AWKWARD CHILD.

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 13, 15 July 1936, Page 5

AWKWARD CHILD.

Now a Famous Dancer.

•La Meri, when a little girl of three, , was sent home to her motner by an Italian proiessor ot Daliet aancuig as a nopeiess girl and too awKwara ever to learn dancing. When she was nine sne was navuig lessons irom a gym- ; nastic dance teacner wno divided ner class into the good pupils and the clumsy % ones—La Men was put in the awKward section. rvext week this once j awkward child, who is now La Meri, | the wond-famed dancer, will arrive in Wellington, where she opens her New i I Zealand tour at the Grand Opera I , House on Thursday. July 23. 11 La Meri, who is of Spanish extraci tion, has inherited the dark hair, the grace, and the flashing warm smile of i the Spaniard, but not their dark eyes. 1 She has clear grey-blue eyes which t laugh at the slightest provocation and 'go well with her keen sense of i humour. Her early attempts to learn - dancing were-in San Antonio, on the ) Mexican border, near her parents' - ranch. The two early setbacks men- ? tioned above did not daunt her at all. s She was still determined to dance and i took ballet lessons secretly—the first 3 her mother knew of them was when . she received the bill at the end of the - year—and all her life she has known. - and danced the Mexican and Spanish - dances. ; La Meri had never had any thought ;. of, a professional career—she just 1 wanted to dance because.she loved it a —until Guido Carreras, who was - manager and producer for Pavlova, ' saw her dance in an amateur .perform--3 ance in San Antonio. It was he who 3 persuaded her and her mother that : she had a great future with her t dancing and should take it up pro- . fessionally. From this chance meeti ing of Carreras and La ' Meri came i' romance, for five years ago they were : married. All La Meri's performances are produced and directed by Signor Carreras. Under his direction La Meri has given dance recitals in some r twenty-four countries and everywhere 1 she has appeared before packed houses] ' and enthusiastic audiences. j 1 The famous dancer is being brought d to New Zealand by Mr. A. D. M. 2 Longden, who. is well known here, i. having been responsible for the tour : of John Brownlee a few years ago. " La Meri is assisted in several dances i. bv a young Continental danoer. Laura "- Mollicva, while Mario Salerno, a ;- notable young European comiaoseri- pianist, rjlays oiano so]os and i*mi- ducts the instrumental trio. • The e uniaue lighting effect^ have been a created by Av^rardo Birtocchi. who, > like the others, has come specially