GRACE AND CHARM.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 115, 16 May 1924, Page 7

GRACE AND CHARM.

A GEORGIAN PICTURE. THE EMPIRE BALL. It might have been a scene from the pages of a romance of the Georgian period, straight men and graceful women, "patched and powdered," all in rhythmic movement furnishing a brilliant galaxy on dancing feet. Never before has the Town Hall presented such an alluring spectacle as did this assemblage of young and old, but all appearing in the spring of youth. It really was a great conquest for the dress and coiffure of our forebears, no modern adornment could present such a gallant 'spectacle. The dancing was modern, with the exception of its most spectacular feature, the introduction c« the sweet old-fashioned minuet by eight individual sets, dressed to the fashion of the old Court days. The men in perruques, laced and ruffled shirts, and the women daintily graceful in dress, all true to the fashion o fthe age, flung the mind back into the days when knighthood was in flower. Seductive as the jazz, with its syncopated rhythm, undoubtedly is, as a spectacle this modern interpretation of the oldest of the arts cannot compare with the minuet for stateliness, grace and charm. It was a page from the book of the past introduced into the diary of the present; a sight that will long live in the memories of those who dwelt in the hours of its happiness. The request of the promoters, the executives of the Navy and Victoria Leagues, for the guests to powder and patch, was obeyed practically without exception, and the ball given in honour of the visiting squadron numbered among its two thousand guests their Excellencies, Lord and Lady Jellicoe, and the Admirals of the Fleet'and their officers. The blue and gold of the naval uniforms provided a striking set-off to the oldtime garb of the civilian dancers. Under the circumstances it is easily understandable that the naval visitors found favour in the eyes of Auckland's youthful beauty, and that they were rather soupht after than seeking during the evening. The setting to the animated picture has never been excelled in the Town Hnll, and the gently waving nikau fronds and interlacing greenery about the walls looked from above like a typical bush valley. Nestling in its bed was realistically situated a Maori whare carved with all the artistry of the native, and in its soft light was" a charming kotiro dexterously waiving a mat. The lounge was admirably arranged, and the extensive supper arrangements necessitated were carried out without a hitch; in fact, the organisation reflected careful thought and untiring energy by all concerned. The floor was as good as the Town Hall floor can be, but was really so crowded that none of the couples was able to exploit the light fantastic at xrzH.