MEANING OF BALLET

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1937, Page 19

MEANING OF BALLET

A BLEND OF THE ARTS

STORY AND DANCING,

' What. .is "ballet? 'It is, 'a question whiph 'isi. otifp.' ask^d,' '^sij^pially: among younger 'people in a'country iwaicli] h^s neyer/i'seen b^ll^t. proper,. thojigh it has.lwitnes's.edrpne. oj? the greatest of ballerinas,1 Anna'Pavlpvai Andjit is a.^ questipn which is, not easily for/.^'those. ''jwlioyh.ayell ''?een fballet, though, '■'"ori^,;■ f,c^il}c:.:'' Iha^:' cal|ejd; it '.'rhy/thm, inoyemen^ ;gracej!'tbe."'biending'.qfsti^e arts^ of,.inusic, painting,/-and the■ theatre all in• one.- Another h^s said, of^ it. that1 iti; is..-.. "aj communica;tibri", between'•'.danger, ', choreographer ■(crea^.;o^tha^ball^t>^:'coi^p'oser.'and painter,; on-- the 1 one hand, iand the '• author, omthe other, of an'emotional state, ■ Words-failivßalletrintelligently conceived and presented, never fails *' John : van. Druteh; the playwright, has. described'how, in; 1919, he went to see the Diaghileff Hussian Ballet ih i London. He,'.went .unwillingly, and prejudiced. "As for ballet, I knew all about • that. % from- the;, fantastic.: h'gdgQppdge.u'iKe' avinixturev'b*;. vaudevillq, bur,lesqug';^ aiid;' : music_al/come<|y,/.tha.'t is. the.7 English ,rp.ahiQrnime. : . -Jjii-i these enteriainmeisW, .'■to"'>frhidh; t' -w&S^takeji every. riGKristoas/.th'ere.visvaiv^ays* the dragonfljri ballet,'■4he:. : butterflyiV } ballet, th^vporcelaln'.t'alle'C "of danc'^ in the'Gave;;ol 'Jewels,"in.;:iwHich'-lumpy and ■ l npt.^yery'.;.y i qurig ',;y^om^n',7drejssed in tighfs ■"; wth, sparigled ;• Rings','*,;pei> foiTO'S'ungr^^hil;'.,.inpli>iTig'l^ss;''v"'and conyentiphal ;;measures,y6r:att;redi- as Waifeaii, shepherdesses,? go, cliinisilY through"the^m.ovements; of'•al'|6rmal minuet" '-t6 ithe' inteiise ■ boredom of.'-the children who are waiting'f OB thg^next

\::{r:t'.'.U '-■#&). :.v' ' ■:. ■'• .'.;'■:: ■:' ' :;v-:f a^pe^ancej'df.rthe.,. funny,, man. • I :was cpnviri(;e(i'}that.''ali: Pallet; mUstl'"be;1 like tft^^a3litUe;'better^techriicaliy'"per-; hgߧi;^vit^iustijas.,;uninteresting," .But1 afterwards';;: "There, 'is; no way;:- of. deSs^ttpg}g|qod^b4}let,vtp,;those; who; haw s^gti^onljplbad;>;y^s,'*pne.^rnitst, say, .^if; j Ußip. aridldanee? on';thiair|-t oes,' ar^; dc>; all;.:,ttie,<t}im^ but.;; they/Southern; beautifully, they' do; them .with';toea^ing."'';Ballet became: :Somethm^;ttf.f^cK^h%llvwJuld;vrath(Ei]: Jiany;-"6'thef form,'.of. -. enter..t^nitieiijtK;^^^ v-'vX^,' '}■';: .;'/;:;./ ■' h? ';", ■.;■;•, '■;"; : ,; ■ftl^a^v^Efr^SANG^-;|" ■ '■":;:;: . ■it;needs : yno;.historian's,'knowledge.;'to realise that ; j hijpifinkirid has "always' interjorejied, its feelings;in the.darice.. It languish^,1; b.fit.'itjj',^ Ren'aiss'aiice. :it, was reborn';as,tbe ballet,:'A,'!musician.' was commissioned,'-to': compose the. spene,; a., J?aJl^ .mjas.teri ta, arrange, the. .steps, .a'poet to, Write/ the'yerses, . a painter;l to;'.dexisft,.the; decors.. ' "This :spleh"di.d.v!ehteifti(dnm|jttt^V.asV-^p6rted into France, wh'efei iinder' tiiree Kings, bu.t, especially., in.the,. smiles of. "Le Kpi :Soleil;":Louis: XIV,' it.v.idund.'its liome' WitiLthe^Hevolutionitsi devotees fled' across I. Europe;'' eyeritua.liy': Wttling;~ at' St..Petersburg, 'iri r the,;patrflnage oi:"th'& Tsars." Thefe \yas' developed' the. Imperial Russiaji^ Ballet, and.for; a- long .tipe.'.the. history 'of the,;ballet was. the1 hisjoryj-qf i trie'"ballet iri •Russia. -' Five, years; bejforeVthe Gre^fcWaK Stance ,and: .England; were. awakened,'v ,or . reaw,akeneditia ; ,aßpr.e?iati6n 'q£ ; the, hallet by,.;,a Russian",;cojnpany r ...iipder.: iS^rg,ei .Diaghile!ff;;.ifp--'whpm'. andi.: te, '.' Michael Pokihe'; the. ■ moderrt;' b'aliet "owes ; ,' \~its being.,1;; The cqmpaiiy;:w,asitiispersed by :the iwar^-but: it.was. reassembled,.' and. [an \ American, tour ' was,; arrange^.. in ;1916.'.}lAjjpjit 1 'tjiis ;.time!j'th'ei"e.. viki det. yefoped^ finder^;iJiaghileff, Leonide piassi^e.o^hq:has. composed.a.series,of ;the;'most, important ballets of ■ this.time. piaghileff> )die4; In : ; 1929,; 'and; * 'Anna, |P^yloyaj^nJl,9J('lji and,,there.;;were; feats, 'fqr; theffuti^re/, of J balle^.,-but.\in; ■1931' .there formed "tfie- Mpnte. .Carlo Ballet .Russe,' .under''.tfie fgeneraifdirecjtioh of-Colonel Wassily de;B'asil. :'■'■{. '.■ -;\- ---i ';•''.'. ;.;.cossACK's':viCTX)Kr!:';;-,'; -■ l/Borh-in-the Caucasus, de'Basil 5:-ex^: "celled; at ;the : soldiers' lezghinka.:aiid' other: dances: of-his native^ih'p.untain^. He. starred Chaliapin ihttie:? Russian. Ppera Company, just after the' wary then stepped;from.ppera;;tp .ballejt^v'ile^rej..----yitelise'dsthe4aster'me^l^M'■•by^;^s■'.cqn'-■ pept'ion 'i. of "vthel Icornpaii'yi" of l / veterans, te.aGhingi children/the^art. andv present;' in'g.^&^ancie^t^ballftt'produoti tKe"y_';;"taught. 1 success', attep3.^d::-Hii'I ; 'effQr.te-;;untii;:.lie;, &eai, to.Xcjndi^n^yi; ; 19^i;.f qr> :a>;.v.-(iiree Now^, he/ jjiak'es;. his jjeadtiucirterSj in Monte',' l Qarlo,l-giv^;;.a.;iyXarly..; season, at.. G6verit;.Gai'denvf:'!Heih'as»made.: an American" Ijour^^hiqh. ■ the ; organ 7 isation; jus^v^O^.iSOpi'dqllars, .arid! ;has, anpther f iiii. -p'rpgi^siij-.^i^^t ..ye.^T; : he' fOTmed/twd com^ELnies, equally, dfyiding his:".'"tklent,"'"ahd;'I 'sail':"6ny. company;, to gultiyate' ne^/gr^iind in Australia, and. New.Zealand: T,w,enty,-four; ballets ; 'were, presented,: in Aiistralian.; capitals over, a; period] of fpiTr^monthsl .'AJSTew, Zea-. l^and tour; was. uncertain, till! the, last moment The reason: Did. New Zeaf landers, know.i what-, balleti was?; The success ( ofrl?aylpvaja'nd: 'the,l93r Italian Gran'd'pper^/.Qqmpany,. save.d ; ;t||em. ( 'th'e disgrace^^of.'. being.I'adiudged:/ ignorant, an'dj' the. B^ir^ts,' Russes!:dp.; MJqntej Carip ~w,as, : sent td-tpu^ trie. bpminipn.. '■"". .' : "BALLETpMANIA.'' ;'-Thpiyjjastiv s.Q:far/as. New,. Zealand^is. qqncerned;. ? has. known; the ;; Danish dancer Adeline Genee, of pre-war, days, atjd; the imiiiprtal. Anna,, Pavlova, ' But' t^es.ef,were!: stefs.- of.'tiieir'; ,own companies,; /.y^hich. ! i..w:quld;-beaf : ':little.-, . reaexnblanc.e/ to .'the, j yent,u.re,, of-de /Basil. A nutnber.'qf ;experie.nced-dancers head l|is;'company^ but .tnerhajpnty of its ■membeifsjarej a' chosenfteain/frpm his "Babies" of 1932. When .he took over the company he, .placed, a. number of 13-year-old ;stud.en.tp:.frpin; Paris- with the dancers, of DiaghilefE'i' Monte Carlo Company, from ■v^hose.names tiieballet s l tars of the^ future, will- arise, : .■. Pavlova.gave,the' world a.new word ■—"balletomania.-* -Its victims- arc