LA MERI’S BEAUTIFUL COSTUMES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 255, 24 July 1936, Page 4

LA MERI’S BEAUTIFUL COSTUMES

Transported in a mere few minutes from Sunny Spain to. the Orient, to Central America and back into the mysterious atmosphere created by a Chopin nocturne and the quaintness of Dvorak’s "Humoresque,” a large audience watched in delighted fascination as the international dancer La Meri danced moods and characters to life at her first Wellington performance at the Opera House last night.

The beautiful costumes she wore were perfect in every minute detail, and as the dancer altered her personality entirely for every characterisation each frock seemed to complete a harmonious whole. The first vivid impression was of a-swirling, frilled skirt of cream Andalusian lace, the bodice scattered with diamante, and a trail of red roses from waist to hem matching those which held a high tortoiseshell comb in place, beneath a flowing mantilla of cream lace. Of her other Spanish costumes there was a traditional ballet frock, with short pink satin skirt held out with many petticoats, winc-red velvet toreador jacket and velvet cap to match. Very lovely was the frock for Ravel’s "Bolero,” which first showed the dancer lying on a brilliant blue Spanish shawl in the centre of the stage, from which she rose gracefully to display a frilled and trained skirt of red taffeta with velvet bodice. With this she wore red roses in her dark hair, which was left hanging down her back.

A Chopin Nocturne was brought to life on a blue flood-lit stage in blue chiffon Grecian draperies, and “Caprice Viennoise” (Kreisler) was a direct contrast, for which La Meri wore a pale green frock with be-frilled skirt, and naive bonnet of leghorn straw...

A spring dance of Japan was interpreted in gay kimono with a magnificent orange and gold obi, and for the wonderfully impressive “Empress of the Pagodas” dance she wore a sumptuous Chinese costume and feathered headdress. Switching from the inscrutable Orient to a modern interpretative dance —the white peacock—La Meri was grace itself in a slim, white velvet gown, fitting her like a glove, with a long, rounded train. This was particularly effective against the black velvet backcloths which formed the background for the dance. In different mood again was the white linen frock with long frilled train worn with jade green bandana tied round her sleek dark hair and green neckchief and bangles, for the Mulatto dance. The Mexican sombrero was danced in typical Mexican costume—green once more—and she flung down a huge sombrero hat and danced on its brim. The costume for the “Tamborito” was reminiscent of Panama, with a special significance in the Chinese slippers and hair ornaments, as the sailors who voyaged across the Pacific to China brought back such trifles to their sweethearts in Panama.