CLASSICAL BALLET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26626, 24 November 1947, Page 6

CLASSICAL BALLET

INCREASING POPULARITY NEW ZEALAND GIRLS IN COMPANY “I have four New Zealand girls in my company and they have every reason to feel gratified with their accomplishments in one of the most beautiful but at the same time, most difficult of all the arts,” explained Mr Edouard Borovansky, ballet master of J. C. Williamson’s Borovansky Baljet, which opened its Dunedin season at His Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday night. Mr Borovansky was emphasising the the fact that, although the creators and leading personalities of the modern ballet were largely those of the Latin and Slavonic races, there was nothing to justify the conclusion that the British would not play an increasingly important part in its perpetuation or in important developments in the future. “It is question of opportunities,” he said, “and this resolves itself into the problem of finding those with sufficient knowledge to impart it.” Confounded Critics Mr Borovansky, who is a Czech, and was a friend of the great Prague writer and playwright, Karel Capek, to whom, by the way, he bears a striking resemblance, had the fortune to develop his art in the Russian ballet, in which he spent 20 years. Going to Australia nine years ago, he broke new ground as far as the theatrical arts were concerned in the Commonwealth, by forming his own company. He was lold everywhere that there were not sufficient cultural traditions in Australia to justify such an innovation and 1 that Australians, in any case, while they may make , excellent can-can dancers, did not have the aptitude for the classical ballet.

Mr Borovansky, however, confounded the critics. Speaking to a Daily Times reporter on his arrival from the north on Saturday, he said that he did not

think he would have secured better talent anywhere than he had found in Australia. Members of the company , had been largely recruited from Australia and New Zealand, ’and its record over the years spoke for itself. Australia has certainly become bal-let-conscious these days. This is shown by the fact that before coming to the Dominion on its present tour the com- " , pany had a season of eight months in Sydney and 10 months in Melbourne. He thought that Australians were more developed as far as their appreciation of the arts was concerned than the New Zealanders. 1 “But, of course,” he added., “it is a much bigger place, and they have had far better opportunities to build up a tradition. I am a little disturbed though, because I find that in both countries there are so many people who put horse racing first, and everything else, including cultural matters, a bad second. But something very substantial has been achieved. I think the great popularity enjoyed by the’ ballet, notwithstanding the grave difficulties that have had to be faced as an inevitable legacy of the war, is something that Australians can boast about.”

Arduous Tasks Mr Borovansky emphasised that one of the reasons thht retarded a true appreciation of the classical ballet was the fact that the dancer who aspired to achievq even moderate success is forced to serve a long and arduous apprenticeship. She must have a good deal fnore than mere physical aptitude, Technique, of a sort, can always be acquired, but there are essential accomplishments that' cannot be taught. A corps de ballet dancer must have a profound knowledge of music and be able to interpret its subtleties to an audience; she must never become a mere puppet, for dancing is the most personal of all the arts. “But even natural ability, even of the highest < order, is not-enough,” he continued.“ You have ' to'* learn the technique, and you simply cannot do that in less than four to,’five years. Some people think that you can dispense with technique in dancing as, say, in painting. They contend • that all you have to do is to express your natural ability, but that will not do, either in painting or in classical dancing. The task of acquiring the technique is often a heart-breaking one, and that is why there are so many failures.”

He also emphasised that, to be a success, the ballet must be produced on a professional basis. “ There are many schools doing excellent work in Australia and New Zealand, but it is unfortunate that we have not the pro- - per theatres, and not sufficient producers'to achieve the success I would like to see.”