "The Moor's Pavane" as the
outstanding creation in the field
of American modern dance.
Perhaps in some brave new
world, the Modern Dance will be
criticized, expertly and intelli-
gently, by reviewers who leap
upon the stage and express in
pantomime just how they have
been affected by the concert just
seen.
On such a day, drama critics
will buy seats to see this per-
formance.
It turned into quite a happy
party. the post-matinee forum
Saturday at the National. Several
hundred of the audience re-
manned around after the per-
formance to question American
Shakespeare Foundation officials
Miss Mary Hunter, co-ordina-
tor especially-and members OF
the company.
It's air was informal, indeed
not unlike breakfast in a subur-
ban home on, say. a Monday
The actors. who were seated in
chairs on the stage, arrived as
soon as each was dressed, with
Miss Lindfors first. Margaret
Webster second, and oddly
enough the men, Basil Rathbone
and John Lund last. A clubbier
arrangement would have been
impossible.
Because they got along sc
congenially together, the ques-
TONERS and answerers, added an
extra Is minutes to the half
hour allotted for the forum Ses-
sion.
BY forum curtain time, Wash.
i1gtonians we're considerably
better informed about the Foun-
dation's plans. and also its graft
tude. It was while Miss Hunter
was expressing the company
enthusiasm for Washington's re.
ception that Mr.. Rathbone inter
rupted with the best line of the
afternoon.
"She means" he said. cuisines:
is good"
Business is.
BULLETIN BOARD: Boxoffict
seat sale for "Stalag IT," beginI