SUPERB ARTISTRY

Evening Star, Issue 22632, 26 April 1937, Page 6

SUPERB ARTISTRY

BALLET SEASON OPENS A NIGHT OF ENCHANTMENT DANGERS ACCLAIMED BY PACKED HOUSE There was au air of expectancy and suppressed excitement oyer the audience that packed His Majesty’s on Saturday evening for the opening of the Russian Ballet season., an .air that suggested keen and pleasurable anticipation of a distinctive theatrical event. This was because Dunedin has seen little of ballet in the classical style and, more so', because of the encomiums that preceded Colonel da Basil’s Monte Carlo company. Very few people in this city are competent to criticise such a performance as this,' but even had they gone in that spirit they must' have been completely disarmed. It was a night of enchantment for anyone possessing the slightest degree of imagination. Dancing, and music in such indivisible and exquisite association as this _ will remain as one of the enriching experiences of a lifetime. The brilliant success achieved by the company is not difficult to analyse. In the past we have seen great dancers such as Pavlova and Genee shining as the particular stars of their respective corps de ballet, but here wo have at least half a dozen great solo dancers leading a company m which superb artistry and remarkable versatility are strikingly matched, the brightest luminaries being- Leon Woizikowsky, Valentina Blinova, and Helene Kirsova. The performance they gave was a sheer delight to the aesthetic sense. • Perhaps never before was the harmony of music and. the dance so finely and happily exemplified. If one had closed one’s eyes all- through Saturday evening one would have heard a masterly representation of inspired music. Iri the visual sense that music sprang to life, exquisitely interpreted in poetic motion. It was given fresh and irresistible appeal in pose and movement, and brought before one an enchanting vista. Great as they were,, there is not much purpose in expatiating on the artistry of the solo dancers, for in every scene they were merely the more prominent features of a brilliantlymtched picture, » picture at once vivid in its-vitality and being.. There were many remarkable solo dances, of course, but it was as a corps that the ballet scored its most distinctive success. It represented with equal facility sharply-contrasting moods of the dance—from the charming simplicity of the ballet in classical pose to the drama of angry and primi-’ five, passions. And if Terpsichore did not bless man with that ease and grace of movement that she bestowed on woman such discrimination was hardly apparent here. The strength of the male dancers was that of finely-tem-pered steel, hut allied with that was a singularly charming style in movement. In every gesture and step they sustained a lovely . line. The basic factor of their success was that everything they did was represented without effort, and they wei'e particularly effective in arabesque and in that leap where the body is so gracefully curved flight. Their sister members of the ballet were the essence of daintiness and deftness, and there could , no inequality to tnar that beauty w ifh which every dance was invested. There were three memorable presentations to usher in tho season on Saturday night. The first of these was Les Sylphides,’ a bewitching interpretation of the lovely waltzes, nocturnes, .and mazurkas of Chopin. The curtain rose on the ballet in classical dress and pose in a wooded glade under, tho delicate haze of l silver moon-, light. Then came a series of entrancing, solo and ballet dances, with Igor Yousskevitoh (the only male dancer), Helene Kirsova, Nina Youchkevitch, Nathalie Branitzka, Anna Skarpa, and Irina Bondireva bringing tho audience fresh delights in turn. To single any' of them out serves no purpose—they simply made up a scene of ethereal beauty that carried one far away from the closed walls of a theatre. Here was classical dancing in its most exquisite form.

'The piece tie resistance of tiie evening was the Rimsky-Korsakoff ‘ Scheherazade.’ It was magnificent in its colour and intensity, and dominating it was the superb artistry of Leon Woizikowsky, one of the most celebrated dancers in the world of ballet. This choreographic drama was a glittering and exciting spectacle, disturbing in its power and realism, and commanded concentrated attention as it was developed to its great climax. The honours were shared by Woizikowsky and Nina Raievska, whoso representation of the unfaithful Zobeido was peculiarly fasqinating in its sensuous charm, But Woizikowsky’s animal savagery in his delineation of the negro slave whom Zobeide desired was uncanny and frightening. That in itself established his greatness. He did not personify a brut© creature—he was that creature, so much so that one could not repress a shudder of revulsion. It was a magnificent piece of acting. As primitive passions became unleashed and the orgy developed to its tragic end that feeling of tension communicated itself to an audience fascinated with its barbaric colour and fire.

Tills stark realism was in sharp contrast to the delicate imagery of the Tschaikowsky ‘ Manage de Auroro ’ that followed. It was a lovely fantasy on the dances at the marriage feast of the Sleeping Beauty, and each succeeding scene captivated the audience. After the stately measures of the Duchesses and the Ladies of Honour and their partners came a series of piquant and engaging divertissements. Vanda Grossenh; pert and fetching impersonation of Bed i Riding Hood and her little scone with a very lively Wolf (Milos Ristic) caught the- fancy of the whole house. Nina Golovina and Roland Guerard scored one of the greatest successes of the night with their interpretation

of the famous ‘ Blue Bird ’ dance. It was sensitively and beautifully represented, . Guerard’s suppleness and grace matching Golovina's exquisite style perfectly. Sonia Woizikowsky (the young daughter of the inpitre de ballet), Irina Bondireva, and Jean Hoyer brought a storm of applause and laughter from thfe audience as they jigged through the dance of_tho Chinese Porcelain Princesses. • This was a delightful touch of pantomime. Another broader presentation was that of Valery Shaevsky, Serge Unger, and Dmitri Tovaroff in ‘ The Three Ivans,’ in which they performed some remarkable feats in the popular Russian style of dancing l . Valentina Blinova’s dancing throughout the ballet was of surpassing charm, and her association with Valentin Froman was ■at once notable for peitect timing. A lively, mazurka in which the whole compahy danced brought the programme to a close. The ballet had to take numerous calls in acknowledging the tumultuous applause that followed. The orchestra was a great delight all through the evening. Ivan Clayton conducted the Chopin' and Jascha Horeusteiu took the Rinisny-Korsakoir and Tschaikowsky, and gave readings that must have been a signal pleasure to the ballet. If there had been n.i dancing the evening would -still _ have been a vivid and arresting experience. This programme will be repeated tonight. The doors will be opened at 0 p.m. for unreserved seats to save patrons a long wait in the wintry weather. FUR GOATS AND WRAPS Owing to the very wintry conditions outdoors fur coats mid wraps wore practically the only wear at the premiere, though a few smart velvet cloaks were scon. Among those present ■were: —Mr aiul Mrs Guy laplev Mr and Mrs Fraser Edmond, Miami Mrs 0. T. Harris, Mr and Mrs Flavell, Mr and Mrs W. 0. M Kell nr, Mr and Mrs G. M. Lloyd, Mr ami Mrs L G. Lilly, Mr and Mrs D. bhnml, Mr and Mrs- John Edmond, Mr ami Mrs Len Hudson, Mr and Mrs Davies, Mr and Mrs J. Hendra lOamaru), yi! and Mrs A. Fcls, Mr and Mrs V arringtou Taylor, Mr and Mrs Mai k Hanan, Mr and Mrs Charles Mil son, Mr ami Mrs Don Reid, Mr and Mrs Leonard Black, Mr and Mrs Horace Marshall, Mr and .Mrs Crimp (Oamaru), Mr and Mrs M Devniul Oamaru), Mr and Mrs Arthur bidej, Mr and Mrs Roy Spaceman, Mr and Mrs H 0. M'Farlaue, 5Jr and Mis Sutherland Ross, Mr and Mrs Renfrew White, Dr ami Mrs Stanley Batchelor, Dr and Mrs \Vra. Evans, Dr and Mrs C. Burns. - Dr and Mrs Norman Speight, Dr Williams, Di and Mrs Walden Fitzgerald, Mesdamcs G. R Ritchie. H. 0. Campbell, Reid, Alfred Clarke, _ David Mohw (Oamaru), Theonnn, E. R. Nevill, R. M Patterson, Easton, D. femeaton, S. Solomon, D. Solomon, _ Sinclair, Richard Hudson. Scoullnr, Misses D. Blackmorc. D. Clarke, B Ihomsom L. Lawson, Theomin, Brenda Bell (Shag Valley), Martin, S. Nevill, K- Greciislade Jean Patterson, Tsobel ’Reid, Barbara Williams Ida White, Flavell, Dorothy Scoullar, Messrs W. Fels, IL, Brasr-b, C A. Martin (Invercargill), j ‘ U nd P Nevill, Russell-Wood.