DRILL AND DANCING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 282, 13 November 1929, Page 8

DRILL AND DANCING

lONA COLLEGE DISPLAY. MANY GRACEFUL ITEMS GIVEN

Last evening the annual drill and dancing display was given in the assembly hall at lona College to a very interested audience. A background of elm leaves and roses against the large windows was particularly effective and showed to great advantage the vari-coloured frocks of the girls. Chairs had been arranged on the stage and on a raised platform so as to enable the audience easily to follow every movement of the display. In the first part of the programme a drill display by the juniors, middle school, and seniors was given, and the wonderful alacrity and precision with which every order was carried out reflected great credit on the instructress and the co-operation of the girls. Dances followed, a Russian sleigh dance (juniors), Irish jig (middle school), Alsatian dance (juniors). Sailors’ Hornpipe (seniors) and the Scottish sword dance (seniors) all being executed in a pleasing and graceful manner. A novel item which proved very popular was a fencing display by Captain Brunton's class, while a display on apparatus by the middle and senior classes was highly appreciated. The charming movements of the old English country dances were then portrayed by girls dressed in long, graceful Old English frocks and “boys” in smocks. One “boy” in the part of “Simple Simon” caused merriment both to the audience and to the dancers by her comic antics and gestures. The first item on the second half of the programme was a scarf dance by the seniors. This was a very pretty, graceful item. the pastel-shaded scarves of pink, green. lemon and blue fluttering with every movement of the arms of the dancers. The next item was a Slavonic peasant dance (Dvorak) by the pupils of the middle school in dainty white frocks. Perhaps the most spectacular event of the evening was the last item entitled “In the Woods.” Five girls in brown dresses carrying large branches of green leaves danced a graceful minuet, after which they took up positions and in came three hunters in green dresses and carrying spears. The next dancers were the children, who ran gracefully in and out among the trees. They looked very sweet in their pretty coloured dresses. After playing for a time the children fell asleep on the ground and “the wind,” a pupil in blue and grey with floating white drapery, flitted in and out among the trees gently stirring the branches. The wind then disappeared and while the children were still sleeping dainty “flowers” made their appearance. They carried blossoms and while gliding among the trees these were dropped near the children. At their exit the children gradually awakened and on seeing the flowers on the ground a joyous dance was indulged in while gather-t--ing them. The finale was a combined dance by the hunters, children, the wind and the flowers and very effective the pretty frocks looked with the graceful movements of the dancers. Appropriate ■ music was played for each type of dance given. The National Anthem brought a very enjoyable evening to a close. Music for each item was charmingly rendered by Iris Ilston, one of the pupils of the college.