IMPRESSIONS OF THE RUSSIAN BALLET

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22073, 22 April 1937, Page 5 (Supplement)

IMPRESSIONS OF THE RUSSIAN BALLET

When the music is soft, the eerie rustling of the, dancers' dresses and the occasional squeak of a shoe, may be heard, while from all the hundreds of people watching comes never a sound. Some regard it superficially, merely as a dance; others go deeper, and find the beauty of it. The fiddlers pour out their souls. The dancers are enslaved to the music; bids them be sad,. it crushes them down; But not only over the dance has it power: it exercises an hynnotic influence over the hands of the conductor till at times he seems almost afraid to move them lest he break the thread that unites him with the sound. On his left the hands of the 'celloist gleam in the green light shining ov°r his music. His head is bent a little to one side, his ear listening, sensitive to every note. In front of him there is a. violinist with a crooked tie. His arm moves' slowly back and forth; slowly and then swiftly; passionately over the strings. Ud! The, dancers throw off their loads of sadness. The music bids them be joyful, and once more they go. moving swiftly, a little fiercely, yet lightly, beautifully, their feet moving with the precision of mpchinery. The haunting beauty is gone. Masculine vigour takes its place. Round leap the Cossack guards. Thev draw up in a before the footlights, and the breath of the leader comes so painfully it seems that he; must surely burst the buttons off his tight-fitting blue tunic. The watchers move. Again and again the curtain is dragged up. And the Cossack guards, having done much leaning, show signs of impatience. When the curtain swings ud we catch them without their smiles. One -wonders if they can, or wish to. have a little solitude after this wild crowning whirl of action, and if the ballerinas' minds are whirlpools of rhythm long after the dance is over and the music is dead on the strings. —CICELY FRASER.

THE TRAP

(By Frances Cresswell)

Spikes Hedgehog should really have been asleep, for It was late autumn, and the leaves from the I willow trees along the creek Were lying in tumbled brown heaps about their roots. : like .blankets about the feet of someone very old. The unusual mildness of the evening had induced him to leave his nest under a gorse bush, and he was half-heartedly rooting among the grass tufts near the chicken run. "Game, pretty scarce, eh?" A sharp voice behind him made him start round with a loud snuffle. "Oh. it's you. Ratty, oldifellowi Yes, hunting is pretty poor now; but I don't mind much. • really; You see. it's late in the. year, and I am pretty sleepy. It is more a little bright comnsny that I need now. Someone lolly, and interesting, someone with intelligence, if you see - what I mean. Rattv." Rat smirked. "Well, its lucky I met you. old chap, isn't it?" And he smoothed an imaginary wrinkle out. of his tail., "As a matter of fact." he said. "I am just going along to a social evening at my club. Would , you care to come along with me?" Spikes said; he would. like it very, much, and Rat went on—"lt's in Chicken Feed House, you know. Spikes. We had to leave our. old club, because—well, it's rather a

painful subject with the members, and I' know you won't mention it to-night, old chap—but, you see, there had. been a lot of rumours going about, and chaps kept disappearing—quite a lot of our most Promising squeakers—in fact, pikes, old fellow, quite between ourselves, we suspected TRAPS!" Rat finished on a very subdued note, for no animal likes to mention such unpleasant topics. Spikes murmured something sympathetic, and they moved off arm in arm:. A shadow moved out from behind a heap of dry branches,' and two rows of sharp white teeth were bared, and two red eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Silently as a' shadow, the ferret followed the two little animals. "Oh, ho! So Master Rat thinks that traps took all his precious friends, does he!" And the ferrets smile would have made Rat xeei very uncomfortable if he could have seen it. '

"You know, Spikes," Hat was saying, as they approached tne shed where the chicken feed was kept, "what you need is a bngw life! Why do you want to sleep all the winter? That's. so . dull! Now. my wife and I are _ taking'a flat for the cold weather, m Wainscot row. It is very smart and centrally heated. Quite close to tne stove in the big house. There are parties in the ceiling every mgm, singing and dancing, and tne suppers—oh. Spikes! You have no idea of those suppers m tne pantry!" Rat paused, and turned to see the effect of all this on nis friend; as he turned, he saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him spring into the.air, and land on the other side 01 Spikes Hedgehog. With a snarl <* rage the ferret trird to turn aside as he leaped, and landed with au four paws on top of Spikes pr lc S* back! He sprang again, but tnw time his one thought was to. get away from the sham pointed things that were hurting his paws. «<* landed on a patch of soft, freshlydue earth, and. SNAP—the hidden rabbit traD closed on his legs, ana held fast." ' „ "Not quite so clever Mr Ferret, said Rat. "What a lovely evening it is. Come on, Spikes." Spikes slowly uncurled himself, and looked round. .. "If you don't mind, Ratty, I think I will go back to bed. I think-* think I have rather a nasty coia coming on. Ur—good night. ™ J shuffled hastily away. "Poor old chap." thought v* aloud. "Perhaps a auiet life Bvas him -better, after all." And v'«n out a look at the bpffled ferret ne slipped into the Chicken v** Club, to have a little suoper wi"* his, friends, and it was months before he again saw bpi*« Hedgehog.

I Saw a Peacock

I saw a peacock with a fiery tail. I saw a blazing comet drop down hail - -m I saw a cloud wrapped with W round, I saw an oak creep on along t he ground. ' I saw a pismire swallow up a whale, I saw the sea brim full of ale, I saw a Venice glass five fathom deep, I saw a well full of men's JeW? that weep, . , J>-A I saw red eyes all of a flaming Wf* I saw a house bigger than .the moon and higher, ::& I saw the sun at twelve o'clock » night, ~*n. I saw the Man that saw this won drous sight.