CLEVER DANCING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22710, 24 October 1935, Page 17

CLEVER DANCING

RECITAL BY STAN LAWSON'S PUPILS Mr Stan Lawson is well known to the Dunedin public through his connection with amateur theatricals over a long period, and there is no one who does not appreciate his efforts in supervising the ballets of the Operatic Society productions. It was a natural assumption that, with the commendable talent which he has at his command, he would eventually bring hie pupils together in a complete dancing recital, and the performance which was given last evening in His Majesty's Theatre before a large audience can only serve to enhance his already enviable reputation. It was an ambitious programme that was presented, and with a less capable hand behind it mizht easily have failed, but sheer merit carried it through to a highly successful conclusion. Only one fault can be found, and it was a serious one for a person of Mr Lawson's experience. The programme was too long. Three hours and a-half of dancing, however good it is, must eventually pall even on an enthusiastic' audience. Apart from this, however, very little fault can be found with the recital. All the dances were arranged by Mr Lawson and Miss Rosette Powell, and they were brilliantly conceived and brilliantly executed. Whether large or small, the pupils reached a high standard of efficiency, careful training being evident in all the numbers presented, and what was lacking in the actual stage scenery was more than made up for in the beautiful frocks and costumes, which were specially designed by Misd Tui Northey. Indeed, this department was one of the outstanding features of the recital, and far outrivalled that seen in recent professional productions in Dunedin. In a programme of 35 separate items, five stood out well above the rest. The first number, " Shades of Yellow," served to introduce the large majority of the pupils to the audience in a melange of tap, operatic and variety dancing. In this number the efforts of the "baby tappers," and the senior girls, clothed in red and yellow cellophane, were outstanding, while excellent solo work was done by Miss Daphne Murdoch, Mr James M'Farlane and Miss Ngaire Wix. A delightful fantasy, " The Children's Bookshelf," was one of the most spectacular groups of the evening, and was deservedly applauded. Twenty little boys and girls, representing the children of the "Old Woman in the Shoe," tapped heartily and obviously enjoyed themselves; Goldilocks danced and the Three Bears gambolled spiritedly about the stage; Alice in Wonderland, with the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and Tweedledum and Tweedledee made appropriate appearances; while the Three Little Pigs showed suitable terror on the arrival of the Big, Bad Wolf. It was a charmingly conceived idea, and the fantastic heads of the different animals were a masterpiece of local manufacture. A suite of dances, arranged to the music of Chopin, impressed itself on the memory for its delicacy of treatment and production, and the soloists —Misses Dorothy Judd, Olga Milar, Ngila Slowley and Rowena Jackson—together with a clever corps de ballet, are worthy of considerable praise. A group fantasy, entitled "Sleep." by a number of the intermediate girls, was a delightfully restful dance, the jzreen and mauve Grecian costumes and a huge square of chiffon, which was used with telling effect, making a charming picture. "The Night Before Christmas, with Miss Lila Murdoch as the soloist, gave_ a dozen tiny tots in pink and green pyjamas an opportunity to wax enthusiastic in, a large bed over the coming of Santa Clans, and a Darkie number, "Down South," was notable for the novelty of the costumes used. Four brief neenas which comprised "Courtship Through the Ages" were daintily presented. It would be impossible to convey even a brief idea of the merit of the numerous individual items which completed the programme. They were all uniformly good, but a number are deserving of special mention. A dance duo, " The Reapers," suggested by Millet's painting, " The Angelus," and presented by Misses Norma Gore and Joan. Anderson, was well clone, and two Spanish dances —" Segnidilla," danced to the stirring music of Albeniz, by Miss Jan Keating, and "In the Spanish Mode," by Misses Dorothy Judd and Olga Milar —proved very popular. Miss Judd also gave a commendable rendering of the beautiful "Dying Swan," and Miss Rowena Jackson presented a most difficult acrobatic dance with absolute ease. Two other numbers, which made an instant appeal, were " Valse in White," by Misses Thelma and Joan Anthony, and "The Golden Hoop," by Misses Norma Gore, Constance Potts, and Lois Slowley. There is no doubt that, by last night's performance, Mr Lawson has made a noteworthy debut into the realms of dance recitals. An efficient orchestra, under the leadership of Miss Sybil Baker, played the accompaniments. The recital will be given again this evening.