LA MERI TRIUMPHS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 256, 25 July 1936, Page 13

LA MERI TRIUMPHS

Great Dancer’s Brilliant Characterisations

A repetition of her first-night triumph was achieved by La Meri, the famous dancer, at the Grand Opera House, Wellington, last night. Her exposition of the traditional dances of the nations inspired the audience to enthusiastic applause, and wonder at her superb display of artistically-controlled movement. .Da Meri's programme began with a group of Spanish dances, an Andalusian folk dance to de Falla's music, enhanced by the clever use of castanets, a lively . Antique Bolero,” the hoydenish and, most remarkable of all, the Bolero danced to the music of Ravel. In striking contrast were her Oriental dances, the bewitching traditional spring dance or Japan, the Indian “Nacni Nrrta, (> and the legendary “Empress of Pagodas. As an interpretive artist La Meri made a great impression in her musical visualisation of “The White Peacock,” and was strikingly successful also in “Nocturne, “Caprice Viennois,” and “Humoresque. Her recital concluded with, four racial dances, one representative of the peasant women of Panama, one of the Swedish peasants, a mulatto dance of the sugar plantation of Cuba, and a vivacious Mexican dance. This programme will be presented again this afternoon, and to-night La Meri will present a new set of dances which will include “Gavotte” (' alentini) “Russian Doll,” “Goyesca Spanish Dance,” “Danse Arabe” (Tchaikovsky), and “Jota Aragonesa.” The dressin,’ and the lighting are particular features of La Meri’s recitals. Her costumes are strangely beautiful, and each one of them is meticulously appropriate to the occasion of its use, great pains having been taken to see that it is exact to the final detail. Each dance. is given a complete lighting scheme of its own, and the black-curtained, white-floored stage is in turn, flooded with various coloured lights which set off. most artistically the perfectly proportioned figure, of the dancer. Accompanying La Men is a trio of skilful solo players, who combine in an ensemble delightful to listen to, Mario Salerno, the pianist, being a performer of exceptional ability. . 1' or some of her native dances La Meri uses the recorded music of the players of the particular country in question, and by its use achieves an astonishing effect of reality.