Show r il Innate Love of Art Essential to Success il i I Declares Mme Fokina Star of Ballet Russe r B Believes liev s Technique Technique Can n Be 11 Developed Instinct 1 Is Inherited I 1 f F By Jane Dixon FokIne Fokine father of tho Ballet let Russe i has basa a favorite pupil I This favorite pupil Is the maestros maestro's I J. J wife te Mme Mme Fokina an and tho epitome of I f all aillie he holds highest in tl the e difficult I art of ot the dance One evening not long ago I watched hed i Ir the elephantine efforts of a r really ally gifted man Who ho ho was engaged in fri the I hazardous task of fox trotting a lovely 10 lady Indr through the mazes of ot an Amen Ameri American ca can jazz tune It H. was a rather pathetic spectacle I hero was a whose decisions decisions deci- deci shaded the destiny of o nations fa r prancing and perspiring and bringing R ti himself to the brink of ap pl over oyer overa I IR I f a problem In rhythm so sa simple the merest child co could ld rn manage nag it gracefully gracefully grace grace- f I fully an and l with despatch grace 1 I I I. I happened to know this unhappy I struggler straggler had suffered through an en entire enI entire en- en I tire course of dancing lessons at the school of ot ono one who vio was supposed to ta imI im- im I I buo bue a wooden man with the po poetry tr of t motion Yet I realized that to this particular particular particular par par- pupil the league of nations was easy in comparison with the tho tangled I skein of a waltz A fact tact was Impressed upon me as never before either before either we ae dance or weda we wedo wedo do da not riot MADAME CONFIRMS CONVICTION CONVICTIONS Mme I ne me Fo Fokina dri in fn whose little limbs and graceful body flows lows all the fire and air and rippling waters of ot the dance confirmed this conviction It was after one of cit those tempestuous performances at the M Metropolitan opera when Fokine and Fokina two Jewels jewels' of ot the Imperial School of Dance one of the most mast sacred of at Russia's art institutions Institutions institutions to b be shattered by the hand of the bolshevik had glittered gUttered and shimmered shimmered shimp shim shim- p to the tho breathless wonder of at an unbelieving audience I t The flush of physical exertion the flash of spiritual Inspiration intensified the always vivid tone of the dancers dancer's personally personality All aba about t billowed d the bizarre waves of the Sev Seven en Veils She pushed them back and launched eagerly Into a subject very close to her Each Kach ch o of U us Ul said the gifted Russian is born with something within us which It is our duty to give to the world With one it might be a throbbing message of ot religion with another a ama f ma roaSter master ter picture with still sUll another a song to melt the soul Then there are r those who wha may find tInd their gift in humbler hum hum- 1 bIer bler spheres where they become as great a factor for good as do da the more I exalted ones The great great- thing the most Important tant taut thing in life Ilfe Is to tc discover your I particular gift MANY MISFITS IN LIFE I The brilliant dark eyes of the thed dinc dancer r softened to ta sadness I know of s so many misfits she sighed who have deliberately takena taken I a closed road and have never again I com come coma back to the success highway We I have a gift for making Ii hats ts and we wei It i Insist on writing plays Instinct points I I us toward twinkling toes and we InI In Insist In- In I upon singing songs We hold ourselves ourselves our our- fJ selves stronger than the fate tate which fashions our ends I I It It is impossible for instance to be a great dancer unless you are b born rn with witha a genius for the dance No r o person is isa 4 a a. fine artist who cannot make others fr feel To make others othere feel it is necessary necessary sary zary that you yourself feel teel This can happen only when you love lov the thing you O are doing absolutely and sincerely t f better than anything else In the world 1 1 when when you would be miserable without with wIth- I lOUt out It i t And cultivation I asked does it ent enter r into the equation It Most certainly was was' the reply Jb The wild rose is lovely bu but t fl fleeting l eUng eting I The rose rOle of cultivation is fragrant and 55 l latin lasting ss t u Technique and finesse Inesse can be developed developed devel- devel aped b but t. t no dancer w who ho a does not not truly J C love he her he- heart art so that It absorbs her very heart and soul can ever move an audI audI- m nV ence to ta either tears or smiles even IJ though sh she may be lighter than a a. af f f feather ather more beautiful than a a. painters painter's Ij w r- r 0 BE DE a great artist in the field of the ballet as in any other field T TO one must have so great a desire to dance that one could not possibly be happy without dancing Such love of expression happens only when the art you desire to express is a gift Technique can be developed but the true rhythm of motion is in the heart heart MME VERA FOKINA I k S I I p V Vt t 4 1 a c w o-w fp Ii I c t I r A i l' l j ir MME ER VER VERI dream the mistress of ot all there is in ill I technique Mme Fokina believes we ve are apprised ap ap- ap- ap pris d of ot our before wo we em emerge rge from the tIle carefree ag age of c child child- ild- ild hood ALWAYS KNOWN DESTINY It uIt seems to me I Ia always ways have known my destiny was to dance she declared as far tar b back ck as s memory can reach I have been consumed with love I of at it h. There never never was an any question about my life work My parents were In full accord with my desires ir In lq this direction I think they felt the the necessity sity for it as much as s I did myself At the age of 12 th they y gave kave m me mc t io o othe I Ithe the Imperial Ballet Baliet school i In Petro- Petro grad irad In my country It is is a real gift Once a child enters the school she is practically lost to her home hame Her en entire entire entire en- en tire life is devoted to the dance The master artist in the school at this time was a young tea teacher h her i by the name name of at Fokine It Was vas Fokine ie who wi-to composed compose the dance which delighted l the difficult lo lor lords l and ladies ladles of the thelm Imperial Im- Im penal curt Both th tire the czar and czarina czarina held the ballet above all other oth r arts arts as as' indeed it t has always alway's been held in in Russia From the first h- h hId had faith in my ability to reach the heights to which he aspired He t taught me ceaselessly with infinite care care re and pa- pa pa pa- tience It It is isa a long and and tortuous us u's road jet et J. J I L loved loved every step ot of the way At last when X reached m my sixteenth six six- birthday lie he felt the goa goal was reached I was graduated into a sensa tion Another love had grown along wi with th my roy birthright and we were m married j I Shortly ther y husband took the he Ballet R Russe to Paris It was an event th the pleasure sure mad beauty worshiping city will never never forgetS forget t. t Tho B Ballet Ball t. t t Russe Russo marks marics the highest point ever ever- reached ever reached in n the history history- of the art of dancing Tile The speaker rose sighed as as' if she she returned with reluctance from poppy sp spangled pages ge's o of the past and trailed FOKINA off ott into muffled laugh as If ff to relieve the t tenseness ss of f her emotion MA MANY Y EYES SHUT TO BEAUTY Of course she continued if you jou are among those who regard art as a am m means means means' ansot ans' ans of ot gratifying personal vanity you yau may s safely fely take up the dan dance e without without without with with- out endangering the prestige of ot any real artist There are always a certain number num num- ber berof of persons who will applaud d a dancer dancer dancer dan dan- because she can poise on her toes for a considerable e period or leap higher high high- er or th than n any other dancer If It it is ap applause applause applause ap- ap you ar are seeking th the task should be easy If It on on the other hand you yo-u. yo are of th those se who regard art as an Influence for tor good in fn the world YO yours ra will be another nother mission You wU wUl d danCe daie to tom tomake tomake m make ke those thos wh who are aTe sad happy t to move the cynic to tears to open up a new world for tar those eyes cye have been shut to beauty Probably the most niost enthusiastic re reception reception reception re- re my husband and II I have re received received received re- re in fn America was given us at our l latest latet est appearance at the Metropolitan i Yet tail all app applause a se and flowers and en encores en- en cores faded d' d away before the shining face tace of a young girl who came back backst backstage st stage ge e t to m me after tire the performance t tp say she had be been n i downcast and disheartened disheartened dis dis- disheartened dis- dis heartened for tor or s several verai weeks but that I a after after- t l' l our our ur pan pantomime dance Carnival i-i i her sadness had dropped from her like a a. cl cloak ak This to- to tome me Is fulfilling g the there thereal I re real mission of ot all alI art rt Mme Fokina has a tiny son 0 who dances like a wind tossed autumn leatHe leaf leat He h has s not been taught to dance this mite of ot mingled motions His Is a pure bi birth tl gift He places the he seal upon tp n ni i Mme assurance true assurance true rue talent taleA the soaring wings of art are born not made |