Show Greatest of Modern Dancers I Asserts Steps Are Acme of Grace Color Music By Frank R. R Arnold HE star dressing room at the T THE Salt Lake theatre had taken on ona ona ona a very look although the dancer had not yet come Everything was waiting for him and the subtle aroma of his personality breathed from nearly every object in inthe inthe inthe the room All around hung the famous famous famous fa fa- fa- fa costumes the costumes the filmy fUmy cream col ored shirt and the black velvet coat of Les the coat heavy with gold old thread woven wove 1 in Russia that he wears ears in La Princesse most famous of all hung the costume of the Rose Specter all over which twined and fluttered many colored j i irose rose leaves and flowers all sewn on the costume under the personal su supervision sup su supervision of himself H He had haq stood for forr hours in the costume before a mirror while the brilliant bits of rose color were attached to the co costume costume cos cos- tume in ill a way to satisfy hl his hh own idea of color harmony an and pictorial effect 6 PAIRS OF SHOES On a trunk were six pairs of shoes some five some five and a half in size which he was to wear that evening eve eve eve- ning Those to be used in the Pas de Deux were set with sparkling stones Here and there were bathrobes bathrobes bathrobes bath- bath robes of purple or pink which slips on between terpsichorean dashes while waiting behind the scenes Marie the dancers dancer's special dressmaker dressmaker dress dress- dress I maker was mending a costume just arrived from the cleaners and Alexander Alexander Alexander Alex Alex- ander the dresser was going over the dancing shoes with white chalk It was a pleasant domestic scene and we were talking of marriage to toa a dancer three years before in BuenosAires Buenos BuenosAires BuenosAires Aires and of his little daughter aughter now staying in New York when in c came me himself He had been sending spending the day in relaxing from his Pullman existence in acquiring the local legends legends' of the city and in enjoying its it's winter sunshine sunshine sunshine sun sun- shine and mountains He was too late to take tak the exercises which every dancer must have before each p performance performance per per- r- r those exercises he learned at the Imperial ballet school at Petrograd Petrograd Petrograd Petro- Petro grad and which are a daily dally drudgery absolutely necessary to maintain poise grace and suppleness In his gray business suit slim alert I and athletic looked like a ayoung ayoung young college fellow or an active business business business busi busi- ness man in his twenties He is only 26 and personality plus emanates from every movement as strongly as it did didin didin didin in Edna Freber's matchless McChesney McChesney McChes- McChes ney family WATCHES THEM ALL I Our conversation went with a rush for Mr is alert and active during every minute of the performance perform perform- ance He is not only the leading eating dancer I er but during this Ame American ican trip he replaces ces Mr and is re responsible responsible re- re re-I re for the artistic supervision of or e each ch ballet He must cast the ilie final glance at scenery costume and grouping group group- ing When not dancing himself he stands in the coign of vantage by the switchboard and watches watches' every movement movement movement move move- ment of the dancers Now and then he snaps his fingers to accentuate the tempo of ensemble dances and on his thin eager face radiant with intelligence intelligence intelligence intel intel- you can read artistic satisfaction satisfaction satisfaction tion or disquiet with the evenings evening's work The dancers feel his penetrating I ing dominating presence Just as do dothe dothe dothe the members of the orchestra that of their leader What did we talk about The I naturally talk taUe of millions and the of ot the dance First of his years at Petrograd at the imperial im imperial im- im I penal school of ot his generations of dancing ancestors of his e early successes successes suc sue ceases and of the tremendous vogue of the Russian ballets first in Paris and London and now in Spain So South th America and the United States You see see said lie fIe we have Jave found the most perfect combination of all the arts The ordinary opera usually ap app appeals appeals ap- ap p peals als to but one sense that sense that of music But our ballets are perfect in color in music in grace in unity of ot effect IS ALL ORIENT For example in it is isaU all aU orient The orient fairly knocks you down with its color music and mystery mys mys- I tery This is perhaps ps the most popular popular Iopu- Iopu lar of our ballets all over the United States In the big cities they like the delicate charm chann of die Specter of ot the theRose theRose theRose I Rose with its alluring Von Weber music but out in the provinces they like the sensuous and sensual orient I The dancer laughed What our business manager calls the naughty naughty though it seems a sin to apply so inane and frivolous a word to anything so artistic as our work worl for like the greatest of the French we know that art does not have to concern itself with morals though it must remain decent and in in in- offensive To show how much the modern ballet I owes to the scenery and costumes of Bakst showed the rings he wears in the Enchanted Princess which were designed by Bakst Th Thereas There re was as one for each finger each a huge turquoise turquoise stone in a gold setting Cross chains over the back of ot the hand connect con connect connect con con- those of the fore and little fingers with a gold bracelet BAKST IS GREAT Bakst is great even in little de details details details de- de tails said No o one can equal him He has the ideas of nobody else and he gets tremendous effects with his riotous colors Think of the huge red banana leaves and the hazy purple background round of the Enchanted Princess Would any of you Americans Americans Americans Amer Amer- dare do it Your Tour Mr 11 Jones who did the scenery ry for Till is the only American who approaches him Till is the last ballet ballet ballet bal bal- let that I arranged We did it in New NewYork NewYork i York and Boston but we cannot take I it everywhere with us as it requires an enormous stage is what th the French call bon hon camarade He speaks in the highest highest highest high high- est terms of his fellow dancers from Russia Perhaps his greatest admira- admira I I ter s v r A 3 G 4 y tion however is ls' f for II Isidora Du Duncan can whom he considers the greatest of American Americ n and English English- dancers Like him she abounds In hr originality and has freed treed modern dancing c ng from con con- People who have seen the two dance together at private affairs af affairs affairs af- af fairs in New York Yok Yo k may may consider themselves themselves themselves them them- selves happy beyond the l lot f of ordinary ordinary ordinary nary mortals for th they y have seen ether ethereal al dancing BORN IN RUSSIA Although parents were both Po Poles es he himself was born in Russia He is Is- keenly interested in the fate of ot Poland but expresses himself very cautiously on the subject Not so his friend Mr Fradkin who uses the same dressing room Fradkin Frad- Frad kin the solo violinist has a Polish fa fa- ther a Russian mother and was educated educated educated edu edu- at the Paris conservatory and so represents a great many allied in in- in He is very outspoken en These peace proposals of the German German German Ger Ger- man emperor said he arc are ridiculous It Is as If it someone said to you I wont won't fight with you any more but you can cango cango cango go to h h- h From outside from the other side of the curtain came the distant rumble of an audience Impatient for the curtain curtain curtain cur cur- tain to go up Let them get excited said sky It seems they like lile dancing Art comes before punctuality And away he dashed for a final glance at the stage before the curtain rose on the ALWAYS GETS OVER Anyone who has watched dance knows he always gets over Light as thistle down and yet as muscular muscular muscular mus mus- cular as Hercules he never fails to send his soul out Into the audience and make the elect vibrate with him Inartistic in inartistic inartistic artistic Joy How he can be so temperamentally temperamentally temperamentally tem tem- consistent is a marvel maI to those who follow his work from day to day Why is he not like e all an other great artists usually superb and occasionally occasionally occasionally occasion occasion- ally rotten lotten careless careless' Youth abounding vitality and joy in his work worle perhaps give the reason in part but it itis itis itis is also due to an artistic conscience personal charm and above all ability to lose himself in his work worle He greatest of modern dancers because he ha has what the French call entrain That is the ability to get into an occupation and to be whisked awa away by it into regions where petty cares are unknown |